Larger Terrestrial Vertebrates of NEOM Nature Reserve, NEOM, Tabuk Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – A 2026 Update

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2026 Open access

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Authors: David Olson, Raneem Almalki, Tom Bruce, Diosan Redulfa, Bushra Alabdulhafith, Saif Alghamdi, Mishari Alghrair, Winston J. Cowie, Lucinda Diemont, Stefan Cilliers, Hend Mohammed Alturki, Helio Silveiro
+5 more E. R. Hopkins, Faris A. Mukhtar, Tariq Aljohany, Eric Wikramanayake, Brett Lyons
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18672818
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Larger terrestrial vertebrates of NEOM Nature Reserve, Tabuk Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia weresurveyed from 2019 to 2024 using 248 wildlife camera traps deployed throughout NEOM in representativemajor ecosystems and habitats. Some cameras were running for months and some for years.Some survey sites were relatively remote while others were in areas of increasing development. Forty-ninecameras were lost or damaged and no data obtained from them. The total number of trap nights was 28,813yielding 62,733 wildlife and human activity detection events and an estimated 448,611 images. Anadditional 232 cameras were deployed by NEOM in possible development areas from 2021 through 2024and detected presence of several wildlife species. Multiple biodiversity surveys in NEOMfrom 2018 to 2024 were reviewed and evaluated for evidence of species occurrence. Additional wildlifedetections from camera-trap deployments at 38 new localities in 2025-2026 are presented in this update.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Rangeland and Wildlife Management Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Publication date
17 February 2026
Language
EN