The words and phrases below - wherever they appear in this regulation - shall have the meanings specified next to each, unless the context requires otherwise:

The Institution: The Public Institution for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea.

The Regulation: The regulation of the institution.

The Minister: The Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

The Ministry: The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

The Council: The Board of Directors of the institution.

The President: The President of the Council.

The CEO: The Chief Executive Officer of the institution.

The National Environmental Centers: The National Center for Wildlife, the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, the National Center for Environmental Compliance, the National Center for Meteorology, the National Center for Waste Management, or any other center established in the future.

The Person: Any individual with a natural or legal capacity.

The Activity: Any project or work that has an environmental impact on the coral reefs and turtles in the Red Sea.

The Permit: A document issued by the institution to a person before commencing the activity.

The License: A document issued by the institution to a person granting permission to engage in the activity.

The Coral Reefs: Marine environments based on coral that form hard reef structures on the seabed, which host and are associated with - in a delicate balance - many species of fish, vertebrates, invertebrates, and diverse plants.

Environmental Investment: Sustainable responsible investment - in coral reef environments and turtle nesting sites that considers environmental factors and social benefits as fundamental determinants of these investments.

Environmental Guidance: Environmental awareness related to the conservation of coral reefs and turtles.

1- The institution enjoys legal personality and financial and administrative independence, and is organizationally linked to the Minister, with its main headquarters located in the city of Riyadh. It may, by a decision of the Council, establish branches or offices within the Kingdom as needed.

2- The geographical scope of the institution's work includes the coasts, islands, and waters of the Red Sea belonging to the Kingdom, excluding the protected areas under the National Center for Wildlife Development; the institution shall carry out its specific tasks within these areas through the Center and in coordination with it, in a manner that does not conflict with its tasks and competencies. 
 

The institution aims to organize, supervise, and preserve coral reefs and turtles, as well as their nesting sites in the Red Sea, manage, develop, and sustain them, and work on rehabilitating degraded coral reefs and turtle nesting sites, in accordance with the relevant regulations and laws. 
 

Without prejudice to the competencies established by law for other entities, the institution shall do everything necessary to achieve its objectives, and it has, in particular, the following:

1- Preparing and implementing plans, programs, initiatives, and projects aimed at preserving coral reefs and turtles in the Red Sea, rehabilitating and developing them, and ensuring their sustainability, in coordination with the National Center for Wildlife, and raising any matters that require completing legal procedures.

2- Conducting studies, research, field surveys, and data collection, and building databases related to coral reefs and turtles.

3- Monitoring and evaluating the environmental status of coral reefs and turtles, issuing periodic reports about them, and tracking danger cases that threaten their survival and addressing them.

4- Coordinating with the National Center for Wildlife to align in achieving the approved strategies related to its activities.

5- Integrating and working to achieve the targets of the national environmental strategy - related to its activities and objectives in coordination with the Ministry and national environmental centers and relevant entities.

6- Preparing environmental standards, criteria, controls, and requirements related to its competencies, and submitting them to the Ministry for approval.

7- Issuing permits and licenses - related to its competencies - as stipulated in the relevant laws and regulations, according to a regulation issued by the Council.

8- Working within its competencies to rehabilitate degraded coral reefs, reintroduce endangered turtle species to their natural habitats, breed and develop them, and approve rehabilitation plans and supervise their implementation in coordination with the National Center for Wildlife.

9- Providing the Ministry with studies, data, and environmental indicators related to its competencies; which contribute to decision-making regarding the preparation of environmental strategies, policies, and legislation.

10- Organizing environmental guidance activities related to its competencies, and enhancing awareness of the importance of preserving coral reefs and turtles, through holding conferences, exhibitions, seminars, and specialized workshops.

11- Approving environmental impact assessment studies that fall within the scope of the institution's work - referred to the institution by the National Center for Wildlife - concerning projects and activities that impact coral reefs and turtles and their nesting sites, according to the mechanism specified by the executive regulations of the environmental law.

12- Approving programs, plans, initiatives, projects, studies, and research conducted by other entities in coral reef areas and turtle nesting sites, which do not require an environmental impact assessment, and monitoring their implementation in coordination with the National Center for Wildlife.

13- Issuing lists of coral reef species in the Red Sea and their locations, as well as turtles and their nesting sites.

14- Preparing controls and requirements for entering coral reef areas and turtle nesting sites in the Red Sea; to conduct any activity that affects them.

15- Cooperating with universities, research centers, and institutions regarding its competencies.

16- Preparing emergency preparedness and response plans related to coral reefs and turtles and implementing them in coordination with the relevant authorities responsible for leading and managing emergency response efforts.

17- Establishing training programs in areas related to its competencies, to enhance the performance of administrative and technical staff.

18- Approving professional training programs and certifying bodies specialized in training in areas related to its competencies.

19- Organizing environmental investment in coral reef areas and turtle nesting sites, in accordance with the governing provisions, and in coordination with relevant entities.

20- Supervising the implementation of initiatives, programs, and projects aimed at preserving coral reefs and turtles, encouraging public, private, and non-profit sectors to implement them, following up on their completion, and providing the necessary support to ensure the achievement of their specified targets.

21- Representing the Kingdom externally, in areas related to coral reefs and turtles in the Red Sea, in accordance with the applicable legal procedures, and after coordination with the Ministry.

22- Encouraging investment and financing in areas related to its competencies, in coordination with relevant entities.

23- Obtaining information and data related to its competencies from individuals, governmental and non-governmental entities, and academic institutions, in a manner that enables it to perform its tasks.

24- Any other task related to its competencies, as approved by the Council. 

1- The institution shall have a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister, with the membership of:

• A- A representative from the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

• B- A representative from the Saudi Red Sea Authority.

• C- A representative from the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate of Border Guard).

• D- A representative from the National Center for Wildlife.

• E- A representative from the National Center for Environmental Compliance.

• F- A representative from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

• G- A representative from NEOM Company.

• H- A representative from the Red Sea International Company.

2- The rank of the representatives of the government entities in the Council shall not be less than (fourteenth) or its equivalent. 
 

The Council is the supreme authority of the institution, responsible for managing its affairs and conducting its business, and it makes all necessary decisions to achieve its objectives within the framework of the regulations. In particular, it has the following powers:

1- Approving the general policy of the institution, its strategic plans, programs, initiatives, projects, standards, controls, and specific metrics.

2- Proposing draft laws related to the institution's competencies and suggesting amendments to the existing ones, in preparation for submitting them according to the applicable legal procedures.

3- Approving the organizational structure of the institution.

4- Approving the administrative and financial regulations of the institution, as well as other internal and technical regulations necessary for its operations, provided that the approval of the administrative regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the approval of the financial regulations and provisions with financial implications in other regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

5- Approving the rules, conditions, and controls related to the approval of activities that require obtaining permits and licenses issued by the institution in accordance with its competencies.

6- Determining the financial fees for the permits, licenses, services, and works issued or provided by the institution within its areas of competence.

7- Approving the establishment of branches or offices affiliated with the institution within the Kingdom.

8- Approving the conclusion of agreements and contracts, in accordance with the applicable legal procedures.

9- Reviewing the periodic reports submitted by the Chief Executive Officer regarding the progress of work and approving them.

10- Appointing an external auditor (or more) and an internal financial controller.

11- Approving the draft budget of the institution, its final accounts, and its annual report; in preparation for submitting them according to the applicable legal procedures.

12- Accepting donations, gifts, grants, bequests, and endowments, in accordance with the governing provisions.

The Council may form permanent or temporary committees from its members or others, assigning them tasks it deems appropriate, and specifying in the decision to form each committee its chairperson, members, and competencies. Each committee may seek assistance from whom it deems necessary to perform the tasks assigned to it. The Council may also delegate any of its powers to any of its members or to the institution's staff as it sees fit.
 

1- The Council meets periodically under the presidency of the President or his delegate from the representatives of the government entities in the Council - at least (four) times a year, and whenever necessary as determined by the President. The invitation to the meeting is issued by the President or his delegate, and the validity of the meeting requires the presence of at least the majority of the members, including the President or his delegate. Decisions are made by a majority of the votes of the attending members at least, and in the event of a tie, the side that the President of the meeting voted for prevails.

2- The deliberations and decisions of the Council are recorded in minutes signed by the President and the attending members.

3- The Council may invite individuals whose information and expertise are deemed beneficial to attend its sessions, without granting them the right to vote.

4- A member may not abstain from voting nor delegate another member to vote in their absence. A member who objects to any decision may record their objection with justification in the minutes of the meeting.

5- The meetings of the Council are held at the main headquarters of the institution. They may also be held at another location within the Kingdom when necessary.

6- The Council may, when necessary and in urgent cases as determined by the President, issue a decision by circulation, provided that all members of the Council agree to the decision. This decision shall be presented to the Council at the first subsequent meeting to be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

7- The Council may, when necessary and in urgent cases as determined by the President, hold meetings and vote on decisions remotely using technological means.

8- The Council establishes the rules and procedures governing the holding of its meetings remotely, including the procedures for inviting to meetings and how they are conducted.

The Council shall appoint a Secretary of the Council by a decision, who will be responsible for preparing the agenda of the Council, inviting members to its meetings, serving as the secretary for its meetings, preparing the minutes of its meetings and decisions, recording them in the designated register, and any other tasks assigned to him by the Council. The Council shall determine the financial benefits that the Secretary of the Council will receive in accordance with the internal regulations.

1- The resources of the institution consist of the following sources:

• A- The allocations designated for it in the state’s general Budget.

• B- The financial fees it charges for permits, licenses, services, and works it provides.

• C- Any donations, gifts, grants, bequests, and endowments accepted by the Council, in accordance with the regulations governing that.

• D- Any other resource approved by the Council, provided it does not violate the regulations and instructions.

2- All revenues of the institution shall be deposited in the current account of the Ministry of Finance at the Saudi Central Bank.

3- The institution shall open an account for itself at the Saudi Central Bank, and it may open other accounts at any of the banks licensed to operate in the Kingdom, and withdrawals from these accounts shall be made in accordance with its Budget.