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Item Marine conservation and promotion of tourism: An approach on marine and coastal planning at CAT Island, Muscat, Oman(2021-09) Evangelista, Maria Lourdes V.Oman is home to over 530 sqm of coral reefs. With the abundant coral species and reef fish, it became a popular destination for tourists. The economy also increases because of the leading fishing industry that serves as a point of export to nearby countries. Additionally, the capital Muscat is one of the top tourist spots for increasing water activities. Despite their unique biogeographic setting and obvious importance to biodiversity and economics, Oman's coral reefs are among the least studied in the region, accounting for less than 4% of regional reef-related publications (Burt, 2013; Vaughan and Burt, 2015). In the past decade, the unforgettable cyclone Gonu destroyed the beautiful sea habitat, one of the environmental stressors for the marine ecosystem. Moreover, the anthropogenic stressor is obvious, like berthing, scuba diving, and overfishing, resulting in decreased natural coral reefs. Cat Island, known to be one of the famous tourist spots in Muscat, is also faced with vulnerability to coral reef declination. This research focused on determining the most relevant present condition affecting marine habitat in terms of environmental condition in relation to natural coral reef and human activities such as berthing practice, scuba diving practice and fishing practice. It also assesses the most important aspect in relation to natural and artificial coral reef to promote tourism thru environmental policy and ecotourism policy. At the end of this paper, the researcher recommended the most adaptable sustainable marine conservation and promotion of tourism approach that can be used in marine and coastal planning in Cat Island, Muscat, Oman. The Oman reefs are home to over 100 coral species and 579 reef fish species (Claereboudt, 2006; Grandcourt, 2012), as well as one of the region's largest fisheries economies (USD 522 million in 2013; FAO, 2013). One of the most visited areas in Muscat, Oman, is Cat Island. For water activities and other tourists, this spot is a place to reunite with the underwater world—a place where one can go diving, snorkeling, and fishing. Unforeseen environmental conditions, climate change, and physical activities such as unregulated diving activities and overfishing results in coral reef degradation and the decline of tourism & business opportunities. As mentioned by Al-Hasni (2021), with decreased revenue and lower occupancy rates, service providers in the Oman's tourism industry were not able to sustain large number of staff. Coral reefs degradation is due to the natural and anthropogenic stressors. Oman has enacted ample national legislation to support marine conservation with Royal Decrees that are backed up by Ministerial Decisions that pertain to marine environmental protection issues. The extensive degeneration of the coral reef in Oman is mainly due to fishing activities, coastal construction, recreational activities, oil pollution, and eutrophication. There were studies of the physical status of the coral reefs performed to identify the stressor of coral reef degradation. The researcher established a survey, phone and personal interviews, and distributed questionnaire form to assess the site's character and understand the marine habitat from the primary user's awareness. Photographic documentation shows how abundant the marine ecosystem in Cat Island. Several soft and hard corals and different types of fish can be seen. However, due to the natural stressors experienced by the marine ecosystem natural and anthropogenic stressors occurred. Common coral declination is the natural cause of climate change. Previous research and studies have rarely addressed the community-wide impacts from severely anchor damage (Flynn & Forrester, 2019). boat anchoring is one of the indications of increasing human visitation that may contribute to reef degradation. Previous studies in the reefs of Oman and information from the government and non-government units were collected. Oman has enacted ample national legislation to support marine conservation with currently over eight Royal Decrees that are backed up by Ministerial Decisions that pertain in some way to marine environmental protection issues. Natural and anthropogenic stressors surrounding marine habitat can be reduced if all the community members will be conscious of the environment and be responsible for protecting the sea use. Coral reefs provide several ecosystem goods and services but are susceptible to multiple environmental and anthropogenic stressors resulting in significant and widespread degradation. Management of boat anchoring, diving practice, and fishing should promote reef resilience while at the same time allowing continued sustainable tourism and recreation. The legislation related to the coral reef in Oman has minimal information and guidance looking after natural reefs, especially in terms of artificial coral reefs. A policy reform initiative should commence protecting the marine habitat, whether it is natural or artificial reef. There are a lot of rules against destroying the reef. It just needs to be strictly implemented and provide adherence to policy. Current management strategies have proven ineffective and insufficient in protecting reefs and other marine ecosystems in the region. A review of the policies related to protecting reefs and other marine ecosystems should be reviewed and enhanced. The use of controlled zoning is an effective tool in preserving the natural reef in Cat Island. With this controlled zoning, sustainable marine conservation and promotion of tourism can be achieved. Additionally, sustainable marine conservation and tourism promotion can be obtained through the promotion of artificial reefs as a new habitat for the marine ecosystem. In turn, with this approach, this conception can be a baseline to be followed in another marine habitat in Muscat, Oman, which requires thorough study and future improvement.