Coral reefs are like cities in the water where a large number of species of marine life live and conduct their daily business. Many people might not be aware of it, but healthy, vibrant reefs are essential for our own wellbeing as well. Anyone who has seen the reefs should be aware of how valuable and unique this system is with its thousands of plants, fish, and invertebrates. In fact, more than 25%of all marine species are directly dependent on the reefs. It is also the place where the variety of living forms is larger than anywhere else in the world making it the most complex ecosystem there is.
Coral reefs have been around for more than 350 million years, thriving in the seas and oceans of this planet. Humans have destroyed about 20% of the world's reefs only in the last 20 years ! One shudders to think what the situation will be like after 20 years from now if this destructive trend is not reversed. In Ras Mohamed, the reefs are amongst the most beautiful and most diverse in the whole world. One certainty is that the conditions of the fringing reefs here are still very good. Naturally this has attracted many tourists to the area which have logically had some adverse effects on the reefs. However, there are many efforts being undertaken to counter that effect and to try to create awareness and an environment where tourism and healthy reefs co-exist. Let us now take a closer look at the situation:
What are the threats to the reefs in Ras Mohamed ?
There are two kinds of threats to coral reefs in general. Natural and Human. The natural threats include storms and sedimentation from rivers, which are both very limited in the Ras Mohamed area. Certain species living on the reef can cause equal damage if they are found in large numbers. Three years ago, there was an outbreak of the Crown of Thorns starfish, which eats corals, with some devastating effects on the reefs. Parrotfish also grind at the base of the corals to feed on the algae. However they redeem themselves by excreting clouds of undigested carbonates on the reef which helps to cement it. Another natural threat to the reefs is the occasional extreme low semi-diurnal tides, especially on the the Aqaba side, which uncover and hence destroy some of the fringing reef flats. High salinity could also be a factor against healthy development of coral, but this does not seem to have an effect here where the the salinity level exceeds 40 ppt. Generally, none of the natural threats have any long term effects on reefs as they have-and still do- regenerate quite well after that.
This then brings us to the threats posed by man. The main causes of human destruction of large tracts of coral reefs in the world have included oil spills, mining, coastal urbanization, over-fishing, bad navigation, and direct human contact. Although Ras Mohamed is directly adjacent to one of the most heavily traveled waterways, the Suez Canal, there have fortunately not been any oil spills in the area that would effect the reef ecosystem. Mining, which entails dredging is also not an activity that is done in this national park.
Coastal urbanization is hazardous to reef systems because construction materials mix with sediments and are released in the water which are very toxic to the reefs. This is not yet a problem at Ras Mohamed as there is no construction in the National Park. The extent of damage has been recorded however in the rapidly growing Sharm-el-Sheikh to the north. The effect of that on Ras Mohamed is yet to be witnessed. Other threats from urbanization includes sewage dumping, pollution from industry, desalination and electricity plants. None of this exists in Ras Mohamed.
Fishing is another cause that disrupts the delicate balance of the reef ecosystem and ultimately leads to the destruction of corals. Fishing is, of course strictly forbidden at Ras Mohamed. Bad navigation has caused some damage to the reefs in Ras Mohamed when ships lodge themselves on the reef tables causing a lot of damage. The Egyptian government now demands compensation for this damage. This money is then re-directed back into reef conservation projects. The only positive thing that does come out of that, in the larger scheme of things, is that ships that do sink from such an interaction with the reef provide an excellent median for the creation of more coral reefs.
This now brings us to the main threat to the reefs at Ras Mohamed. It is the direct human contact brought about by the increasing number of tourists: almost 60,000 a year. One should only compare the coral reefs at Main Beach and those that are found west of Ras Atãr to know the extent of the damage. The reef walls west of Ras Atãr are closed to the public while Main Beach, as the name suggests, is the main point from which swimmers access the water at Ras Mohamed. Those at Ras Atãr are pristine with a large biodiversity while off Main Beach, the delicate branching structures of the hard corals have been broken or abraded by an average of 14 per 50 sq. meters. The reason behind this is that there are careless swimmers and snorkelers who trod on the reef and cause such damage. Unfortunately, there are also those who break the law and the corals to take them as souvenirs. Diving has also taken its toll on the reefs. Diving boats where mooring used to be a problem in the past.
What is being done to protect the Reefs at Ras Mohamed ?
Egypt is one of the pioneers in the area in reef conservation. Today, 52% of the Egyptian shoreline is protected and managed by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA). The Egyptian government recognized early on the importance of conservation and there is now a tightly controlled conservation plan for Ras Mohamed which, amongst other things, bans fishing, built permanent boat moorings and floating pontoons to limit damage caused by anchors and trodders. Access to the the reef has been further regulated with only 8 boats allowed on the reef at any given moment. Diving sites and access points have also been gradually reduced.
Environmental Risk Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments are systematically being conducted here as well. Zero discharge policy is strictly enforced for the whole of the Egyptian Gulf of Aqaba coast, with coastal alterations prohibited, fisheries regulated, and consensus on management issues with resident communities and stakeholders achieved. All this is done while taking into account the needs of the local population.
Ras Mohamed has also been a pioneer in innovative methods of coral generation. One of these methods uses a wire mesh on the reef that is connected to a light electric current. This induces a calcium carbonate crust to form on the wire mesh which coral latch to and hence colonize to form new reefs. Although most of this success is rightly attributed to the Ras Mohamed Authority and The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, there also many other partners who have helped in the realization of these projects. Most notable is the European Commission which partly funds the Ras Mohamed Conservation plan. The World Bank, through its Global Environment Facility has also supported a number of conservation projects here at Ras Mohamed.
Egypt has also actively participated in the workshops and meetings of the International Coral Reef Initiative and supports its Call to Action and Framework of Action Document. Ras Mohamed is featured in its now famous documentary, "The Fragile Ring of Life." On the regional level, Egypt has actively participated in formulating the Marine Environmental Initiative Plan and Red Sea Marine Peace Park for the Gulf of Aqaba as well as the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden's Strategic Action Program (SAP)which focuses on coral reef conservation and is partly funded by the Islamic Development Bank.
What more needs to be done ?
Although all these efforts have helped minimize the damage being done to the reefs, damage is still being done. Raising public awareness is the most important thing that has yet to be achieved. For the local population and dive operators, there has to be an understanding that their livelihood id completely dependent on the well-being of the reefs. Today the reefs are amazingly beautiful and there are alot of tourists. Tomorrow if the reefs are not so beautiful there will not be tourists. Dive operators should pass leaflets to that effect to all their clients while ensuring strict adherence to the laws of the Park. Tourists shouls also be made aware of what to do and what not to do. Signs, which are at the moment lacking, should be placed at all shore access points in the park warning against damaging the reef. Further training and more wardens are surely needed to monitor the situation at these coastal access points. Another possibility that should be considered is the buliding of concrete underwater passages so that swimmers, snorkellers, and divers would be obliged to access the reef walls from one predetermined path, thus completely eliminating human-reef contact.