Coral Reef of Egypt Analysis of Management and Policy

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Coral Reef of EgyptAnalysis of Management and
Policy

• Ayman Gomaa
• National Parks of Egypt

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Values of Coral Reef

• Natural and ecological
• Economic
• Aesthetic

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Kinds of Reef Building Systems

• Fringing reef
• Barrier reef
• An Atoll

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Fringing reef
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Barrier reef
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An Atoll
 
 
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Physical Conditions for Coral Growth

• Warm water
• Clear water
• Stable saline water

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Egyptian Coral Reef

• Mostly fringing
• Barrier reef is only being developed in the Gulf
  of Suez
• Average number of coral reef species is 240
• Average number of coral fish species is more than
  1000

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Occurrence

• Red Sea coast
• Gulf of Aqaba coast
• Gulf of Suez coast
• Offshore reefs

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Map of the Red Sea
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Impacts on the Egyptian Coral Reef

• I- Natural Impact
• Outbreaks of the COTS (Acanthaster planci)
• Coral diseases (white and black bands)
• Climatic change and global warming
• II- Human Impact
• Physical damage due to divers, anchoring, and
  ship grounding
• Over fishing
• Pollution (boats, oil spills, waste disposal,
  sewage, .etc)
• Tourist Development

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How Coral Reef is Managed

• Define impacts
• Define suitable strategy for each impact
• Implement strategies
• Restore what have been damaged.
• OR in summary
• Impact control axis
• Restoration axis

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How We Manage Our Coral Reef

• Coral reef inside protectorates is protected
  under law of natural protectorates (Law 102/1983)
• Coral reef outside protectorates is protected
  under Law of Environment (Law 4/1994)

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Management Strategies

• Monitoring of coral reef
• Law enforcement
• Public awareness
• Mooring buoys
• Dive Site Management
• EIAs and permits system
• Development following up
• Indigenous people support
• Fisheries management
• Marine zoning
• Co-operation with national and international
  agencies

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Monitoring of Coral Reef

• 1. Programs
• Long term program
• Short term program
• 2. Assessments
• Rapid underwater assessment (RUA)
• Detailed assessment
• 3. Survey tools
• Quadrate
• Transect
• Photographic transect
• Video transect
• Satellite image and remote sensing

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Law Enforcement

• Coastal patrolling
• Marine patrolling
• Other patrolling (gift shop and fish market)

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Public Awareness

• Brochures and pamphlets
• Signboards and road posts
• TV and Radio broadcasting
• Internet and Multimedia
• Visitor centers
• Ranger duty
• Workshops
• Liaison with Governmental and NGO agencies

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Mooring buoys

• 1- Functions
• Release the physical damage due to anchoring
• Used in dive site management
• 2- Types
• Bottom ( Anchor, Manta Ray, or Pin Buoy)
• Reef Top ( Pin Floating Rob)
• 3- Programs
• Installation
• Maintenance.

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Dive Site Management

• Dive sites are managed according to the carrying
  capacity of each one.
• For Example
• If Shark Reef has a carrying capacity of 50
  divers/day. So we divide this 100 divers/ 5 dives
  a day, that means we have 20 divers/dive/5
  times/day. If a boat carries 10
• divers, that means you will have 2 boats at
  any dive time.

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EIA and Permits System

• 1- EIA
• Each project should submit an EIA obligatory
• The EEAA reviews the study, then approves or
  disapproves it, according to the environmental
  impacts and the alternatives suggested.
• 2- Permits System
• Many activities require permit form EEAA/NPE
• Such as research, visiting closed areas
  (reserve), coral sampling, and offshore island.

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Development Following up

• To insure that the construction phase is
  consistent with the EIA
• To provide consultancy
• To enforce the law and environmental regulations

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Indigenous People Support

• Bedouin support program
• Socio-economic support
• Medical support

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Fisheries Management

• 1- Habitat protection
• Reserves (no take zone, e.g. RMNP)
• Multiple resource managed areas (through close
  and open strategy e.g. Nabq MRMA)
• N.P Indigenous people only allowed to fish.
• 2- Public awareness for fishermen

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Marine Zoning

• Main function is to resolve conflicts among
  different users of the resource
• Zones
• General zone (high impact zone)
• Diving zone (low impact zone)
• Recreational zone ( moderate impact zone)
• Reserve (zero impact zone)
• Problems
• How to implement?
• How to mark the different zones?

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Case Study (Al Gona 84, 97)
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Internet Resource

• For further information please visit
• Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency website
  http//www.eeaa.gov.eg
• National Parks of Egypt homepage
• http//www.sinaiparks.gov.eg
• Red Sea Mooring Database at Hepca homepage
  http//www.hepca.org

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End of Slide Show

• Thank you