CDWS

The Ras Mohammed National Park, established in 1983, was the first protected area in Egypt. It incorporates the Southern Sinai Peninsula area of Ras Mohammed, and its surrounding reef. Following its success, and the growing need for protective measures (in 1967 Sharm el Sheikh was little more than a fishing village; by 1995 it boasted 40 international hotels, 32 dive centres and 240 dive boats), the area has gradually expanded to encompass all marine coastal environments along the whole 250 km of the Sinai coast. In the Managed Resource Protected areas of Nabq and Abu Galum, as well as on the island of Tiran, traditional grazing and fishing by Bedouin is allowed, but no development. Dr. Rupert Ormond, the director of the UK National Facility for Marine Biology Fieldwork (who was instrumental in the establishment of the Ras Mohammed National Park), stresses that tourism aside, fisheries would have destroyed the reef completely by now if it were not for Park regulations.

Regulations in Ras Mohamed

Given the social and economic pressures, the extension of the National Park is a major achievement. Outside the protected areas, the remaining coastal zone has been bought for hotel development. Even on those lands, there are certain restrictions imposed, such as the prevention of infilling the shore (building artificial beaches on top of the reef) and the prohibition of releasing sewage into coastal waters.

Another method has been the introduction of pontoons and cross-reef walkways, to prevent divers and snorkellers from trampling and breaking the reef as they enter and exit the water. A monitoring programme has shown these measures to be effective. Further research in the Ras Mohammed area has found that each diver entering the water from a boat makes an average of eight contacts with corals per dive, of which half are likely to have caused significant damage to the colony. It has been proven that pre-dive briefings, which highlight the importance of avoiding contact with corals can significantly reduce this damage. Responsibility for briefings lies with divemasters and instructors, who must all be aware of the issues and inform divers accordingly. Administration of the National Park is taken care of by the Protectorates Division of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA).

As well as the previously mentioned governmental organisations, there are groups within the diving and marine community who run conservation programs; the South Sinai Association for Diving and Marine Activities (previously the Sharm Diving Union) arrange beach clean-ups and have also organised the collection of Crown-of-Thorns starfish off the reef (while a natural phenomena, these starfish can have population explosions and are lethal reef-eaters). Further plans include the provision of a greater number of fixed moorings in the Sharm el Sheikh area and environmental awareness seminars for developers.

Unlike the Sinai resort town of Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada is actually a city with a population of more than 200,000 all of which depend on tourism for their livelihoods. A few dive centre owners concerned by the damage, from volumes of divers and dive boats, began the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) in the mid 1980s.

By 1996, HEPCA's members totalled 45 hotels and dive centres, with a governing board of four Egyptians and three Europeans. A grant of $300,000 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) along with co-sponsorship from ORASCOM allowed HEPCA to begin a programme for installing moorings. Fixed moorings concentrate diver damage to one area and minimize the damage from boats mooring to the reef. Consequently the reefs have a chance to regenerate. In 1998, HEPCA received the funding to begin the HEPCA Southern Area Mooring Buoy Installation Project, to install buoys in the Safaga, El Qusier and Marsa Alam areas. Now HEPCA has provided more than 380 mooring systems in addition to admistrating environmental awareness training seminars to local boat skippers which includes instruction on the correct usage of the moorings. Other programs organised by HEPCA include training for tour guides and educational slide shows in hotels to encourage tourists to snorkel with HEPCA centres.

Those are not the only education programs to protect Hurghada's reefs: Greencom Together with Egyptian advertising agency Copyright, an organisation of USAID, ran the "Don't You Want to Keep it This Way? campaign. Together with Egyptian advertising agency Copyright, Greencom posted billboards in major Red Sea cities, at airports and on the Cairo Metro. They also ran a teacher training workshop in 2000 for over 60 schools and 150 teachers in Hurghada, Safaga, Quseir and Marsa Alam.

Also in 2000, the Red Sea Sustainable Tourism Initiative (RSSTI), a collaboration between USAID and the Tourism Development Authority (TDA), was begun. The Sheraton Soma Bay, the Marsa Alam Kharamana, the Shams Alam resort, the Qusseir Utopia Hotel joined the project which taught hotel owners, managers and staff how to make their resorts more environmentally friendly. Recommendations included cutbacks on waste production, energy and water use.

Of course, there can be all sorts of conservation plans and groups, but what is important is that rules are laid down and abided by all. Law 102 of the Elba Protectorate (1983) actually forbids damage to the reef. Currently there are four rangers working for the EEAA to enforce this law in Hurghada, one in Marsa Alam and one in Quesier. Skippers can be fined up to £10,000 LE or face imprisonment for anchoring onto the reef. Presently the rangers don't have enough authority to take the necessary action against offenders.

The Egyptian Environmental Policy Program (EEPP) is laying down a Conservation Management Plan for the Southern Red Sea. There are plans to significantly increase the number of EEAA Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) rangers who will be trained together with the Red Sea Governate's Environmental Management Unit (EMU), which will operate out of Hurghada, Quseir, Marsa Alam and Shelatine. The EEAA and EEPP intend to enhance the capabilities of environmental agencies to manage, conserve and protect the resources that bring livelihood to so many.

Scientific evidence indicates that the measures required by the National Park and Protectorates have been relatively successful in controlling damage to corals. What is critical is that protective measures are legally enforced to prevent reef degradation. Thanks to the conservation schemes in Egypt, the reefs remain in far better condition than those in many other parts of the world.

• Do not collect, remove or damage any material, living or dead, from Protected Areas (corals, shells, fish, plants, fossils, etc.).
• It is prohibited to drive off marked tracks and to drive any motor vehicles on any beach.
• Camping is prohibited unless in designated areas (by notice).
• Do not litter. Place garbage in proper disposal containers or take it with you.
• It is prohibited to access any closed area.
• It is prohibited to walk or anchor on any reef area. Please used marked access points.
• Fish feeding upsets the biological balance on the reef and is therefore prohibited.
• Fishing and spearfishing are not allowed in Protected Areas.
• All visitors must leave Protected Areas by sunset unless using a designated camping area.
• Access to diving areas is recommended at designated access points only. This reduces damage to reef areas.
• Please take note of any instructions posted in Protected Areas.Offenders are subject to prosecution according to the terms of Law 102 of 1983.