KENYA/EGYPT: 18371/06 Egypt's unique coral reefs face extinction due to climate change and human interference

Record ID: 360660

  • Title: KENYA/EGYPT: 18371/06 Egypt's unique coral reefs face extinction due to climate change and human interference
  • Date: 17th November 2006
  • Summary: PHOTO OF CORAL REEF
  • Embargoed: 2nd December 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA5OWACOVWWC2QHS4IC6BIRYODO
  • Story Text: Global talks to widen a fight against climate change reach their climax today (November 17) in the Kenya capital, Nairobi.
    The two weeks of talks amongst some 190 countries were meant to lay out steps for a stronger pact beyond 2012 to rein in emissions - mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars - widely blamed for heating the planet.
    After overnight talks, some 70 ministers agreed to encourage rich nations to fund emissions cuts in Africa, but remained deadlocked on the broader extension of the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol for fighting warming beyond 2012.
    But as talks on cutting emissions drag on, year after year, time is running out for many types of life on the planet. One of the most endangered species in the world are corals: the small marine animals that grow on the calcium skeletons of previous generations, forming beautiful reefs that are crucial for the sustenance of most forms of marine life.
    "What we have seen is that the water has warmed over one degree celsius over the past century. And that has led to corals becoming uncomfortably hot and they as a result have started to die, and that is really bad not just for the reef itself but for the fish that breed in the reef and of course that has an impact on fishermen like here in East Africa, and also on tourism in some places where coral reefs are a major source of tourism income," says Hans Verolme, the Director of the Global Change Programme for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
    One example of pristine coral being in endangered is that of the Red Sea reefs. Crystal clear waters and unique coral reefs have made the Red Sea one of the world's prime diving destinations. Because the Red Sea is poor in nutrients, all life depends on the diverse and abundant reefs along the coasts. But these reefs are threatened by problems such as overfishing, pollution, uncontrolled coastal development, and climate change.
    Hurghada, at the northern tip of Egypt's Red Sea coast has become a sprawling mass of concrete hotels and apartment blocks. In a matter of twenty years, the area has undergone large scale development, driven by tourist dollars. As a result of land filling and dredging, even the coastline itself has changed dramatically.
    Underwater, the damage inflicted by construction directly on top of the reef is clearly visible. Corals have been smothered by the sediment or have been bulldozed away. Environmental organization HEPCA (Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association) has been fighting against such disastrous construction projects.
    "This was one of the most famous nesting areas for the fishes in the Red Sea and Hurghada in specific and it was completely destroyed for the initiation of this project. It is catastrophic", says Amr Ali, managing director of HEPCA.
    An environmental law passed in 1993 finally managed to curb further habitat destruction in Hurghada. Offshore, intact reefs still attract large numbers of divers. By informing the public and placing underwater moorings, HEPCA is attempting to protect these reefs from damage caused by divers and their boats.
    But the impact of fins and anchors is minimal in comparison to that of Egypt's masterplan to develop its south coast. In an attempt to boost the country's fledgling economy, the whole coastline between Berenuce and Al Quseir is up for construction over the next decade.
    In Shagra Bay, near Marsa Alam, dive resort owner Hossam Helmy has been a close witness of the expansion of resort hotels into the area.
    "When we started here, we start with the tents you can see it, and that was the accommodation for the guests, they lived in a tent and we used to have a diving tent, a kitchen tent, a toilet tent, and a shade tent, so it was only a camp", Helmy says while pointing at his accommodation.
    Hossam Helmy would have preferred to run his hotel as an eco-lodge with as little impact on the fringing reef as possible. This fragile habitat can only sustain a limited number of visitors.
    "One of the problems is that the master plan of the south has been made without any study about the carrying capacity. This house reef I can not have one thousand rooms to use over land because I am going to lose it within maximum six months or one year but I would like to use it for my generation and next generation and the generation after," he explained.
    Hotels need beaches for their guests. But direct access to the sea is blocked by the fringing reefs. Some hotels have taken the matter into their own hands, dredging away the reef to create a swimming pool. Something which environmentalists and Egypt's Red Sea Governor seem to agree is a serious offence.
    "He who makes a mistake will receive his justice by law. If he goes to prison or where ever he goes this is not my problem. He has to respect the place we are in and our environment, which is our capital. As I say the Red Sea capital is the beautiful natural environment it has. If it is ruined, no one will come to visit us, ever," states Bakar Rashidi, Egypt's Red Sea Governor.
    Further south, truly pristine stretches of coastline still exist. But even protected areas inside national parks are not safe from the construction rush and have already been divided up in hotel plots. Behind the scenes, foreign investments are a driving force behind these developments.
    Compared to other countries, Egypt has a relatively extensive network of marine reserves and the number of protected areas is increasing. Most of these are well patrolled by the national park authority and - like this one at Samadai - provide important jobs.
    More and more people are convinced that a network of marine reserves could constitute a powerful sustainable alternative to the development plans. One of them is Dr. Mahmoud Hanafy of the National Park Authority.
    "The only solution for protecting the Red Sea is to declare the whole Egyptian coastline as a marine reserve and especially the coral reefs. It doesn't make sense to protect part of the reef and not the rest", he said.
    At present, such ideas sound hard to reconcile with the government's plans. But Dr. Hanafy argues that development based on the example of Hurghada does not even make sense from a long-term economic perspective.
    "In Hurghada, 3 million square meter of reef have been dredged to build touristic villages and hotels. How much did this cost the country? More than 300 million dollars. This has cost the country more than 300 billion dollars. To compensate this amount, you would need 420 years to recompensate", says Dr. Hanafy.
    Egypt now finds itself faced with a choice for its future: marine reserves and sustainable tourism development or the sacrifice of its natural resources for short-term gain. But with climate change threatening to raise water levels and kill off corals, an even bigger problem than direct human impact may be looking on the horison.
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