Overview on the effect of tourism development on the coastal zone, of Red Sea, Egypt

Overview on the effect of tourism development on the coastal zone,
of Red Sea, Egypt
Mohamed Abd El Wahab
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Red Sea branch, Egypt
E-mail: [email protected]
Received 6
th Jun 2010, Accepted 10th October 2010
Abstract
The Red Sea coast is fringed by one or more rows of shallow reef ridges varying in widths from a few meters
to 500 meters or more. The nearshore may be considered as a good nursery ground for many economically
important fishes as well as many faunal and floral providing a rich source of nutrients for ocean-dwelling organisms.
The coastal ecosystem of the Red Sea contains some of the most biologically diverse and productive habitats but
they are also the most vulnerable one. The coastal stretch consists of an area of interest to the Red Sea sustainable
development of the country. However, a little attention has been paid in the past to understand this sort of fragile
environment, and the interactions with the marine ecosystem. Additionally, the effect of development inland to the
coastal environment was not thought to be of great concern to the coastal areas.
Various environmental stresses implicated with tourism activities can be grouped in the following types; landfilling,
dredging, power and desalination plants, sewage treatment stations and coastal construction.
Keywords: Coastal zone, Marine environment, Tourism activities, Red Sea, Egyp