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 Location:
The Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area, located
35km north of Sharm el-Sheikh, is an outstanding natural area containing
varied ecosystems and habitat types.
Area: 600
km2
Type: Marine Reserve
Year of establishment: 1992
Objective: Protection of the Coral reefs and the Mangrove Avicenna
marina.
Management:
The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA).
The Nature Protection Sector of the EEAA, responsible for the management and
administration of all Egyptian Protected Areas, has committed itself to a
program that fully  integrates
resident Bedouins into all aspects of its area management strategy.
Geographical
aspects:
The largest Coastal Protected area on the Gulf of Aqaba, it contains a
variety of ecosystems in the Sinai Peninsula.
Flora:
With an area of over 600 kilometers square, Nabq contains 134 plant species,
6 of them are found only in Nabq, and 86 are perennial. All desert areas are
therefore fragile and (off track driving is prohibited). The
area contains the largest single stands of Arak
bushes (Salvadorea persica) in the Middle East.
Other habitat types can be found in the mountainous regions of the Protected
area wherever conditions permit plant growth.
The
mangrove stand at Nabq fronts the shoreline at the mouth of Wadi Kid.
The
location and density of trees suggest that there is infiltration of fresh
water, reducing the salinity to levels tolerated by the species. Mangroves
have adapted to their saline environment. Their root  systems,
seen as leafless branches sprouting from the ground around each tree, act as
a barrier, keeping out most of the salts from the seawater. The water with
its dissolved nutrients then nourishes the tree. Salt not removed by the
roots is exuded by the leaves and seen as salt crystals on the underside of
each leaf.
Fauna:
Gazelle, Nubian Ibex, Hyrax and small mammal populations inhabit the adjacent
desert. Heron, Spoonbill and Osprey have sustainable breeding populations in
and around the mangroves. Coral reefs in Nabq are extremely rich. Reef
profiles and therefore community structure are different from reefs in the Ras Mohammed
National Park.
Visibility is often poor as a result of fine sediments washing out of the
mangrove area, but this does not detract from the beauty and diversity of the
reefs. Excellent reefs with easy access can be seen at Shoura al Manquata and
Nakhlet el Tal.
Tourist
Information:
It is foreseen that selected Bedouin groups will
provide all tourism services in the Protected area. These will include:
catering services at the visitor center, guide services, provision of camels
for access to areas closed to vehicles, maintenance services, visitor
interpretation, operation of camping areas, and other activities of mutual
benefit.
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