In a bit to become more environmentally conscious. Egypt will be joining the United Nation’s environmental initiative, Green Fins, to protect the country’s coral reefs from the impact of diving and snorkeling has on marine life. With 10 other countries implementing this initiative, Egypt became the first country in the region. Egypt plans on piloting the initiative in South Sinai Governorate before being adopted by all dive and snorkel operators across Egypt by March 2020. According to the press release, at least 11.3 million tourists visited Egypt in 2018 with almost three million divers visiting the country’s Red Sea each year. To accommodate for that number, around 500 businesses host diving and snorkeling activities. The local tourism industry negatively impacts the marine life due to the diving and snorkeling activities. “Reducing diving and snorkeling-related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, helps to make them more resilient to other stressors such as those associated with climate change,” the press release reads. The UN’s initiative was founded is internationally coordinated by The Reef-World Foundation, an organization committed to preserve coral reefs by establishing environmentally friendly guidelines for sustainable diving and…
Egypt to Implement ‘Green Fins’ UN Initiative to Protect its Coral Reef
October 2, 2019
