Threats to red sea environment and priority actions

Abstract EN

The coasts and waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden comprise one of the most important repositories of marine biodiversity on a global scale and feature a range of significant habitats.

These resources are threatened by a variety of human activities whose scale, emphasis and urgency are embodied in a comprehensive table.

Accordingly, the Sudan as a PERSGA country has to identify its priority actions for the future in order to enter for mitigation and contribute to a forthcoming sound management and development, relying on its own legal land regulatory framework, as well as the competence of its scientists and institutions.

The coasts and waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden comprise one of the most important repositories of marine biodiversity on a global scale and feature a range of important habitats.

This fact has been realized by member countries of the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) bordering them.

The onset of activities pertaining to the threats facing them and the necessity for appropriate actions were accordingly started as far back as 1974 under the umbrella of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) before emerging as a Regional Organization in 1995.

However, the continued local, national and regional efforts on the one hand, and communication with international organizations on the other hand, have led to the formulation of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) which provides a framework for continued co-operation in reaching short, medium and long-term goals through a series of complementary actions.

To this effect, the SAP process, co-ordinated by PERSGA, has been undertaken with support from countries of the Region, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), selected international development institutions and donor organizations (Abu Gideiri, 1997 & SAP, 1998).