Sharm el-sheikh: Minister of Local Development and Environment Manal Awad discussed supporting efforts to preserve natural reserves in Sharm el-Sheikh and ways to overcome obstacles facing the Diving and Marine Activities Chamber. During a meeting on Sunday, April 26, 2026, between the minister and Governor of South Sinai Ismail Kamal with representatives of the Diving and Marine Activities Chamber and the Federation of Tourism Chambers in the governorate.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Deputy Governor of South Sinai Enas Samir, head of the Nature Protection Sector at the ministry Khaled Abbas, Director General of South Sinai Protectorates Walid Hassan, and a number of officials from the governorate took part in the meeting. Participants reviewed efforts to address challenges facing the Diving and Marine Activities Chamber, as well as the ministry's efforts to protect natural reserves in Sharm el-Sheikh. They also took up the progress made under the cooperation protocol previously signed between the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and the chamber.
The chamber's delegation presented its vision for regulating tourism activities and protecting coral reefs by reducing pressure on them through limiting the number of daily tourist trips and improving the quality of tourists to support the sustainability of eco-tourism activities in natural reserves. The sector also highlighted the need to install additional mooring buoys to secure boats without damaging coral reefs, taking into account boat sizes in South Sinai, along with a mechanism and plan for regular maintenance.
The delegation affirmed full support through continued coordination with the ministry to achieve its goals of protecting natural reserves and enhancing monitoring and control mechanisms. They also pointed to cooperation with the 'Green Sharm' project in implementing 'Eco Monitor' as a national digital platform to monitor marine biodiversity and enable professional divers to record observations of key marine species. All efforts contribute to building a national database on the condition of coral reefs and marine habitats. Additionally, efforts are underway to digitize the chamber's operations, including issuing diving permits, trip logs, and linking environmental reports with chamber activities to support environmental monitoring and improve the efficiency of the mooring system.
For her part, the minister emphasized the ministry's commitment to maximizing the benefits of natural resources while achieving a balance between preserving biodiversity and coral reefs and promoting sustainable eco-tourism in South Sinai reserves, which positively impacts visitors' experiences. Awad also stressed the importance of continued cooperation and coordination between the governorate and the chamber to preserve Egypt's natural resources in South Sinai, highlighting the need for joint efforts to overcome any obstacles facing the diving sector.
She underscored the ministry's support for installing new mooring buoys, providing available materials and equipment from the protectorates sector, and setting a timeline to complete maintenance of all buoys and install additional ones to meet the chamber's needs, thereby protecting coral reefs. The minister further noted the ministry's plan to implement a monitoring and tracking system for boat movements by generalizing the installation of AIS (Automatic Identification System) devices, which help identify and track vessels to enhance safety, control violations, and monitor marine tourism trips.
Meanwhile, Awad announced the formation of a joint committee from the ministry, the governorate, the Diving Chamber, and the Federation of Tourism Chambers to develop a comprehensive action plan to implement key demands and proposals discussed during the meeting, improve the functioning of the diving sector across cities such as Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba, and accelerate implementation with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Finally, she directed continued coordination to implement training programs on the importance of protecting natural reserves and biodiversity and supporting local communities. Around 300 tourism group supervisors have already been trained, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity in South Sinai's natural reserves.