Marsa Alam Sets Aside Land for an Administrative Base for the Great Coral Reef Reserve

Marsa Alam's local unit has allocated a vacant plot of land for an administrative headquarters for the Great Coral Reef protected area (محمية الحيد المرجاني العظيم), Al-Masry Al-Youm reports.

The aim, according to the report, is to give the reserve a proper base from which to run its administrative and technical work and to support the management of an area whose reefs are among the coast's main environmental assets.

What the officials said

Maj. Gen. Yasser El-Demeiry, head of Marsa Alam city, said the allocation is part of efforts to supply the reserve with what it needs to improve administrative and technical performance, raise the standard of the services it provides, and strengthen coordination between the bodies responsible for protecting the environment and managing natural resources — given, he said, the environmental and tourism importance of the city.

Dr Ahmed Ghallab, director general of Red Sea protected areas, said a suitable administrative base is expected to help the work run regularly and make coordination with executive and environmental bodies easier, supporting conservation and the state's push towards ecotourism.

Why it matters on this coast

Marsa Alam's marine protected areas draw divers and snorkellers to reefs and marine habitats along its shore, and the report notes that reef systems face warming sea temperatures linked to climate change and the risk of bleaching, as well as pressure from human activity, marine pollution and unregulated use of some sites.

What has not been announced

This is a land allocation, not an opened office. The report does not give the location of the plot, a cost, a contractor or a date by which the headquarters is to be built, and it does not say that any public-facing service will be offered there.