MARINE REGION 11 Arabian Seas

Anthony W. Chiffings

BIOGEOGRAPHY AND BIODIVERSITY gin to be mined (Hanna 1983a; Nawabi 1983). The Arabian Seas Marine Region includes Ecological problems also result from the marine areas from Djibouti to Pakistan, in- loss and degradation of productive coastal cluding the northern part of Somalia, the habitats caused by coastal landfill, dredg- Red Sea, the Gulf, and parts of the Arabian ing, and sedimentation. In some Gulf States Sea.1 (for example, Saudi Arabia), 40 percent of Coastal and marine environments the coastline has now been developed, and throughout the Arabian Seas Region are a significant proportion of the shoreline of subject to increasing human pressures, countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain is arti- many of which appear to have resulted in ficial. Loss of habitat extends to other parts harmful environmental effects. Oil, phos- of the region and to the wider Indian Ocean phate mining (Hanna 1982, 1983a), and do- where approximately 50 percent of man- mestic, urban and industrial pollutants are a grove forests may have been lost over the problem in several areas in the Gulf and the last 20 years (IUCN/UNEP 1985c). Overfish- Gulf of Aqaba and have resulted in local ing is a major concern in all areas of the habitat degradation, eutrophication and al- region. gal blooms. Throughout much of the Ara- Degradation of coral reefs from heavy col- bian Seas the coastal zone is becoming a lecting and other recreational and tourism repository for solid wastes. In the Red Sea, uses is becoming widespread, particularly the ecological effects from oil exploitation, in the Red Sea (Hanna and Ormond 1982; phosphate mining (Hanna 1982, 1983a,b), Ormond 1981; Hanna 1991). Fishing and and industrial inputs (such as from mining) hunting of adult turtles and birds (and their are of increasing concern, and will become eggs) is extensive in some areas (Hanna more so if deep-sea metalliferous mud be- 1994). The effects of land-based activities such as nutrient and sediment runoff from

39 40 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas phosphate mining (Hanna 1982; Hanna and rainfall may amount to as little as 10–15 mil- Ormond 1982), agriculture and grazing, and limeters per year, whereas along the coast- reductions in freshwater seepage due to line its estimated range is from a few groundwater extraction are also contribut- millimeters per year along the northern part ing to degradation of coastal environments. of the western shore, gradually increasing to 180 millimeters at Suakin (19°N) (Ed- Oceanography wards 1987). These unique features have contributed to making the Red Sea vulner- The Arabian Seas Marine Region is a natu- able to the impacts of human activities. ral unit created by the geological history The Gulf, in marked contrast, is a shallow that formed the Arabian peninsula and its sedimentary basin with an average depth of associated regional seas and the maritime 31 meters. Freshwater is supplied by the climate that is dictated primarily by the sea- Shatt el Arab and some Iranian rivers. Sur- sonal monsoons associated with the Asian face water temperatures range from 32– continent. 33°C in summer to 22–24°C in winter in the Map 11 shows ideal summer and winter south but only 16°C in the north. Salinities wind distribution and surface circulation pat- generally range from about 38–40o/oo, in- terns for the Indian Ocean. Wyrtki (1973) creasing to more than 60o/oo in areas such and Shepherd, Price, and Roberts (1992) as the Gulf of Salwa, but falling to around provide concise descriptions of the physical 37o/oo in the Gulf of Oman. Tides in the Ku- oceanography of the Indian Ocean, includ- wait region range up to 3.5–4.0 meters, ing the monsoon gyre. whereas south of Al Kobar, on the Saudi The Red Sea, a product of deep-ocean coast, they are is less than 1 meter. Even rifting, extends for 2,100 kilometers from so, strong tidal flows occur throughout the Suez to the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, which Gulf. connects it with the Gulf of Aden and the In- The Gulf of Oman is deep and largely dian Ocean. The Sea has an average depth open to the influence of the northern Indian of 500 meters, with a maximum of over Ocean (Arabian Sea). The oceanic coasts 2,000 meters, and is noted for some of the of Yemen and Oman are completely open hottest and most saline seawater in the to the influence of the northern Indian world. In the south, surface water tempera- Ocean and are, in parts, subject to large tures exceed 30°C in summer, while salinity oceanic upwellings that bring nutrientrich is 40o/oo in the north in winter and up to water to the surface, causing high productiv- 46o/oo in the middle of the Suez Canal. ity. The Red Sea has a number of unique fea- The coast of Pakistan constitutes the tures. It is the warmest and most saline of northern boundary of the Arabian Sea, with the world’s seas. It has no permanent in- oceanic influences dominating over those flowing coastal rivers or streams, only sud- of the continent, which is essentially a sub- den brief torrents, and mostly northwesterly tropical dessert. River flows are monsoonal, prevailing winds, which contribute material with the only major freshwater input coming to the sea floor. The nature and distribution from the Indus, at the eastern extremity that of sediments are unlike those in other seas. discharges some 200,000 gallons of water The Red Sea is partially isolated from the and 450 million tons of suspended sedi- open ocean (Hanna, personal communica- ment annually and forms the Indus cone, a tion). It is located in an arid, tropical zone. subaqueous delta 1,500–2,000 kilometers Rainfall in general is sparse and varies long (Pernetta 1993). widely, with particular areas receiving no Currents in the Gulf and the Red Sea rainfall for months or years. Over the sea, largely result from density gradients in the Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 41 water column. Evaporation in the Gulf changes in water level that are more signifi- causes movement of water inward through cant. the Strait of Hormuz. Surface salinity is high- The Arabian Sea coastline of the Arabian est in the two large southern Gulf embay- peninsula has a tidal range of 1.5–2.5 me- ments where greatest evaporation occurs. ters over most of its length, but these tides Denser water formed in these regions sinks are thought to be subordinate to the persist- toward the Strait of Hormuz while less- ent impact of high-energy waves (Shep- dense water enters along the surface and pard, Price, and Roberts 1992). The northern edge of the Strait, moving in a Pakistani coast has tides of up to a 3.5-me- counterclockwise surface current and leav- ter range (Pernetta 1993). ing the Gulf in the deeper and southern part of the Strait (Sheppard, Price, and Roberts Coastal Geography and Geology 1992). Currents in the Arabian Sea result from The main body of the Red Sea lies in a rift the removal of surface water during the valley separating the African and Arabian summer monsoon and its replacement by plates (Drake and Girdler 1964; Quennel cooler upwelling water (Sheppard, Price, 1958). Plateaus and mountains rise steeply and Roberts 1992). to more than 1,000 meters above sea level Surface water density in the Red Sea north of Jeddah and 3,660 meters in rises with a fall in water temperature to the Yemen. The coastal plain is from 2–50 kilo- north and evaporation causing increased meters wide and slopes up gently to the salinity. Decreasing temperatures and east until it meets the mountains. The moun- evaporation in the Gulf of Suez result in the tains are deeply cut by valleys but streams formation of dense water that turns under flowing in the uplands fail to cross the and is returned southward in the deep Red coastal plain to reach the sea (Schwartz Sea (Sheppard, Price, and Roberts 1992). 1982). Circulation and exchange in the Red Sea The Gulf of Aqaba is 170 kilometers long is not well understood, but is thought to be and 14–26 kilometers wide and forms part quite complex as a product of the low-en- of the Afro-Syrian Rift System with steep ergy regimes involved. In simple terms walls dropping to great depths (2,000 me- though, in winter (September–June) sur- ters in places). It is separated from the Red face water is driven into the Red Sea by pre- Sea by the 6-kilometer wide Straits of Tiran. vailing winds from the southeast, beneath Fringing reefs lie along most of the Sinai which there is a deep outward flow of more Peninsula shoreline (Hanna, personal com- dense, saline water. During summer, pre- munication). vailing winds change to the northwest, driv- The Gulf of Suez is a wide, shallow basin ing the upper water layer out of the Red with an average depth of 20–30 meters, Sea over a deeper inward flow from the greater depths in the central trough, and a Gulf of Aden. Net outflows are 10 percent depth of 90 meters at the entrance to the higher in salinity, and balance the effects of Red Sea. The fringing reefs in the Gulf of evaporation in the Red Sea. Suez are not as well developed as those in Tides in the two regional seas are in the the Gulf of Aqaba. range of 0.5–1.5 meters. In both the Red The Red Sea Barrier Reef is located 10– Sea and the Gulf, tidal movement provides 40 kilometers off the coast of Saudi Arabia nutrients necessary for the vigorous growth and is about 400 kilometers long and sev- of benthic biota. The central Red Sea is al- eral kilometers wide. The platform surface most tideless and has wind-driven seasonal is 30–60 meters deep, on which sit many steep-sided patch reefs. Almost continuous 42 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas marginal coral reefs occur along much of short, sandy beaches backing on to high, the coast from the Gulf of Aqaba to the near-vertical cliffs or sometimes sandy Strait of Bab al-Mandeb. A similar descrip- plains or dunes. Much of the area is volcani- tion of the reef morphology also applies to cally active. Eastward, greater variation oc- the African side of the Red Sea. The main- curs, from steep cliffs, up to 145 meters land coast along the southern Red Sea has high, to tidal lagoons, including tidal deltas, experienced less uplift than other areas, and mud volcanoes. The Indus Delta, with with some subsidence in recent times. The its extensive mudflats, tidal channels and Farasan and Dahlak Archipelagos are rel- mangroves, has already been described icts of an ancient carbonate platform a few (see Pernetta 1993). hundred meters thick that grew on ancient evaporitic salt deposits. Ecosystem Diversity The Gulf lies between the Arabian and Iranian plates, and there is a strong con- The following discussion is adapted from trast between the sheer eastern coast and Sheppard, Price, and Roberts (1992) and the flat, low western coast. The Arabian Hanna (1991 and 1994). western coast is generally low, flat and sandy. Beach sands may be cemented into Sabkha beach rock. Often a sandbar overtopped by dunes isolates large lagoons flooded in win- Sabkha is a widespread inter- and supra- ter but dry and covered by salt or gypsum tidal habitat, measuring many kilometers for the rest of the year. Extensive algal and across in places. It forms flat plains, with intertidal flats occur south of the Bahrain ar- crusts of sodium chloride and gypsum, with chipelago. The coast of the United Arab important “algal mats” a few centimeters Emirates is characterized by a number of thick, beneath which is a black reducing broad, sandy flats and lagoons and edged layer. The mats are complex associations with barrier and fringing reefs. of cyanophytes, bacteria and diatoms. At the northern end of the Gulf is the vast Pools are a special feature of sabkha. deltaic plain of the Euphrates, Tigris and Those with subterranean connection with Karun rivers that is formed of swamps, the sea have a relatively high benthic diver- sandbars, spits and islands with fluctuating sity. With increasing isolation from the sea, boundaries. The eastern coast is a region diversity falls and the persistent microbial bi- of extensive continental sedimentation. It is ota then forms a typical mat. These are flat and low as far as Bushehr, then rocky highly productive and fix nitrogen. When and cliffed. In front of Ras Musandam the desiccated in summer, mats become dry coast forms a large recess at the Strait of and crisp, breaking into characteristic poly- Hormuz, with two main islands—Queshm gons. and Hormuz. Along the north shore, cliffs Large areas of Sabkha are found in the and deltaic plains alternate. United Arab Emirates, the Bar al Hiskmann The open, oceanic coast of Oman and peninsula in Oman, along the shores of the Yemen includes sandy and rocky stretches Gulf of Suez, and much of the Saudi Red with ragged cliffs. The southern coast of the Sea coast. Arabian peninsular is composed of rocky headlands with cliffs alternating with shores Marshes and Wetlands of fine sands buffeted by oceanic swells. The Baluchistan coast (700 kilometers, Salt marshes have been greatly reduced or 75 percent of which is in Pakistan) is steep eliminated throughout much of Arabia, al- with rugged outcrops and is dominated by though marshes of the Shatt al Arab still Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 43 cover approximately 18,500 square kilome- Rocky Shores ters. Eleven halophytic community types have been described, largely on the basis The diversity of rocky shores is significantly of elevation and periodicity of immersion. In higher than that of sandy beaches or mud, places, reed vegetation is strongly en- although biomass may be less. Hanna hanced by sewage enrichment, when it (1994) found that about 20 percent of the may reach heights of up to 5 meters. In the Egyptian Red Sea coast is formed by rocky, Gulf and parts of the Red Sea (not the erosional, wave-cut cliffs. Basson and oth- northern Red Sea), many new marsh com- ers (1977) note that the rocky intertidal in munities are appearing as a result of sew- the Gulf is much less productive than sandy age outfalls along the coast of Saudi Arabia intertidal areas, attributing this to intense and near Port Sudan. Enrichment not only heating at low tides in summer. The rocky stimulates marsh development, but in the shores of Oman show a general increase in case of the Red Sea, also adds significant diversity southward, although little taxo- nutrient loads. These areas act as a focus nomic work has been done in this area for numerous species of birds, especially mi- (Jones 1986; Campbell 1988). grants. Detailed descriptions of the Red Sea are About 3 percent of the Egyptian coast is provided by Jones, Ghamrawy, and comprised of saltmarsh (Hanna 1994). Salt- Wahbeh (1987). Much of the available marshes in the northwestern Red Sea are rocky intertidal zone of the north occurs in located around Ras-Mohammed, Abu-Mon- erosion notches of fossil cliffs. These pro- qar, Wadi El-Gemal islands and Gebel Elba. vide a more moist and sheltered habitat Numerous deltas and estuaries with ex- than do the horizontal expanses of intertidal tensive intertidal mudflats and their associ- rock that are common in the south and sup- ated wetlands occur along the Pakistani port a greater range of the fauna. coast. The Indus Delta has an estimated Rocky shores are a major feature of the 3,000 square kilometers of delta marshes. Gulf of Oman and the Pakistani coastline, as well as the Arabian Sea shore of Oman Sandy Shores and Yemen.

Most sandy shores in the northern Red Sea Mangroves are narrow beaches adjoining coral reef flats, which themselves are usually narrow. The mangroves of Arabia include communi- Broader beaches occur where the reef ties that grow on soft-bottom and hard-bot- edge swings further out from shore, leaving tomed substrates, the latter being more a lagoon. Sand beaches are most important prevalent in the northern Red Sea. Com- and extensive in the Arabian Sea. A study pared with other Indian Ocean mangroves, by McCain (1984) found that in the Gulf the number of mangrove and associated every square meter could contain 400,000 species in the Arabian Seas Marine Region animals, each over 0.5 millimeters in size, is low, although most of the characteristic with faunal abundance significantly corre- faunal zones are still present. Low diversity lated to slope. The total number of species is attributed to the generally severe climatic found in this study was 147, much less than and environmental conditions (such as high on the rocky shores. Sandy beaches are salinity), in conjunction with the more lim- also a feature of parts of the Gulf of Oman ited range of suitable habitats and niches. and the Pakistani coastline. Avicennia marina grows in both types of substrates and is the dominant mangrove species, tolerating the high salinities (40– 44 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

50o/oo) and extremes of water temperature Coral Reefs (12–35°C) associated with the Arabian Seas region. In the Red Sea, three other The diverse and spectacular coral reefs for species are known but are uncommon. The which the Red Sea is renowned are found northern latitudinal limit (27–28°N) of natu- only in its central and northern half. North of rally occurring mangal ecosystems in both 20°N reefs are typically well developed and the Red Sea and Gulf is attributed largely to drop steeply into deepwater; south of 20°N, cold winter temperatures. reefs occur in a shallow, turbid environment Mangroves are tallest (5–7 meters) in the and are less developed. Greatest develop- southern Red Sea, where the continental ment occurs in offshore barrier reefs and in shelf is wider and the intertidal slopes more reefs fringing 1–7 kilometers wide alluvial gradual, allowing development of better plains on the mainland. Thinner reefs cover sedimentary conditions. In parts of Oman, the Gulf of Aqaba and other northern Avicennia reaches 6 meters, whereas in the shores. The continental shelf widens to the Gulf it is poorly developed and often south and mainland shores are dominated stunted (1–2 meters), at least along west- by mangrove and sand beaches. Well-de- ern shores. Productivity of mangroves in veloped reefs occur around the Farasan the region is considered to be generally and Dahlak Islands, which also support ex- low, with the exception of the Indus delta tensive mangroves. (see below), although few quantitative stud- The Gulf of Aden has very poor reefs be- ies have been undertaken. cause of upwelling water and sandy shore- Interactions between mangroves and ad- lines, and this condition continues down the jacent ecosystems are probably greatest in coast of Somalia for 500 kilometers and the southern Red Sea and undoubtedly north to the Muscat area of Oman. Further make a significant contribution to coastal north, Musandam has the most diverse productivity. Important mechanisms include reefs, while Iran probably has the most de- transfer of nutrients and energy, aided by veloped. The coast of the United Arab Emir- movements of fauna. Stabilization of shore- ates is low lying and mostly swampy. line sediments is also enhanced by man- Offshore the water is very shallow and rich groves, particularly in the southern Red in seagrasses, and while it is generally Sea. muddy and unsuitable for most corals, there The Indus Delta has an estimated 44 per- are numerous patch reefs. cent of its intertidal area (260,000 hectares) Algal reefs occur in the southern Red covered in mangroves of four species, Sea in low-energy conditions. They support Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora conjugata, dense brown algal cover and provide impor- Ceriops tagal, and Salsola foetida, that tant hard substrate in otherwise sandy ar- reach heights of 12–15 meters. These spe- eas. cies line the tidal channels that extend in- A longitudinal series of coral reefs lie land for considerable distances. Tidal along the axis of the Red Sea on ridges re- influence reaches 97 kilometers upstream sulting from normal faulting and upward as far as Tatta. These mangrove systems movement of underlying salt deposits. are extensively studied (Pernetta 1993). These are widespread in the Red Sea. At- Mangrove areas are also found at other olls are also numerous and are found sites along the Pakistani coast. mostly on the ridges. Diverse reefs are found between Ras Shukhei and Quseir along the Egyptian coast and in the area of Ras Mohammad and the Straits of Tiran (Hanna, personal communication). Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 45

There is a fairly distinct Arabian coral spe- Pakistani coast is not well described at this cies grouping. Within it, there is a single, time. principal division into a Red Sea group, and Studies on seagrass standing crop have a Gulf of Oman/Arabian Sea group, which been undertaken mostly in the northern then fuses with the Gulf. In the Red Sea Red Sea. Highest biomass is associated there are 13 principal coral communities, with Thalassodendron ciliatum, Thalassia some of which can be subdivided further hemprichii and Syringodium isoetifolium. into a total of 22 recognizable units. Most Biomass of Halodule uninervis–dominated show considerable localization, correlated communities in the Gulf are comparable to with latitude but linked with gross changes figures for similar species in the Red Sea in coastal bathymetry and morphology. On and elsewhere. any one reef in the Red Sea, the general Seagrasses provide a mostly indirect pattern of coral diversity with depth follows food source and habitat for both resident that of most Indo-Pacific reefs, rising to a fauna and temporary visitors, including com- maximum at 5–20 meters deep before de- mercially important fish and crustaceans clining. About two-thirds of species have a (for example, Penaeus semisulcatus). De- depth distribution that is not significantly spite regional variation, available data sug- skewed to deep or shallow water. Coral gest that both species richness and cover is usually less than 50 percent, but in abundance of fauna are greater in the Gulf sheltered areas one or two species, espe- than in the Red Sea, at least in its northern cially Porites, may cover 80 percent of the parts. Benthic fauna (within seagrasses and substrate. sand or silt) in the Gulf are principally sus- In the Gulf, fewer coral communities ex- pension feeders, that utilize more abundant ist: only five are recorded from Bahrain. Ku- organic particulates than occur in the wait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab clearer waters of the northern Red Sea. Emirates have 30 species or less. Despite this, coral cover is high. The richest reefs Upwellings known surround Saudi Arabian coral cays. At the entrance to the Gulf, Musandam con- In summer, prevailing winds flow down the tains reefs dominated by Porites and Acro- Red Sea for its entire length, reinforcing the pora. In the Capital Area of Oman, clockwise airflow in the Arabian Sea. This substantial monospecific reefs of Pocil- generates strong southwesterly winds, lead- lopora damicornis occur. Coral-dominated ing to cool, nutrient-rich upwelling. Up- communities become rare further south. wellings result in higher nutrients and the development of Ecklonia kelp beds in Seagrasses places, inhibiting the development of coral reefs. Eleven seagrass species are known for the Arabian Seas Marine Region, of which Ha- 5FA?EAI ,ELAHIEJO lodule uninervis and Halophila ovalis are the most prevalent. Diversity is greatest in The following discussion is adapted from the Red Sea proper (10 species) and low- Sheppard, Price, and Roberts (1992). est in southeast Arabia (4 species) and the Gulf (4 species). Seagrass beds also attain Plants greatest development in the Red Sea, par- ticularly toward the south, despite the re- Seaweeds verse trend shown by certain species. The There are extensive areas dominated by seagrass distribution and diversity of the macroalgae on both reefs and other sub- 46 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas strates. Brown algae are mostly of small Gulf, plankton densities are much greater species, although large forms occur on reef than in the Red Sea, most being diatoms. crests and in the Arabian Sea where up- Phytoplankton in the Arabian Sea is also welling is important. Green and red types dominated by diatoms as is typical of tropi- are ubiquitous, the latter including some cal upwelling areas. This area is the most species that grow deeper in the Red Sea fertile part of the Arabian Seas Marine Re- than anywhere else due to their utilization gion of blue light and energy-conserving growth Pelagic primary productivity of the Red patterns. Calcareous red algae are mainly Sea is highest in the south. In the very clear restricted to very shallow areas. For many Gulf of Aqaba, significant production contin- species, vigorous water movement is essen- ues to depth of about 200 meters (com- tial, although dense algal growth also oc- pared to 40 meters in the Arabian Sea). curs on unconsolidated substrate, helping Summer values are approximately half to stabilize it. In a list derived from numer- those of winter. ous earlier collections, Papenfuss (1968) re- corded nearly 500 species of algae from Zooplankton the Red Sea. Basson and others (1977) Zooplankton diversity declines westward. and Basson (1979) recorded only about Peak numbers throughout the Red Sea lag one-tenth of this number of fleshy algae in a few weeks behind those of phytoplankton. the Gulf, and there has been little system- Calanoid copepods are the most important atic collecting subsequently to indicate what group with 300 species in the Arabian Sea, the true numbers are. 60 in the southern Red Sea, and 46 in the In the Gulf there is usually a gradation north. Euphausiids are important in terms of from coral to algal domination on limestone biomass, although of 22 Indian Ocean spe- platforms as stress increases, causing a de- cies, only 10 occur in the Red Sea. In the mise of both corals and reef growth. In Gulf, zooplankton shows marked temporal these conditions, usually termed “marginal,” and geographic variation; diversity is less algal dominance arises from shading, than in the Arabian Sea but is similar to that greater tolerance of temperatures below in the Red Sea with 33–45 species per cu- 18°C, and high levels of dissolved nutrients. bic meter near offshore islands. Densities are high and as many as 3,000 individuals Phytoplankton per cubic meter have been recorded. Many species of plankton found in the In- There is marked vertical stratification of dian Ocean are absent from the Gulf and zooplankton in the Red Sea. Peak diversity the Red Sea. Of 452 known Indian Ocean and abundance remain within the photic dinoflagellates, 130 have been recorded in zone, but a secondary maximum is found the Arabian Sea, 88 in the Red Sea, and near the oxygen minimum layer at 400-me- fewer still in the Gulf. The decline westward ters. Close to shore, demersal zooplankton in the Red Sea is partly compensated by and larvae of reproducing invertebrates the presence of several endemics and by tend to dominate measurements of num- blooms of Oscillatoria erythraeum. Cell den- bers and productivity. sities similarly decline westward. While the trend is similar in winter and summer, win- Fish ter cell counts are one to two orders of mag- nitude greater. There is a large input of There are marked differences throughout mesoplankton from the Gulf of Aden at the Arabian Seas Region in the structure peak times of influx, though most do not sur- and composition of fish assemblages, re- vive beyond the central Red Sea. In the Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 47 flecting the heterogeneous nature of the en- habitat and the extreme environmental con- vironment. ditions. The most diverse assemblages occur Although the region is relatively rich in within the Red Sea with a total of approxi- terms of commercial finfish and shellfish mately 1,000 species present (including species, the fisheries sector plays only a mi- nonreef species). The Gulf supports only nor role in most national economies. In about 200 species in total, of which at least most countries the contribution of the fisher- 125 are found on reefs. Within the Red Sea ies sector to the gross domestic product is there are major differences in assemblage less than 1 percent. However, in the Sultan- composition between areas north and south ate of Oman revenue from fish was equiva- of latitude 20°N. This may be due to the dif- lent to 36.5 percent of the total oil export ferences in reef habitat between these ar- revenue for 1984, and fish currently are the eas or differences in water quality, most important export product after petro- particularly the limit of penetration by nutri- leum. In general, fisheries of the region ent-rich water from the Gulf of Aden (which seem to be suffering from overexploitation. occurs at around 20°N), and north–south This is particularly true in the case of the gradients in temperature, salinity and turbid- shrimp fisheries. Aside from overexploita- ity. tion resulting from inadequate fisheries The Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez support dis- management, degradation of the environ- tinctive fish assemblages. Those of the Gulf ment is probably a major cause of the de- of Suez share greater affinities with south- cline in fish and shrimp catches. This ern Red Sea assemblages than with the degradation includes the elimination of im- Gulf of Aqaba, probably due to its shallow, portant nursery areas (especially for turbid nature. The Gulf of Aden marks a divi- shrimp) by land reclamation and dredging sion between a fauna dominated by Red in the coastal areas, destruction of feeding Sea species to one dominated by Indian and breeding habitats by bottom trawling, Ocean species in the Gulf of Oman and the and increased marine pollution by dis- Gulf. Upwelling of cold water in the Arabian charge of liquid and solid wastes into the Sea appears to provide this major bio- marine environment. In addition, selective geographic barrier. Compared with the Red fishing for species of predator fish may Sea, reefs of the Gulf and Gulf of Oman have upset the balance between the differ- support low-diversity fish assemblages. ent species. This probably reflects the scarcity of reef

Table 11.1 Breeding Turtle Records and Counts around Arabia Location Green Hawksbill Loggerhead Olive Ridley

Gulf islands 750–1,000 100–300 Daymaniyat Islands + Capital Area, Oman + + Rass al Hadd 6,000 Masirah Island + 80 30,000 230 Gulf of Kutch + Gulf of Aden — Red Sea + +

— Data not available. 48 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

Marine Reptiles actively hunted and are also caught acci- dentally (Preen 1989). Sea Snakes A recent review of snakes of Arabia (Gas- Whales and Dolphins peretti 1988) records that of the 55 species There has been no systematic survey of of sea snakes, 9 or 10 occur in some whales or dolphins in any of the coastal wa- coastal waters of Arabia. All but one spe- ters of the Arabian Seas. The greatest num- cies of sea snake are found in shallow ber of records come from the Arabian Sea, coastal waters, which may be turbid and where both dolphins (and toothed whales) where there is organically rich substrate. and several baleen whales have been re- Notably, sea snakes do not occur in the ported. At least a dozen species of dolphin, Red Sea. and finless porpoise, have been recorded for the Arabian Sea and coastal waters. Turtles Fourteen species of cetacean, including Table 11.1 gives details of breeding turtle three species of great whale (blue, Bryde’s records and counts around Arabia (Miller, and sperm), have been recorded in the Gulf personal communication; Symens, personal of Aden (Smith and Smith 1991). communication; Sheppard, Price, and Gallagher (1991) lists 14 species of Roberts 1992). toothed whale and dolphin from Oman, The region is now very important for sev- based on a collection of stranded car- eral species of turtles. A significant reduc- casses. Humpback whales are believed to tion in numbers of turtles from breed off Oman, and the highly productive overexploitation has taken place (Miller upwellings that occur along this coast are 1989; Frazier, Bertram, and Evans 1987). thought to be an important feeding area for The most important part of the region for tur- this endangered species (Reeves, Leather- tles is the Arabian Sea both in terms of num- wood, and Papastravrou 1991). Papas- bers of breeding species and abundance of tavrou and Salm (1991) describe a nesting individuals. Present levels of turtle small-scale marine mammal fishery in populations are clearly reduced, providing a Oman. focus for conservation efforts in the region Basson and others (1977) reported that (Clarke and others 1986). several species of dolphin occur in the Gulf, some in schools of hundreds. Four small-ce- Marine Mammals tacean species are known to occur in the Gulf, including the finless porpoise (Neopho- Dugong caena phocanoides). Three to four species The dugong occurs in both the Gulf and of great whales have also been recorded, Red Seas. It has not been recorded along although it is probable that these animals the Arabian shores of the Arabian Sea are not resident but strand after becoming where very few sites of suitable habit occur. trapped (Preen, personal communication). In Oman, there have been no confirmed Concern about the long-term survival of sightings of dugong. The estimated Gulf marine mammals in the Gulf has arisen as population is 7,310 (about 1,300) individu- a result of a series of die-offs. In 1983 at als, making this the most important area for least 38 dugong and 33 dolphins stranded the species in the western part of its range, along the Saudi Gulf and Bahrain. This die- and second in global importance only to off was coincidental with the Nowruz oil Australia. In the Red Sea dugong are esti- spill, but there was no direct evidence to mated to number about 4,000. Dugong are link the two events (Preen 1989). In 1986 over 500 dolphins died in Saudi Arabia, Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 49

Bahrain and Qatar (Preen 1991). In 1991 at Biogeographic Classification least 79 dolphins and 14 dugongs stranded along the Saudi coast of the Gulf of Salwa. The following provisional biogeographic This die-off coincided with the Gulf War oil classification of the Arabian Seas Region spill, but occurred several hundred kilome- was prepared by Tony Chiffings and is ters south of the most heavily polluted area based on the approach of Hayden, Ray, (Preen 1991). and Dolan (1984) and other sources as Frazier, Bertram, and Evans (1987) re- noted (see Map 11). ported that eight species of dolphins and toothed whales occur in the Red Sea and Realms and Regions claimed that the Spotted dolphin (Stenalla attenuata) was the most common. Hayden, Ray, and Dolan (1984) defined an IUCN/MEPA (1987) reported from their equatorial boundary separating the north- coastal surveys along the Saudi coast that ern Indian Ocean from the greater part of more than 90 percent of dolphin sightings the Indian Ocean at between 5–10°S lati- were of the common dolphin (Delphinus del- tude. They consider it to be a single ocean phis), whereas in the southern Red Sea, at realm. This classification is well supported least around the Farasan islands, the spin- by the physical evidence. Regional circula- ner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is the tion is strongly influenced by monsoons most abundant species (Preen, personal down to a latitude of 10°S, resulting in a communication). These differences in re- semiannual reversal of the surface circula- porting may reflect either an area differ- tion. Regional water movement is also influ- ence, or misidentification. While baleen enced by the outpouring of cold, whales were not reported by Frazier, Ber- high-salinity water from the Arabian Gulf, tram, and Evans (1987) or IUCN/MEPA and to some extent the Red Sea, leading to (1984, 1987) more recent evidence sug- an independent rudimentary meridian circu- gests that some whales are relatively com- lation (Dietrich 1973). It should be noted mon in at least the southern Red Sea. Four that in no other ocean does such a revers- whales, thought to be Bryde’s whales, were ing, monsoon gyre form (Wyrtki 1973). observed during an aerial survey of the The boundary between the northern In- Farasans in August 1987 (Preen 1989), dian Ocean monsoon system of circulation and in another survey in September 1993, and the subtropical gyre is well defined by a three animals were seen (probably subsurface front that separates the low-oxy- Balaenoptera edeni) and four skeletons lo- gen, high-nutrient waters in the north from cated. Local fishermen maintain that whales the high-oxygen, low-nutrient waters in the occur in the area all year-round (Preen, per- south (Wyrtki 1973). Nutrients, chlorophyll sonal communication). Four whale skele- “a” concentrations, and primary production tons, possibly B. edeni, B. physalus, B. data presented by Krey (1973) also support borealis, and B. musculus, were recorded this division. in Yemen in 1988 (Preen, personal commu- Wyrtki (1973) provides a concise descrip- nication) and whales, possibly Bryde’s have tion of the physical oceanography of the In- been seen blowing off Kamaran Island (Por- dian Ocean, including the monsoon gyre. ter, personal communication). Sen Gupta and Naqvi (1984) review the It should be noted that the whole of the re- chemical oceanography of the northern In- gion is part of the Indian Ocean Whale dian Ocean. Sanctuary established in 1979 to provide Hayden, Ray, and Dolan (1984) consid- protection to the great whales from commer- ered the coastal area from Pakistan to So- cial whaling (Holt 1983). malia to be the Coastal-margin realm 50 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

“Eastern monsoon (J),” a realm that also ap- (RS1), central (RS2) and northern (RS3) pears on the eastern side of India. Both Red Sea form distinct regions based largely share common wind distribution and sur- on salinity discontinuities and inferred mix- face current patterns. The important distinc- ing. tion between the two is the high volume of Weikert (1987) describes a sharp nutrient river runoff in the Bay of Bengal and a large decline in surface waters at 19°N consistent excess of evaporation over precipitation with the maximum extension of Gulf of and runoff in the Arabian Sea, Arabian Gulf Aden water, which is presumably reflected and Red Sea (Sen Gupta and Naqvi 1984). also in the rate of salinity change shown in The Red Sea and Arabian Gulf are both Edwards (1987). Weikert (1987) also di- considered by Hayden, Ray, and Dolan vides the body of the Red Sea into three re- (1984) as marginal seas. Again, this distinc- gions in tabulated data for daily primary tion is well supported by the physical production, phytoplankton and zooplankton oceanographic evidence (for example, biomass, and abundance of the oceanic wa- Detrich 1973; Wyrtki 1973; Morcos 1970 ters. The northern segment extends down and Hunter 1982 and 1983). to 24°N, the central segment from there on Comparison of surface distributions of down to 18°N, and the southern segment temperature, salinity, oxygen, phosphate- from there on. These divisions fit well with phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen, relative trans- the physical parameters. parency, and silicates all suggest that The Gulf of Aqaba (RS4) and the Gulf of Socotra Island and its associated islands Suez (RS5) form two additional distinct re- should be considered a barrier between the gions, with the Gulf of Suez being relatively eastern Somalia coast and the Gulf of Aden shallow (50 meters), vertically well mixed and that the Gulf of Aden should be consid- due to wind, and having well-developed lati- ered a region separate to both the Red Sea tudinal salinity and temperature gradients. and the upwelling area along the Oman This is in contrast to the Gulf of Aqaba that, coast. Based on these data the latter as a deep (800–1,800 meters) continuation should also be considered a region in its of the Red Sea, has seasonally related verti- own right (Swallow 1984; Currie, Fisher, cal mixing and less evident salinity and tem- and Hargreaves 1973; Wyrtki 1973; McGill perature gradients (Morcos 1970). 1973; El-Sayed and Jitts 1973). Distribution The Arabian Gulf has been regionalized data for total pigment concentrations during on the basis of temperature, salinity, and cir- both monsoon periods for the Red Sea and culation patterns presented by Hunter western Arabian Sea presented by Halim (1982) into five biogeographic regions. As (1973) also support this conclusion. with the Red Sea, discontinuities in salinity Tertiary production data for the Indian have been used as the principal demarca- Ocean presented by Cushing (1973) sup- tion element. The Arabian Gulf is a shallow port both the classification of the northern sea (mean depth 35 meters) where evapo- Indian Ocean into a distinct realm, and the ration exceeds runoff and precipitation identification of the areas adjacent to the gives rise to dense, saline waters, particu- Omani and northern Somali coasts as dis- larly in the shallow areas (less than 10 me- tinct regions. Limited total net biomass distri- ters) of the southern and southwestern bution data presented by Rao (1973) also coasts (Hunter 1982). These areas form support the latter conclusion. three of the regions determined here in this Based on temperature and salinity data report— the Kuwait-Saudi coastal region and inferred circulation (Morcos 1970; Ed- (AG3), the Gulf of Salwa (AG4), and the wards 1987), five distinct regions are recog- Qatar-UAE region (AG5). The strongly influ- nized within the Red Sea. The southern enced freshwater region of the Shatt-al- Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 51

Arab (AG2) and the body of the Gulf from a is important to note that in Edwards and 10-meter depth across to the Iranian coast- Head (1987) the discussion of subdivisions line (AG1) form the forth and fifth regions, does not always make the distinction be- respectively. tween nearshore coastal distributions and those offshore or oceanic . Faunal Provinces The inclusion of the Arabian Gulf by Briggs (1974) in the Western Indian Ocean The Somalia, southern Arabian peninsula, province may no longer be appropriate. and Arabian Gulf coasts are classified as a Price (1982) reported that 12 percent of single faunal province (Western Indian echinoderms are endemic and that the lev- ocean) by Hayden, Ray, and Dolan (1984). els of endemism for Arabian Gulf fish is The Pakistani coast is considered the west- higher than originally thought, and may ap- ernmost extent of a province (Indo-Polyne- proach those of the Red Sea. As a result, sian) that extends right through to southern the Arabian Gulf has been recognized as a China, along the northeastern coast of Aus- separate faunal province here. tralia, and around the New Hebrides and Within the Arabian Gulf itself the division New Caledonia. The Red Sea is classified into subprovinces is difficult in that the bio- as a separate province. topes of the Gulf have not been specifically The identification of the Red Sea by considered in this way before. In addition, Briggs (1974) as a separate province is well while the coastal areas of Kuwait, Saudi supported by the information in more recent Arabia and Bahrain have been extensively reviews of the fauna and flora of the Red studied (for example, Basson 1977; Jones Sea (in Edwards and Head 1987). 1986; MEPA 1987b,c; Price, Vousden, and Crossland and others (1987), in reviewing Ormond 1983; Price and others 1987) stud- all of the available data for the eastern side ies elsewhere in the Gulf are limited. Based of the Red Sea, classified it into four differ- on this work, it seems reasonable to identify ent regions based on a review of existing the Gulf of Salwa and the Kuwait-Saudi biological data. This is a classification that coasts as separate and distinct bio- could be extended across to the western geographic entities. The status of the Iraq- coast given the consistency with relevant Iran and the Qatar-UAE coastal regions isoclines (see above), and commonality of remains unqualified. physiography and such biological features Until more evidence is forthcoming, the as coral reefs (Bemert and Ormond 1981). northern region of the Gulf of Oman and the Such a conclusion is consistent with that of Pakistani region can appropriately be con- Moore (1987) when considering the nutrient sidered as part of the Indo-Polynesian prov- and phytoplankton status. ince, as identified by Briggs (1974). The five regions recognized above for the It should be noted that Sheppard, Price, Red Sea appear to be largely consistent and Roberts (1992) have most recently pro- with the floral and faunal subprovinces rec- vided a detailed analysis and discussion of ognized by Crossland and others (1987), al- the biogeography of the Arabian region. though they placed the southern boundary They concluded that it was appropriate to for the central segment at 22°N, not 24°N. designate the whole region as a bio- This is coincidental with the start of the geographic subregion, and not at the level southward-extending continental shelf, sug- of its component seas and gulfs. Even so, gesting that the shallow bathymetry is an im- they recognized important ecological gradi- portant controlling fact for these southern, ents or controls in species distribution and inshore communities. This is an observation abundance that have been a prime consid- that Moore (1987) also strongly supports. It eration here for the boundaries identified in 52 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas establishing the individual provinces, as this cluding Bahraini and Qatari waters, con- is considered most meaningful to the proc- tains the world’s second largest population ess of identifying areas for which MPAs are of dugong (Preen 1989) and therefore con- needed. stitutes an area of vital conservation signifi- cance for this species.

ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING MPAS Djibouti

Description of National Systems Coral reefs occur to the west of the port of Djibouti and in the archipelago of the Sept The following information is provided by Fréres, at the entrance to the Red Sea. An Chiffings (1992) and is based on data from area of coral reef extending from the light- the World Conservation Monitoring Center house at Musha to the Ile du Large is pro- (WCMC) and other sources as indicated. tected (IUCN 1992). Nineteen marine protected areas have been identified as having been declared un- The following MPAs have been identified: der relevant national legislation (Map 11). \ Musha Territorial Park (Iles Moucha) Numerous other areas have been proposed \ South Maskali Islands Integral Re- as MPAs in scientific surveys and evalu- serve (occurs within Musha TP) ations conducted over the last 10–15 years. There are also a number of coastal pro- Egypt tected areas, many of which include interti- dal terrain but have not been included as Egypt has proposed a number of MPAs for MPAs in this report because available infor- the northern Red Sea and along the Sinai mation suggests that the marine compo- peninsula in both the Gulf of Suez and Gulf nent is relatively minor or incidental. A list of of Aqaba. The Government of Egypt has these areas is included in the Appendix. recognized the need for sustainable devel- The present level of management and ac- opment in coastal regions and has re- tive protection against human degradation quested assistance from the GEF to for most existing marine protected areas is develop a coastal zone management pro- not known. Some countries are making pro- gram. This initiative would provide an impor- gress toward the establishment and man- tant opportunity to establish a system of agement of MPAs, these include Oman, MPAs to conserve marine biodiversity and Saudi Arabia and Egypt. These initiatives manage the use of marine resources in a should be recognized and encouraged. sustainable manner. To date, six MPAs However, in most parts of the region the have been declared (one of which is an ex- present level of protection for conservation tension to an existing area). of biodiversity is low. The following MPAs have been identified: Bahrain \ Abu Gallum Multiple Use Manage- ment Area Bahrain has no identified marine conserva- \ Gebel Elba Conservation Area tion areas except for Ras Tubli (Tabuli Bay) \ Nabq Multiple Use Management Area as a Nature Reserve, although the distribu- \ Ras Mohammed National Park tion of principal habitats is well understood. Damage from oil spills as result of the 1991 Ras Mohammed Sector, additional marine Gulf War was considerably less than on the areas: Saudi coast. The Gulf of Sulwa region, in- \ Tiran-Sanafir Islands Protected Area Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 53

Ethiopia ers). Areas that have not been developed and that are recommended for protection in- The state of knowledge for much of the Gulf clude the mudflats near Khore Zubair and of Aden and the western Red Sea is ex- Khor abd Allah (WCMC 1991). Prior to the tremely poor, with the exception of specific Gulf War clear evidence of mangrove die- areas in Sudan and the Egyptian coast. off in these areas was available in satellite The Ethiopian coastline is one of the least imagery, and aerial surveillance immedi- populated coastlines in the world and is ately after the war showed strong indica- owned by some of the poorest people in the tions of impact from oil spills, as well as world. Until recently the country has been other war damage. Drainage of the marsh torn by civil war for extended periods of areas of the Tigris-Euphrates Delta, and the time. One MPA has been declared but its damming of these two rivers may have a present biological and management status very large impact on the northern Gulf ma- is unknown. At present an IUCN adviser is rine ecosystems. working with the new Eritrean government on marine conservation issues. Saudi Arabia

The following MPAs have been identified: Saudi Arabia, through its Meteorological \ Dahalac Marine National Park and Environmental Protection Administra- tion (MEPA), has had detailed coastal sur- Islamic Republic of Iran veys undertaken by IUCN for both its Arabian Gulf and Red Sea coasts (MEPA There is a number of protected areas along 1987a,b,c). A National Coastal Zone Man- the Iranian coast. These include two of the agement Plan has been proposed, which in- three biogeographic zones covered by this cludes the identification of environmentally country’s coastline, the exception being the sensitive areas that need to be evaluated in Indo-Pacific. However, the majority of these detail prior to establishing a system of pro- seem to be coastal terrestrial areas with oth- tected areas. An initial evaluation of these ers being proposed marine areas (for exam- areas has been undertaken for the National ple, Hara Marine Park). Only one Commission for Wildlife Conservation and established MPA could be confirmed. Its Development (NCWCD) to identify areas for present legal status is not clear because it inclusion in the National Protected Areas was declared prior to the Revolution in System Plan (Chiffings 1989; Child and 1979. Likewise its level of management, the Grainger 1990). With the adoption of the extent of degradation following eight years System Plan, a review of each of the recom- of war with Iraq, and possible impacts from mended areas and preparation of detailed the more recent Gulf War are not known. management proposals is planned. The northern Saudi Arabian Gulf coastal The following MPA has been identified: area was severely impacted by oil spills as \ Shidvar Wildlife Refuge a result of the Gulf War. Environmental con- sequences of the oil spills and burning oil Iraq wells have been determined from a number of studies (see Al-Rabah 1993; Price and There are no declared MPAs along the rela- Robinson 1993; CEC/NCWCD 1992, 1994; tively short Iraqi Arabian Gulf coastline, Sadiq and McCain 1993). A large-scale re- which is restricted to an area next to the evaluation of proposed MPAs has been town of Faw by the mouth of the Shatt al made, based on detailed surveys and stud- Arab (mouth of the Euphrates and Tigris riv- ies on damage and recovery, by an interdis- 54 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas ciplinary team of more than 50 scientists cant contributions to conservation of coastal from six European countries, Saudi Arabia, and marine environments. Kuwait and Bahrain (CEC/NCWCD 1992, There are five coastal protected areas, 1994). As a result, a new MPA is being es- three of which are MPAs and cover a range tablished comprising the two large embay- of environments, species, objectives and ments north of Jubail and the offshore coral management issues. These vary from the islands. Other identified areas on the Saudi remote Daymaniyat Islands where there are Gulf coast (for example, Tarut Bay) are suf- minimal resource use conflicts and globally fering from severe degradation due to devel- significant habitats for hawksbill turtles and opment. seabirds to the Qurum mangroves that lie in the heart of a major residential area (Price The following MPAs have been identified: and Humphrey 1993). Other factors also \ Farasan Islands Protected Area contributing to marine conservation include \ Um Al-Qamari Island Protected Area traditional fishing controls, fisheries legisla- tion and strict controls over land develop- Kuwait ments.

Kuwait has no designated marine protected The following MPAs have been identified: areas, although based on a major study by \ Daymaniyat Islands National Nature the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research Reserve in 1988, the government had identified a se- \ Khawr Salalah BS Managed Nature ries of nature conservation areas that were Reserve proposed in its Master Action Plans \ Quru Managed Nature Reserve (WCMC 1991). While the coral islands of \ Ra’s al Hadd (Turtle Reserve) Man- Qaru, Kubbar and Umm al-Muradum are aged Nature Reserve only small areas on a regional scale, they \ Ra’s al Jumayz National Nature Re- are important to the protection of rare, high- serve latitude coral reefs and green turtle–nesting beaches. The shallow waters of Kuwait Bay Pakistan are a critical nursery habitat for commercial species of shrimp and fish and contain a At present the status of MPAs in Pakistan is unique species of mudskipper. The Bay, un- not clear. While Preen (1993) reports four, fortunately, is rapidly succumbing to intense Niaz Rizvi, and Abdul Majid (personal com- urban development pressure, including infill- munication) report no MPAs in Pakistan. ing. Those proposed are intended to protect tur- tle nesting beaches. The exception is the Oman recognition of the Indus Delta as a region of major conservation significance. Pernetta Oman has a strong commitment to a (1993) provides greater detail. coastal zone management program, which has been developed with IUCN, that in- Qatar cludes the identification, declaration and management of MPAs. Oman is a particu- Qatar has recently completed a detailed larly successful example of coastal zone coastal inventory using fine scale, airborne management planning in the Arabian Seas. image analysis, but has not declared MPAs The government’s commitment to coastal as yet. zone management has resulted in signifi- Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 55

Republic of Yemen Other National Initiatives

The Republic of Yemen has identified four In the Red Sea, protected areas have also areas as proposed MPAs, including the Is- been established in other countries (for ex- land of Socotra. The state of knowledge of ample, Israel and Jordan), often in conjunc- the Republic’s coastline is reasonably well tion with zoning and other resource use known, particularly with respect to exploited policies. Further information on marine con- fish resources. Available information is sum- servation in the regions is available in marized in Sanders and Morgan (1989). IUCN/UNEP (1985b), Ormond (1987), and Sheppard and Wells (1988). Sudan

The Sudan Marine Conservation Commit- International and Regional Initiatives tee—an interdepartmental committee estab- RelatingtoMPAs lished in 1978—is responsible for marine conservation in Sudan. At present the Com- The following information is provided by mittee is concentrating on conservation ac- Sheppard, Price, and Roberts (1992). tivities in the Port Sudan area and a Marine National Park at Sanganeb (Nasr 1985). In UNEP Regional Seas Programme 1984, Sudan agreed to cooperate with Egypt and established a protected area that Included in the Regional Seas Programme includes the offshore islands and coastal are the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region, mangrove stands in the Abraq, El Deib and and the Kuwait Action Plan (KAP) region Gebel Elba areas (Hanna, personal commu- (also known as the Gulf or the Regional Or- nication) ganization for Protection of the Marine Envi- ronment sea area or region). The following MPAs have been identified: The Kuwait Action Plan forms part of the \ Sanganeb Atoll Marine National Park broader Kuwait Regional Convention for the \ Abraq, El Deib and Gebel Elba area Protection of the Marine Environment from Conservation Area Pollution. All Gulf countries are signatories to the convention, the aims of which include United Arab Emirates the prevention and control of pollution from ships and other causes, the establishment Information on coastal marine areas in the of national standards, and the development United Arab Emirates (UAE) is very sparse. of national research and monitoring pro- Except for some areas that have been iden- grams relating to all types of pollution. The tified as proposed MPAs and Khor Dubai KAP operates through close cooperation that has been declared a Nature Reserve, with international organizations, regional or- no areas have been declared. The central ganizations (for example, ROPME) and western area of the UAE (bounded by Abu also with many national organizations, insti- al Abyad Island, Bu Tinah shoal and Ru- tutions and focal points. Many of the major wais) contains a large proportion of the Gulf conservation and research initiatives in both dugong population and is of international the Gulf and Red Sea have been part of significance for the conservation of this spe- UNEP’s Regional Seas Program. After the cies (Preen 1989). 1991 Gulf War, ROPME was revitalized and moved back into its secretariat in Kuwait. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Action Plan is based on the Regional Convention 56 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Table 11.2 Countries in the Arabian Gulf of Aden. Actively involved have been Seas Region that Are Party to the regional organizations such as ALECSO Major Conventions (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Sci- World UNESCO entific Organization), PERSGA (Environ- Country Heritage Ramsar MAB mental Program for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden) and others, with ALECSO coordi- Egypt ✓✓✓ nating all activities and providing the interim Iran ✓✓✓ secretariat for PERSGA, based at MEPA in Jordan ✓✓ Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At present a revised Kuwait plan is being drawn up following a recent Oman ✓ meeting in January 1994 at Arab League Pakistan ✓✓ headquarters in Cairo. Saudi Arabia ✓ United Arab Other Regional and International Emirates Agreements Yemen ✓

In addition to the UNEP Regional Seas Pro- gramme, there are other important regional World Heritage agreements (Johnston 1981; Couper 1983; IUCN/UNEP 1985a,b; IUCN 1987). In- There are no World Heritage Sites in the re- cluded are the African Convention on Con- gion with a marine component. servation of Natural Resources, the Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Commission Ramsar (deep-sea mining), the Arab Declaration on Environment and Development, the Gulf Co- The following Ramsar sites include marine operative Council (GCC), Marine Emer- habitat components: gency Mutual Aid Centre (MEMAC), Gulf • Shadegan Marshes and mudflats of Khor- Area Oil Companies Mutual Aid Organiza- al Anaya and Khor Musa (Iran) tion (GAOCMAO). These and other agree- ments relate to environmental management UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme and pollution control. Important international agreements in- As yet there are no marine Biosphere Re- clude parts of the United Nations Conven- serves in the region. tion on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention on International Trade in Endan- MARPOL gered Species (CITES), the Ramsar Con- vention, the Bonn Convention on Migratory The Red Sea, Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Gulf Species, the Indian Ocean Alliance, Interna- of Aden have been declared Special Areas tional Biological Program (IBP), Man and under Annex I and V of the MARPOL treaty. the Biosphere Programme (MAB), the World Heritage Convention and others Assessment of Representation (Johnston 1981, Couper 1983) (Table 11.2). of Biogeographic Zones within MPAs Upholding regional and international agreements is particularly important in seas The following assessment is based on like the Red Sea and Gulf whose transboun- Chiffings (1992). dary resources constitute global commons shared by many countries. Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 57

Gulf of Aden (GA) pian and Eritrean people were until recently in the grip of one of the worst famines in There is only one site protected (Iles modern African history and suffering the Moucha and South Maskali Islands) and ravages of a civil war. This coast will need three more identified. The biogeographic re- surveying before it will be possible to make gion is poorly represented, but even more recommendations on the location of suit- poorly described. The coastlines of So- able MPAs. malia, Djibouti and the Republic of Yemen all need surveying before it will be possible Central Red Sea (RS2) to make recommendations on the location of suitable MPAs. The one exception to this Although there are as yet no established is the Socotra Island archipelago that forms MPAs, the eastern side will be well covered a boundary between the major Somali up- by the Saudi system of proposed MPAs. welling and the Gulf of Aden. This complete However the western side is in need of area should have very high priority for es- strengthening. There are three existing tablishment as a Biosphere Reserve. This MPAs along this coast but few other sites may require a cooperative effort between have been identified. Before a decision is Somalia and the Republic of Yemen. Prior taken as to where major biodiversity MPAs to the present civil war a proposal to estab- should be established in Sudan and south- lish Socotra Island (only) as a Biosphere ern Egypt, coastal and marine inventories Reserve was being prepared by the Envi- need to be completed and compiled. In the ronmental Protection Council of Yemen, to- case of the Sudan this could be arranged gether with UNESCO. A GEF funded through the Sudan Marine Conservation coastal zone management program, fo- Committee. The Egyptian coast has been cused on the Red Sea, was also to begin at assessed in the past (Hanna, personal com- the time that civil war broke out. munication) and these data need to be brought together for analysis and identifica- Southern Red Sea (RSl) tion of priority sites and information gaps.

With two existing MPAs and numerous pro- Northern Red Sea (RS3) posals for additional areas, the eastern Red Sea coast of the southern Red Sea zone is There are three existing MPAs in this zone well covered in terms of MPAs that will en- and numerous proposals for additional ar- sure adequate conservation of biodiversity eas. This is the one section of the Red Sea when the proposed areas are proclaimed that has a good coverage of proposed and actively managed. At present, the risk MPAs on both coasts. It is now necessary of severe human degradation is relatively to develop detailed management plans for low but ever increasing as development pro- these areas, particularly on the Egyptian ceeds in both southern Saudi Arabia and coast as tourism is a fast-growing industry Yemen. It is worth noting that commercial that may threaten the natural marine re- oil fields have been found offshore of the sources it depends on. The impact of oil pol- Yemen coast. lution on the Egyptian Gulf of Suez and The western side of the southern Red northern Red Sea are a major cause of reef Sea area is very poorly represented and and fisheries deterioration (Hanna, per- just as poorly documented. There is one ex- sonal communication). isting MPA in the Dahlac Islands. The area, however, does not seem to threatened by major development proposals. The Ethio- 58 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

Gulf of Aqaba (RS4) tailed knowledge about specific areas al- ready exists. The next step is to review this There are two existing MPAs in the Gulf of information to identify what additional infor- Aqaba and proposals for a number of addi- mation is necessary in order to proceed fur- tional areas. The eastern side has been ther. Preen (1993) has done this for well surveyed by Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Pakistan and proposes a list of protected ar- and the Sinai side by Fishelson (1980). As eas. it is an area of low population and repre- sents an important international security cor- Arabian Gulf Basin (AGl) ridor, extensive impacts from development are relatively unlikely in the immediate fu- There is one existing MPA. There are sev- ture. eral other coastal areas that appear to pro- vide a good geographic cover, but the Gulf of Suez (RS5) existence of a marine component, its actual extent, and the present biological and man- There are no existing MPAs and those pro- agement status of each of the sites needs to posed are clumped at the Red Sea end of be established. the Gulf. The same comments apply here as for the western, central Red Sea. Exist- Shatt al Arab (AG2) ing data need to be brought together to al- low an initial assessment before proceeding There are no existing MPAs. The Shade- in the selection representative areas. gan marshes (included in a protected area that includes intertidal elements) is a site of Southern Oman (OM) major international significance for a wide range of both resident and migratory birds, There is one existing MPA and numerous hence their status as a Ramsar Treaty site. sites have been identified for MPA status. As with the rest of the Gulf their present bio- This area is part of the Omani CZM pro- logical status needs to be assessed so that gram and as such has a good repre- a remediation plan can be prepared for the sentation of MPAs intended to conserve Gulf region as a whole (see below). biodiversity. Southern Coastal Arabian Gulf (AG3) Indo-Pacific (IP1) There are no existing MPAs and although There are four existing MPAs. On the the extent of proposed MPAs represents Omani side of the Gulf of Oman the same the biodiversity needs of this region, the pre- comments apply as above for the southern sent biological status of these areas needs Omani coast. to be assessed following the impacts of the The Iranian and Pakistani coasts are very Gulf War. The ever-increasing impacts of poorly represented with no existing MPAs development are also a major threat, with and few additional areas proposed. Again, some areas already suffering major habitat the present state of knowledge about this loss and associated environmental degrada- coast is poor and therefore requires system- tion. atic documentation before appropriate rec- ommendation on the location of suitable Gulf of Salwa (AG4) MPAs. Because of the importance of parts of this coastline to individual species (for ex- There are no existing MPAs. Two areas pro- ample, turtles and migratory waders), de- posed by Saudi Arabia are representative Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 59 of the western part of the Gulf of Salwa. Egypt Given the relatively pristine nature of the area and its global importance to the con- • El-Ghardaqa servation of Dugong (Preen 1989), there is • Abu Monqar and El-Gaftun Islands the urgent need though, to see these and • Shadwan and Gubal Islands comparable areas in Bahrain and Qatar wa- • Tiran/Sanifar Islands and Ras Moham- ters committed as a major Biosphere Re- med serve. • Gabel Elba together with Siyal and Rawa- bel Islands Qatar-UAE Coastal (AG5) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia There are no existing MPAs, and while the United Arab Emirates have proposed a • Farasan-Gizan area good representative sample of areas on the eastern side of the region these may not Kuwait fully meet biodiversity conservation needs. Although it represents a diverse and impor- • Coral Islands of Qaru, Kubbar and Umm tant set of habitats there is no known sys- al-Muradam tematic, nor overall, survey of the region. • Kuwait Bay This region is also an area of particular con- servation significance to dugong (Preen Oman 1989). Again, surveying at a regional scale to identify nature and extent of major bio- • Daymaniat Islands topes is the most important priority at this time. Regional Priority Areas

The areas listed below have been identified PRIORITY AREAS AND as being of highest priority at the regional RECOMMENDATIONS level after consideration of the criteria listed in the introduction to this report. Most areas The following recommendations and priority are proposals for the establishment of new areas are a product of the review process MPAs rather than direct support to the man- carried out to develop this report. Due to agement of existing areas, although in the limited feedback from some parts of the some instances the priority areas are large region they do not necessarily represent and include one or more smaller MPAs. Im- the views of the relevant authorities within proved management of such MPAs should each of the listed countries. Priorities for Ku- be a priority. In some cases only limited in- wait and Oman were submitted by relevant formation has been available to describe government authorities. particular areas.

National Priority Areas for Marine Proposed New MPAs Biodiversity Conservation \ The Arabian Gulf-Gulf of Salwa (Saudi Further contact with many of the countries Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar (26°0′N, in the region will be required to identify ar- 50°5′E)): As a complete bio- eas of national conservation significance. geographic province this area is of Based on the submissions received, the fol- global importance. It is also has global lowing areas can be highlighted. status as a major conservation area 60 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

for the dugong and other rare and en- \ Tiran Islands Area (Egypt, Saudi Ara- dangered species. It is therefore rec- bia (28°0′N, 34°8′E)): These islands ommended that, over and above the occur at the mouth of the Gulf of specific areas identified in Saudi Ara- Aqaba and include Tiran, Sinafir and bia, the Gulf of Salwa, shared be- Burqan Islands. There are well devel- tween Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and oped and diverse reefs and abundant Qatar, be considered a priority area fish life, and dugong have been re- for the establishment of a regional corded. Green turtles nest on Tiran MPA (such as a Biosphere Reserve) and Sinafir Islands. The straits be- so as to ensure the protection of a ma- tween the islands are an important jor part of the Gulf dugong popula- shipping lane. The islands have been tion—the largest known outside of proposed for protection by a number Australia (Preen 1989). Protection of studies (UNEP/IUCN 1985a,b,c) should also be afforded to the sea- and are included in the Saudi coastal grass beds, reefs and island of the planning process. The Egyptian gov- central western area of the UAE (ap- ernment also has a coast guard sta- proximately bounded by Abu al Anyad tion on one island and has appointed Island, Bu Tinah shoal and Ruwais), park rangers to the area. Parts of the as this area supports most of the re- area fall within three Egyptian MPAs: mainder of the Gulf dugong population Ras Mohammed National Park, Nabq and is suspected of being an impor- Multiple Use Management Area, and tant turtle feeding area. Tiran-Sanafir Islands Protected Area. \ Farasan-Gizan Area-Red Sea (Saudi \ Straits of Gubal (Egypt (27°5′N, Arabia (16°8′N, 42°5′E)): This area in- 34°0′E)): This area lies at the en- cludes the Farasan archipelago of trance to the Gulf of Suez and in- over 100 islands (largest, 381 square cludes the islands of Gubal, Giftun, kilometers) with its extensive series of Shadwan, El-Ghardaqa, Abu- fringing and patch reefs. Inshore wa- Ramada, Magawish, Abu-Monquar, El- ters include large areas of mangroves, Fanidir, Abu-Galawa and Abu Sadaf. mudflats and seagrass beds that sup- The Straits are a major shipping lane port one of the three important dugong for ships passing through the Suez Ca- populations known from the Red Sea nal. The area includes well-developed and a large shrimp fishery. Preliminary and diverse coral reefs and nesting evidence suggests that the area is an grounds for hawksbill turtles and has important site for cetaceans, with been the subject of a number of rec- herds of up to 600 spinner dolphins ommendations for protection seen in the area and large baleen (UNEP/IUCN 1988). whales occurring among the Farasan \ Southern Egypt (proposed) Marine Islands throughout the year. Most of Park: Mersa Alam— Sudanese Border the area is largely undisturbed and (Egypt (23–27°N, 33–35°5′E)): This has been the subject of a number of section of the Egyptian Red Sea coast recommendations for protection includes the Gebel Elba and Ras Ba- (UNEP/IUCN 1988). There is an MPA nas areas, both of which exhibit high established in the immediate vicinity of biodiversity, and typical marine areas Farasan Islands. It is recommended of the western Red Sea coast. The that protection be extended to cover a area is described by UNEP/IUCN wider area of the archipelago. (1988) and has been proposed for a Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 61

large MPA that would incorporate a \ Outer Indus Delta (Pakistan (24°0′N, range of levels of protection (see also 67°5′E)): The area extends southeast Ormond 1980, 1981). There is an ex- from Karachi to the Indian border. isting MPA at Gebel Elba. Management plans are being pro- \ Socotra Island (Yemen (26°0′N, posed. 51°0′E)): The Socotra Island archipel- ago forms the boundary between the This report has not concentrated on the major Somali upwelling and the Gulf important marine and coastal bird areas in of Aden and is of high priority for pro- the region. These have been identified over tection. the past two years in a project that culmi- \ Wejh Bank (Saudi Arabia (25°6′N, nated in the publication, Important Bird Ar- 36°8′E)): The Wejh Bank is a very eas (IBAs) in the Middle East, by Birdlife large complex of reefs surrounding a International. Over 100 of the 400 sites iden- central lagoon containing many small tified are coastal and marine and have patch reefs and mangroves. Patch been selected because of the occurrence of reefs have high coral cover and du- globally or regionally threatened species, gong may be present. The area lies in concentrations of seabirds or waterfowl, or an isolated region with little effects the presence of species wholly or largely re- from development (UNEP/IUCN stricted to the Middle East (Porter, personal 1985a,b,c). The Wejh Bank area is communication). one of the three very important areas for dugong along the eastern Red Sea Existing MPAs that Require Management coast. Support \ Qishran Islands-Ras al Askar (Saudi Arabia (20°3′N, 39°8′N)): On the cen- No existing MPAs have been recom- tral Red Sea Coast near the town of mended as individual priority sites for man- Al-Lith, this area straddles bio- agement support. However, a number of geographic areas RS1 and RS2. The existing MPAs fall within some of the areas third of the three most important du- proposed above, and these MPAs should gong areas on the east coast, it in- be candidates for management support. cludes numerous islands, mangrove These include the Farasan Islands (Saudi areas, coral reefs and seagrass beds. Arabia), Nabq Multiple Use Management Quishran and other islands in the area Area, Ras Mohammed National Park and Ti- are known turtle-breeding sites (Miller ran-Sanafir Islands Protected Area (Egypt), 1989). and Gebel Elba Conservation Area (Egypt). \ Marshes of the Tigris and Euphrates (Iraq (30°5′N, 40°0′E)): The draining of these marshlands and the damming Other Recommendations of the two rivers has the potential of dramatically altering the ecology of The following are recommendations for ac- the marine systems in the northern tion at the regional or national levels of ac- Gulf, as well as the critical transmigra- tivity. To date, there is not enough detailed tory feeding, and breeding habitats for knowledge of specific areas or incountry waders. programs to make sensible recommenda- \ Ras Suwahil (Saudi Arabia (28°7′N, tions as to where more specific efforts should 34°8′E)): The area has been identified be placed. A general note, however, is that as a proposed MPA. action at the local level may frequently have 62 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas a training and awareness role well beyond of Oman. Considering the extensive nature the return to the immediate region. of these areas, it is proposed that in the first This region is one where the coastal re- instance there should be an emphasis on sources are either extremely well docu- systematic survey using a systems ap- mented and a major coastal zone proach that identifies the nature and extent management undertaking has already been of key biotopes at regional scales. This can initiated, or where there is little or no sys- be done relatively quickly and cheaply by a tematic understanding and conservation ef- small team using modern mapping tech- forts are the domain of a very small number niques including satellite imagery, oblique of concerned government officials. aerial photography, and limited ground sur- At this time the major knowledge gaps vey (for example, Price and others 1987, are the lack of systematic surveys of spe- MEPA 1987b). This is a particularly power- cies and community composition for large ful approach when coupled with local knowl- parts of the region— the Gulf of Aden, the edge and expertise. This kind of approach western side of the Red Sea, particularly is likely to prove to be the most efficient the southern and central region, the Qatar- method of gathering the data necessary to UAE region of the Arabian Gulf, and the carry out an assessment of priority areas northern side of the Arabian Gulf and Gulf for MPAs. Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 63

Appendix Unconfirmed/Proposed MPAs in the Arabian Seas Marine Region Country/ IUCN Area Territory Protected Area Name Zone Category (hectares)

Egypt Giftun Islands MP RS5 PRO Gubal Islands MR RS5 REC Hamata Marine Zone NA RS3 PRO Hurghada NR RS5 PRO Qulan Islands MR RS3 PRO Ras Burkha RS4 REC Ras Garra RS5 REC Shadwan (Shaker) Island MR RS5 PRO Southern Egypt MP RS3 REC Straits of Tiran MP RS3 REC Iran Chah Bahar and Pizom Bays IP1 PRO Halileh Rud Mud Flats (Hale-Rud Marshes) AG1 PRO 20,000 Hormoz Island Biosphere Reserve AG1 I Khouran Straits Biosphere Reserve AG1 PRO Qeshm Islands and Bandar Marine Park AG1 PRO Rude-e-Gaz (Rud-e-Hara) Mangroves AG1 PRO Shadvar BR (Sheedvar) AG1 PRO Jordan Aqaba MaNR RS4 PRO Aqaba MP RS4 PRO Kuwait Bobiyan MP AG2 REC Failaka Island (North) NR A3 REC Failaka Island (South) NP AG3 REC Failaka Island (South) NRA AG3 REC Jal al Zhor NP AG3 PRO 30,000 Jal al Zhor NRA AG3 PRO Khawr Mu Fattah PA AG3 PRO Kubbar (Jazirat Kubbar) PA AG3 REC 600 Qaruh MP AG3 REC Oman Al Hallaniyah NScR OM PRO 2,500 Al Salamah NNR I P1 PRO 60 Arkad NRR PRO 264,000 Bandar Jissah NScR IP1 V 700 Bandar Khayran NNR IP1 VIII 1,400 Barr al Hikman NNR OM PRO 288,000 Bu Rashid NNR IP1 PRO 50 Dalkut-Kharfot NNR OM IV East Masirah NNR OM PRO 4,500 East Sharbithat OM IV Fanaku NNR IP1 PRO 20 Hamar an Nafun NNR OM PRO 120 Jabal Abu Daud NScR IP1 PRO 35,000 Jabal Bani Jabir NScR IP1 PRO 138,000 Jabal Hammar NSR + Sidah NNR OM IV & V 64 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

Country/ IUCN Area Territory Protected Area Name Zone Category (hectares)

Jabal Letub NNR IP1 PRO 8,900 Jabal Qamar NScR OM V 58,000 Jabal Qatar NNR IP1 PRo 44,000 Jabal Samhan NNR OM IV & V 346,000 Janabah Coast NScR OM PRO 69,000 Jazirat Abu Sir NNR IP1 PRO 150 Jazirat Habalayn NNR IP1 PRO 10 Jazirat Hamra NNR IP1 PRO 30 Oman (continued) Jazirat l Khayl NNR IP1 PRO 300 Jazirat Musandam NNR IP1 PRO 500 Jazirat Umm al Fayyar in NNR IP1 PRO 50 Jazirat Umm al Ghanam NScR IP1 PRO 500 Kachalu NNR IP1 PRO 10 Khatmat Malahah NNR PRO 50 Khawr Balid NNR OM PRO 200 Khawr Bat’ha NRR PRO 30 Khawr Dahariz NNR OM IV 150 Khawr Hawasinah NRR PRO 10 Khawr Juraym NNR PRO 20 Khawr Kashmir NRR PRO 50 Khawr Mughsayl NScR OM VIII 10 Khawr Nabr NNR PRO 2,300 Khawr Qurm NSCR OM VIII 70 Khawr Rawri NNR OM IV & V 1,100 Khawr Saham NNR PRO 80 Khawr Sallan NNR PRO 100 Khawr Sawli NNR OM IV 300 Khawr Shinas NNR PRO 2,100 Khawr Taqah NNR PRO 300 Kuria Muria NNR OM IV 250,000 Marbat NScR + Raaha NNR OM IV &V 26,000 Masirah Straits NNR OM PRO 86,000 Musandam NRR PRO 132,000 Musandam Peninsula IP1 PRO 15,800 North Jazir NNR OM PRO 15,000 Ra’s Suawadi NScR IP1 V 1,500 Ras Abu Daud OM VI Razat NNR OM IV 1,000 Sadh NScR OM V 3,500 Salalal NNR OM VIII 6,800 Shinas NScR IP1 PRO 300 South Jazir NScR + Khur Ghauri NNR OM IV & V 18,000 South Masirah NNR OM PRO 19,000 Wadi ash Shuwaymiyah NRR + Shuway. OM IV & V 12,500 NScR Wadi Hawir NNR IP1 PRO 3,300 Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 65

Country/ IUCN Area Territory Protected Area Name Zone Category (hectares)

Wadi Nhart NNR OM IV 5,500 Wahibah NRR OM PRO Wardi Hinna NSR OM V Pakistan Astola Island (Haft Talar) IP1 REC 0 Hawkes Bay/Sandspit Beaches IP1 REC 0 Jiwani turtle beaches IP1 REC 0 Ormara turtle beaches IP1 REC 0 Pasni Coast IP1 REC 0 Saudi Arabia Abu Ali/Dawhat Dafi & Musallamiyah AG3 IV 0 Abu Duda RS2 I 0 Al Hasani & Libana Islands RS3 IV 0 Al Uqayr Bay & Coastal Region AG4 IV 0 Arabiyah Island AG3 IV 0 Coastline South of Sharm Zubeir RS3 IV 0 Ghubbet Bal’aksh RS3 IV 0 Harimal Island RS2 I Harqus Island AG3 IV 0 Saudi Arabia Inner Farasan Bank Reefs & Islands RS1 IV 0 (continued) Jana Islands AG3 I 0 Jeddah Salt Marshes RS2 IV 0 Jurayd Island AG3 IV 0 Karan Island AG3 I 0 Khawr al Ja’afirah & Islands., Ras al Tarfa RS1 IV 0 Khor Al Wahla RS1 I 0 Khor Amiq & Raqa RS1 IV 0 Khor Itwad RS1 IV 0 Khor Nahud RS1 IV 0 Kurayn Islands AG3 IV 0 Marqa Islands RS1 I 0 Marsa al Usalla & Mersa Tawil RS2 I 0 Marsa Umm Misk RS2 IV 0 Mastura Beach RS2 I 0 Mersa al Sarraj RS2 IV 0 Oreste Point RS1 IV 0 Outer Farasan Bank Reefs & Islands RS1 IX 0 Qalib Islands Chain RS3 I Qishran RS1- I0 2 Qurayyah region AG3 IV Ras Abu Madd to Sharm Hasi RS2 II 0 Ras Baridi-Sharm al Kwawr RS2 IV Ras Hatiba RS2 II 0 Ras Suwahil & Maqna N. Beach RS4 IX 0 Safaniya/Manifa Bay complex AG3 IV 0 Sharm Dumagha & Sharm Antar RS3 IV 0 66 A Global Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

Country/ IUCN Area Territory Protected Area Name Zone Category (hectares)

Sharm Yanbu RS2 I 0 Sharm Zubeur RS3 I 0 Shi’Abu Al Liqa RS1 IV 0 Shib Al Kabir RS1 IV 0 Shu’aybah RS2 II 0 South Gulf of Salwah AG4 IX 0 Tarut Bay Complex AG3 VIII 0 Tiran Islands area RS3 IX 0 Wejh Bank RS2 IX 0 Sudan Mukawwar MNR RS2 PRO 1,200 Port Sudan MNP RS2 PRO 0 Sanganeb Atoll MNP RS2 PRO 100 Suakin Archipelago NP RS1 PRO 0 United Arab Emirates Abu al Abyadh Islands PriR AG5 UA 0 Abu Dhabi mangrove & coastal wetlands AG5 REC 1,500 Arzaneh Islands BS AG5 REC 0 Ganadah (Ras Ganadah) Lagoon & AG5 REC 22,000 mangrove Hammanya Lagoon AG5 REC 200 Jebel Ali turtle beaches R AG5 REC 1,500 Kalba mangroves AG5 REC 0 Khor Dubai marshes AG5 REC 0 Merawwah Islands AG5 REC 0 Qarnein Islands AG5 REC 0 Ramms Lagoon R AG5 REC 0 Umm al-Qaiwain Lagoon & island PriR AG5 UA 1,000 Zirkuh Islands BS AG5 REC 0 Yemen, Republic of Al Khawkhah RS1 REC 0 Al Mukha RS1 REC 0 Dhubab RS1 REC 0 Hidran marshes RS1 REC 0 Humar Island RS1 REC 0 Jabal Sabir-Wadi Thabad wadis RS1 REC 0 Kumran islands R RS1 PRO 0 Ra’s Katanib Island RS1 REC 0 Ras Isa MP RS1 REC 0 Uqban (Ukban) Islands RS1 REC 0 Wadi Rima estuary RS1 REC 0 Wadi Siham RS1 REC 0 Zubayr Islands RS1 REC 0 Zuqur Islands MNP RS1 REC 0 Yemen Nishtun GA REC 0 Perim Isles GA REC 0 Ra’s Abu Quizara GA REC 0 Socotra Island PA GA PRO 362,500 Marine Region 11: Arabian Seas 67

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