Turtles in turmoil as Egypt’s tourism push threatens Red Sea’s wild shores
Cairo wants to attract 30 million visitors by 2028 – a plan conservationists say has ‘largely been at the expense of the environment’
Off Ras Hankorab, the endangered green turtles weave between coral gardens that marine biologists call some of the most resilient to climate change in the world. By night in nesting season, they crawl ashore under the Milky Way’s glow, undisturbed by artificial lights.
So when excavators rolled onto the sand in March, reserve staff and conservationists sounded the alarm. Thousands signed a petition to “Save Hankorab” after discovering a contract between an unnamed government entity and an investment company to build a resort.
The environment ministry – which has jurisdiction over the park – protested, construction was halted and the machinery quietly removed.
But months later, parliamentary requests for details have gone unanswered, and insiders say the plans remain alive.
“Only certain kinds of tourism development work for a beach like this,” said Mahmoud Hanafy, a marine biology professor and scientific adviser to the Red Sea governorate. “Noise, lights, heavy human activity – they could destroy the ecosystem.”
Noise, lights, heavy human activity – they could destroy the ecosystem
Hankorab sits inside Wadi al-Gemal National Park, declared a protected area in 2003.