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The rocky desert coastline of the Red Sea Coastal Desert ecoregion stretches through Egypt along the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea and into Sudan. Throughout this craggy coastal plain, patches of sea rushes and other salt marsh vegetation give way to dry intermittent streambeds called wadis further inland. These wadis carry runoff from rainfall in the high mountains of this ecoregion. The mountains receive much more rainfall than the desert areas because of their high altitude and lower temperatures. Desert areas, however, may go for years between significant rainfalls. The only plants that can survive in the desert are very hardy salt- and drought-resistant species that grow along the coastline and tough acacia species that grow along the banks of the wadis farther inland.
A variety of plants able to tolerate the high salinity, dry weather, and high temperature variations dominate the desert regions. In the mountains, dragon ombet dominates the higher elevations and two species of Euphorbia dominate the middle and lower elevations. Ferns, shrubs, mosses, figs, and palm trees are scattered among the dominant species. On the eastern boundary of the ecoregion, where streams flow into the Red Sea and create small coves, mangrove forests teem with fish and crustaceans. These mangroves serve as important breeding grounds for thousands of white-eyed gulls and other sea birds. Beaches and islands also provide essential habitat for a variety of sea turtles, including hawksbills, leatherbacks, and green turtles. Patches of salt marsh along the seashores are colored yellow with the flowers of perennial grasses called sea rushes. Agile birds called sand partridges run quickly across this dry, stony landscape, while small foxes hunt for insects and other prey. Small herds of dorcas gazelles travel the barren landscape in search of vegetation. Well adapted for life in the desert, these dainty antelope may go their whole lives without drinking fresh water, obtaining it instead from the plants they eat. White storks wade on long legs through lush mangroves along the shores of the Red Sea. And high in the mountains that border the desert on the west, black storks, white storks, white pelicans, and imperial eagles use rising currents of warm air to soar to great heights during the spring and fall migrations. Smaller birds migrate at night, using the mountains as a guide to their destinations. Nubian ibexes may also be glimpsed high on the mountainsides, while threatened Nubian wild asses can be seen in flatter areas.
The Red Sea and its coastal areas face many threats from humans. Tourist resorts are eating up valuable breeding grounds for sea turtles. Tourism in the desert itself can destroy sand dunes and increase both wind and water erosion, particularly in wadi beds. When off-road vehicles drive across this fragile habitat, they destroy seeds that are lying dormant in the sand waiting for sufficient rainfall to trigger their germination. Some large mammal populations have been wiped out completely from the area by sport hunting--which is still completely unregulated in this ecoregion, even in the Jebel Elba protected area. Although capturing falcons is illegal, it still occurs, threatening the populations of these migrating birds. Coastal and inland communities are affected by oil pollution from onshore and offshore facilities and from tankers passing through the Red Sea. Pollution also comes from a nearby cement plant, which spews harmful dust into the environment and poses a threat to wildlife of all kinds. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
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