Egypt's Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, Manal Awad, announced the launch of the country's annual coral reef monitoring programme in the Red Sea. The initiative is led by a scientific team from the Red Sea protectorates to assess the health of coral reefs and track the ongoing impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. In a statement on Sunday, Awad revealed that recent field surveys conducted at multiple sites within the Northern Islands Protected Area showed no signs of coral bleaching or damage from elevated sea surface temperatures in 2025—a positive shift compared to similar assessments in 2023 and 2024. She attributed this improvement to a shorter duration of high sea temperatures this year, which helped reduce thermal stress on coral colonies. The minister also noted that many of the coral formations previously affected by bleaching have now recovered, highlighting the reefs' resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of environmental change. Awad emphasized that the monitoring programme is carried out annually by specialists from the Red Sea and South Sinai nature reserves, in collaboration with Egyptian university researchers who specialize in coral reef ecosystems. The surveys use standardized scientific methods to measure coral cover and evaluate external stress factors such as temperature fluctuations and pollution. Coral reefs globally remain among the most vulnerable ecosystems to the effects of climate change, particularly the steady increase in sea surface temperatures. Regular monitoring efforts, such as Egypt's programme, play a critical role in protecting these vital marine habitats and informing long-term conservation strategies.
