Egypt has completed the planting of 50,000 mangrove seedlings along the Red Sea coast near Hamata, according to a September 19 report by Ahram Online.
The project is being carried out by the American University in Cairo and partners in the Wadi El-Gemal Nature Reserve. Mangroves help provide habitat for wildlife and can soften the force of waves and tidal surges along the coast.
Local volunteers are helping plant seedlings, record how the ecosystem changes, and care for the growing trees. A women-led honey and beekeeping project is also connecting the restored habitat with local income.
Egypt’s water resources minister has asked officials to study where mangroves could serve as part of future coastal protection, alongside other carefully chosen approaches.
