CHAPTER CAPTIONS FOR PHOTOS AND FIGURES
CHAPTER 12: MARINE ENVIRONMENTS AND RESOURCES
Opening photograph:
Photo 12.0: Port Sudan, which hosts the largest sea freight terminal in the country, typifies the situation for marine resources in Sudan: economic development is occurring at the expense of the environment, and the surrounding lagoons are suffering from land-based pollution and modification due to the indiscriminate building of infrastructure.
12.1 Introduction and assessment activities
Introduction
Assessment activities
12.2 Overview of marine and coastal environments and resources
The Red Sea
Figure 12.1: Sudan coastline
Coastline and islands
Photo12.2a: Salt marshes (halophyte vegetation) are found at the mouth of seasonal streams and in sheltered zones along the entire coast. In undamaged areas, they are commonly fringed by mangroves.
Photo 12.2b: A typical shoreline north of Port Sudan, with sparse vegetation on a sandy-silty beach, a sheltered zone and the fringing reef (indicated by the breaking waves in the distance).
Coral reefs
Photo 12.2c: Soft coral at Sanganeb. The coral reefs of Sudan are in generally very good to moderate condition away from the major urban areas. They are partly protected by their isolation and the lack of run-off from the desert. [Photo courtesy of Red Sea Enterprises].
Mangroves
Photo 12.2d: Mangrove stands are under pressure all along the coastline and disappearing rapidly in the developed strip between Port Sudan and Suakin. This stand shows evidence of timber-cutting and is also truncated by a saltworks inlet canal.
Seagrass beds
12.3 Environmental impacts and issues
A high quality environment under pressure
Coastal habitat destruction by development
Figure 12.4: Port Sudan and coral reef
Photo 12.3a: A major extension to the Port Sudan harbour, known as the Green Port, is going ahead in an area surrounded by seagrass beds and coral reefs. It is now necessary to focus on planning port operations to minimize ongoing impacts.
Photo 12.3b: An aerator in operation at a shrimp farm near Port Sudan. Although the mariculture industry in Sudan is still small, its potential expansion needs to be monitored and controlled, as shrimp farms are a major cause of coastal degradation in other countries.
Oil industry oil spill risks
Photo 12.3c: The oil products terminal at Port Sudan. The oil and petroleum products export and import facilities are relatively modern and include break-free couplings and other safety features.
Photo 12.3d [use photo of ship from word file]: The risk of oil spills along the Red Sea coast is high, principally due to the high volume of shipping traffic and the number of islands, coral reefs and other navigational hazards. This freighter, the MV Wingate, was grounded on a reef in 2004, five kilometres from Port Sudan.
Passing and docked ship bilge water and oil pollution
Photo 12.3e: Ships passing and entering ports in Sudan currently have no place to deposit oily waste, such as that generated by clearing bilges and fuel tanks. In the absence of facilities and controls, the risk is that ships jettison this oil at sea.
Pollution from land-based sources
Figure 12.3: Port Sudan power station and salt flats
Photo 12.3f: The Port Sudan landfill is located at the head of a seasonal watercourse. Every wet season, the run-off draws pollution from the site to the coastal lagoons.
Risk of importing invasive species in ballast water
Photo 12.3g: Cargo ships carry seawater as ballast, which is drawn in or discharged when cargos are loaded and unloaded. When this occurs thousands of kilometres away from the intake point, there is a risk of introducing alien species into the local marine environment.
Fisheries management
Photo 12.3h: At present, the domestic marine fisheries industry is very limited. Most of the catch is consumed locally. A small volume of high-quality fish is exported to other Gulf countries.
Mangrove cutting and overgrazing
Photo 12.3i: Camels grazing on mangroves 20 km south of Suakin. The impact of such grazing can be seen in the absence of foliage below three metres. This stand also shows signs of extensive timber-cutting.
Marine protected areas and tourism
Photo 12.3j: Spinner dolphins offshore of Suakin. The marine tourism industry in Sudan still operates on a small scale, catering mainly to scuba divers, but the quality and quantity of marine life holds promise for the long-term growth of the industry. Protection and control measures need to be improved to ensure that this growth occurs without harm to the environment. [Photo courtesy of Red Sea Enterprises].
12.4 Marine and coastal environmental governance
Governance structure
Legislation and coordination
Governance performance
Photo 12.4a: A marine life museum in Port Sudan, funded and managed by an NGO. The NGO sector is quite active in Red Sea state.
Photo 12.4b: Young men on duty on national service picking up litter from the tidal lagoons of Port Sudan. The level of interest in the environment in Red Sea state is among the highest in all of Sudan.
12.5 Conclusions and recommendations
Conclusions
Background to the recommendations
Recommendations for the Government of National Unity
Recommendations for the Red Sea State Government
Case studies
CS12.1 The impact of pollution from the Port Sudan desalination plant
Photo CS12.1a [Rotate image clockwise for correct viewing]: Reverse osmosis units separate seawater into two streams: freshwater for consumption and a high salinity effluent which needs to be disposed of in an appropriate manner to avoid environmental damage.
Photo CS12.1b: This lagoon in the centre of the city of Port Sudan is already burdened with urban pollution and shoreline development. Unless a solution for the saline effluent is found, the lagoon is expected to become a biologically dead zone.
CS12.2 Sanganeb National Park
Figure 12.2: Sanganeb National Park
Photos CS12.2a,b,c,d: The marine life of Sanganeb National Park. [All photos courtesy of Red Sea Enterprises].