Land Use in Egypt’s Coastal Lakes: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Coastal lakes in Egypt are very important for the wetlands they support in North Africa. They contain five of the most productive wetland ecosystems in the world. The Nile Delta lakes, which are located along the Mediterranean coast, are very important economically because of fish production, which makes up nearly 50% of Egypt’s production. These lakes are vital to the livelihoods in these areas. However, these lakes are suffering from degradation and environmental stress. The total area of many of these lakes is decreased because of drying and reclamation for agriculture. Furthermore, increased pollution and ecological risks are affecting these vital and valuable lakes. One of the biggest issues is the discharging of agricultural drainage, industrial waste, and domestic waste water into these wetlands. In addition, these lakes are vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change such as rising sea level and saltwater intrusion. The coastal lakes in Egypt are very important and vital to ecosystems and need continuous monitoring and good management practices.