By The Ocean Agency
Photo Ocean Image Bank / Renata Romeo
A remarkable coral reef that deserves global attention.
A stunning example of the world's most valuable and vulnerable ecosystem.
Hawksbill Sea Turtle on Coral Reef, Egypt by The Ocean Agency / Cinzia Osele BismarckThe Ocean Agency
A biodiversity hot spot
The Great Fringing Reef is home to thousands of species – from turtles and manta rays to sea slugs and pufferfish. There are over 1,100 species of fish found in the Red Sea and it’s estimated that nearly 20 percent of them only live in this region.
Lettuce coral on the Great Fringing Reef, Egypt by The Ocean Agency / Renata RomeoThe Ocean Agency
One of the world's most popular coral reefs
Although it’s name is not as well-known as Australia's Great Barrier Reef, far more people visit and dive on the Great Fringing Reef each year.
Red Sea by European Space AgencyThe Ocean Agency
One of the longest reef systems in the world
The Great Fringing Reef stretches for thousands of kilometers along the Red Sea coastline. It gets its name from the type of reef it is - a reef that fringes the coastline (unlike a barrier reef which forms offshore).
Coral reef at sunset, Red Sea by Alex Mustard / Ocean Image Bank and The Ocean AgencyThe Ocean Agency
A reef with the potential to survive climate change
The northern section of the reef in Egypt is considered less vulnerable to climate change than virtually any other reef in the world because of its unique location. The currents here, suck up cold water from the deep keeping temperatures cooler than surrounding areas.
Coral Reef, Egypt, Red Sea by The Ocean Agency / Renata RomeoThe Ocean Agency
A home to super-corals
It is thought that ocean currents have brought heat tolerant corals here to the Northern Red Sea, from even warmer regions of the Red Sea.
Coral bleaching in the Maldives by The Ocean AgencyThe Ocean Agency
A reef unlike other reefs
Most reefs are highly vulnerable to climate change - at least 70-90% of remaining coral reefs globally are expected to bleach and die, because of our greenhouse gas emissions - even if we manage to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C.
Great Fringing Reef, Egypt by Ocean Image Bank / Renata RomeoThe Ocean Agency
A reef we can still save
If global temperature rise is kept under 2 degrees C (as agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement) the Great Fringing Reef in the Northern Red Sea still has the potential to survive and help the ecosystem recover over time.
Great Fringing Reef, Egypt by Renata RomeoThe Ocean Agency
A Hope Spot for coral reef conservation
The importance of the Great Fringing Reef (especially in Egypt) has been recently internationally recognized as a Mission Blue Hope Spot thanks to campaigning by The Ocean Agency and Egyptian NGO HEPCA. The hope is this will lead to protection of the entire Great Fringing Reef.
Coral Reef, Great Fringing Reef, Egypt by The Ocean Agency / Anett SzasziThe Ocean Agency
Hope for an entire ecosystem
Through climate action and marine protection we can still save coral reefs and the hundreds of thousands of species they support. We've never lost an entire ecosystem before... but we've never had the chance to save one either. Let's make it happen.
Please visit our website for more information on The Great Fringing Reef
All imagery contributed to the OceanImageBank.org
