The Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte, Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Feb 1;910:168587. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168587. Epub 2023 Nov 18.
During a snorkeling trip to Marsa Alam and Hamata (southern Red Sea Riviera, Egypt) I explored the coral reefs and the diverse marine habitats of fish and invertebrate species. The area invites recreational diving and snorkeling, but the beaches are littered with all sorts of solid waste (mainly fragmented plastics). Also, there are no local restrictions on sunscreen use. The development of tourism to the area raises questions about the environmental impact and how its further growth will have on coral reefs. Every year, 1.2 million tourists visit the Red Sea coast (about 3287 tourists per day) and release about 1.7 tons/month of sunscreen into the Red Sea. As an ecologist and editorial board member of Science of the Total Environment, I ask myself how we as scientists can increase public awareness and call for prompt actions to protect the coral reefs. The discussion underlines two major threats to the Egyptian coral reefs: sunscreen use and micro(nano)plastics waste. The discussion closes with possible solutions, future perspectives, and recommendations to protect the coral reefs ecosystem of the Egyptian Red Sea.
在一次前往马萨阿拉姆和哈马塔（埃及南部红海海滨胜地）的浮潜旅行中，我探索了珊瑚礁和各种鱼类和无脊椎动物物种的海洋栖息地。该地区可进行休闲潜水和浮潜，但海滩上到处都是各种固体废物（主要是碎塑料）。此外，当地对防晒霜的使用没有任何限制。该地区旅游业的发展引发了人们对环境影响的质疑，以及其进一步发展对珊瑚礁的影响。每年有 120 万游客访问红海海岸（每天约 3287 名游客），每月向红海释放约 1.7 吨防晒霜。作为一名生态学家和《整体环境科学》的编委，我不禁思考，作为科学家，我们如何提高公众意识，呼吁采取迅速行动来保护珊瑚礁。讨论强调了埃及珊瑚礁面临的两大威胁：防晒霜的使用和微（纳米）塑料废物。讨论以保护埃及红海珊瑚礁生态系统的可能解决方案、未来展望和建议结束。
