Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park

The MNP boundaries and inscription on the World Heritage List is likely to have had little impact on the activities of local people within the area. Local communities are allowed to fish within the Marine Park as well as the buffer zone with restrictions on fishing activities related to the kind of fishing gear used. The local communities living within DMNP were consulted about the creation of the national park during the PERSGA MPA-SAP project and no-take zones before the area was gazetted in 2004. There also appear to be no significant or ongoing cultural rights issues with the local communities. However, the IUCN evaluation mission to the property indicated there was limited evidence of consultation or awareness raising efforts with local communities (IUCN, 2014). In 2016, an IUCN / Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) mission to the property found that progress is being made by the local authorities engaging with local communities and involving them in certain aspects of management, and this is consolidated in the Integrated Management Plan (Klaus, 2017), which was informed by a series of training and planning workshops involving local communities to discuss the vision, goals and objectives for inclusion in the plan (State Party of Sudan, 2018). This work was continued through four workshops held in 2021, that targeted woman (State Party of Sudan 2022). A UK-Aid Darwin Initiative funded project supported a national communication campaign which used social media to raise awareness about the site and organised events and outreach activities around the country and in Port Sudan and in the villages in DMNP (Cousteau Society 2016). In 2022 community beach clean ups were held (State Party of Sudan 2022) while in 2023 students from villages near the property were co-opted into a project using eDNA to collect biodiversity data. Such collaborative work strengths relationships with local communities.

There is a commitment from the Government of Sudan at both the national and state level towards the protection and conservation of resources within its coastal waters, including the property. Several laws and regulations are in place and Sudan has signed and abides to regional and international protocols and conventions. Both SMNP (1990) and DMNP (2004) have been declared as marine protected areas. SMNP was declared as a marine national park in 1990 by the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, under the Federal Wildlife and Hunting Law of 1986, by the order “Approval to Declare the Area of Sanganeb in the Red Sea a National Park”, which was signed on on 1st April 1990. DMNP was legally declared as a national park in 2004, following the World Bank GEF funded PERSGA Marine Protected Area Strategic Action Programme (MPA-SAP). The national park was legally declared by the President of Sudan as ‘Dungonab Federal Reserve’ under the Federal Wildlife and Hunting Law of 1986, “Order to Designate the Dunqonab Area of the Red Sea a Federal Reserve for the Year 2004”, which was signed on 13th October 2004. As such both SMNP and DMNP are protected under the Federal Government of Sudan and covered by various other pieces of national legislation. The buffer zone is not legally protected (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The governance of the property has been formally entrenched since its declaration as a WH site. The management of the property spans both national and state level Government with the main responsibility for management assigned to the Wildlife Conservation General Administration (WCGA), under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife at the National Level. The state level is also involved in the management through the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which is responsible for all environmental matters in the Red Sea State. However, it is not clear if and to what degree good collaboration occurs between the different levels of government and the relative strength of different pieces of legislation.
Many stakeholders (communities, fishermen, markets traders, divers, officers of related government departments, researchers, Red Sea University, research centers, Security Departments, others) have participated in the training workshops implemented in Port Sudan in 2021 during phase two (2019-2024) of the UNIDO Project.
There is a potential risk that the protection of the property may be compromised given the strongly growing regional push for increased coastal development, commercial fishing, aquaculture and oil exploration. In the early 2020s local communities had increasingly been drawn into the management of the property (State Party of Sudan 2022), but this has been negatively affected by the war and political unrest. There is currently no IMP in place as it expired in 2021, and it has not been possible to develop a new IMP due to unrest and turnover in government (State Party of Sudan 2024).

A greater level of coordination and communication with neighbouring countries is needed to ensure the site is included in regional planning and this is also true in regards to national level planning systems. In particular, coordination at both the national and state level is needed in order to regulate the level of tourism with many live-aboard vessels now moving into the area during the peak tourism season. In addition, threats from mineral exploration and pollution from neighbouring countries will require greater coordination if they are to be assessed and planned for and the role of the site in supporting resilience in other similar locations should be considered within the wider Red Sea environment. At a national level, the Council is representative of a number of different sectors and ensures effective involvement of all stakeholders in the management of the property (State Party of Sudan, 2018). War and political unrest in Sudan has hampered these efforts.

PERSGA has started via Sustainable Fishery Development in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (SFISH) project (2023-2025), to promote collaboration and coordination among PERSGA countries (Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen).

At inscription, the World Heritage Committee provided specific recommendations to the State authorities that included a request to provide additional information about the boundaries of the property and an updated map (Decision WHC/16/40.COM/19), with reference to the information submitted prior to the 40th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC/16/40.COM/8B.Add) and the IUCN Evaluation Report (WHC/16/40.COM/INF.8B2). The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) requested assistance, on behalf of the State party, in addressing the WHC Decision (WHC/16/40.COM/19). The boundary file for the property submitted by the Sudanese UNESCO MAB Committee was reviewed and an updated map prepared (Klaus 2018). The World Heritage core sites partially align with the boundaries of the two marine national parks, SMNP and DMNP, which both appear to be quite intact at the moment, both in terms of habitats and species and the boundaries are sufficient to include all the necessary conditions to protect the values for which it has been inscribed. The property covers a wide range of habitats that are ecologically and functionally interconnected and are necessary to maintain viable plant and animal populations, including shallow coastal areas, reef formations and deep-sea areas. In response to the World Heritage Committee's Decision, 2016, the 2018 State Party report stipulated that the process for declaration of Sha'ab Rumi as Sudan's third MPA was in progress (UNESCO 2023). However, due to war and political unrest this has not occurred. Given its clear potential to contribute significantly to the integrity and OUV of the existing site, should this area be included in the site in future (State Party of Sudan, 2018).

Dongonab Bay-Marsa Waiai was designated as a Ramsar Site in 2005. Regular communication exists between management authorities of the Ramsar site and the World Heritage property (State Party of Sudan, 2021), however the extent to which the overlapping designations are effectively managed is not clear.

The MAB National Committee preparing to propose Dongonab MPA a Biosphere reserve focusing on the sustainable development of the local communities towards enhancing their integration in the proper conservation of the heritage property.

SMNP was first presented for inscription on the World Heritage list in the 1980s with the subsequent recommendation requesting the formal gazetting of the Marine Parks before inscription would be considered. As a result it was resubmitted and inscribed in 2016, with a number of requests imposed on inscription. As such, the State Party submitted a State of Conservation report (State Party of Sudan, 2018), which was considered by the World Heritage Committee in 2018. The actions of the State Party in the development of high quality maps and a draft Integrated Management Plan (IMP), the recruitment of additional staff, and the increase in resources were welcomed alongside the identification of additional areas of potential Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) for inclusion as part of the World Heritage site (World Heritage Committee, 2018). However, the State Party was also requested or encouraged to make increased resources for effective management, and address the growing potential threats related to growing tourism in and around the site. While progress was made on some requests (e.g. the Party State developed collaborations with international funders (British council and Czech Republic Development Cooperation) that contributed to implementation of the IMP (State Paty of Sudan, 2022)), the ability of the State Party to respond to WHC decisions and recommendations has been limited by the economic and political situation in the country (State Party of Sudan, 2024).

While the threat of climate change to the property is recognised to some extent, especially the threat posed to the coral reefs (Abdelhamid et al. 2024), climate is currently not specifically provided for in the management approach. The property is important in terms of the ability of the Red Sea marine protected area network's ability to respond to climate change (Gajdzik et al. 2021).

The management system has been guided by the 2017-2021 Integrated Management Plan (IMP) (Klaus, 2017). The plan was well prepared with a management framework directly related to the OUV of the site. The management authorities of SMNP and DMNP established a management committee for the World Heritage property to improve coordination and communication between the agencies at the Federal and State Level given the shared mandate for the management of environmental issues. This committee also included other key stakeholders in the management of the property (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Unfortunately, the IMP expired in 2021 and the unstable political and socio-economic situation in the country have prevented the development of an IMP for the next five years period (State Party of Sudan, 2024). However, despite its expiry, most of the actions in the IMP remain valid and efforts continue to implement the plan. Some success has resulted from partnering with non-governmental, academic and research organisations (State Party of Sudan 2024).

There is a potential risk that the protection of the property may be compromised given the strongly growing regional push for increased coastal development, commercial fishing, aquaculture and oil exploration. The MPA Division of the WCGA is located in Port Sudan, the capital of the Red Sea State. The WCGA has an operational base within DMNP, south of Mohammed Qol, one of the villages within the park. On SNMP, WCGA staff stationed on the atoll share the Sea Port Corporation facilities. The WCGA MPA staff are deployed to the MPAs from Port Sudan on a two-week rotation. Generally, each rotation consists of one MPA Manager and 10 rangers in DMNP and one staff member who is stationed on SMNP, who resides there with a staff member from the Sea Port Corporation. However, staffing levels were evaluated as very poor during the IUCN mission and capacity remains low, hamepring implementation of key management actions. No formal staffing changes have taken place as of 2024, but due to financial constraints no salaries are being paid (State Party of Sudan, 2024). To address these capacity gaps, various capacity building programmes are being developed by different institutions, including PERSGA, Cousteau, ARC-WH and IUCN Tabe'a Programme. However, these too have been disrupted by the war. Although the level of threats remain low, increasing potential threats, such as tourism, are such that the current resources and capacity of management staff may not be sufficient for ongoing effective management of the property.

There is currently no detail available in regard to the level of financing for the property and in particular future prospects for conservation financing. The source of financing for management is from the Federal Ministry of Finance through the support provided to the Wildlife Conservation General Administration (IUCN, 2014). While no detailed information is available, the Evaluation mission noted that very limited budgets are made available to the management agencies and there is a need to investigate and secure sustainable financing for the property. However, during a coordination meeting between different key institutions supporting Sudan, convened by IUCN Tabe'a Programme and ARC-WH, the State Party reported that it has increased the management budget by 500%. Nevertheless, the adequacy of the level of funding available to the property needs to be confirmed further, and indeed the World Heritage Committee has encouraged the State Party to make more resources available for the management of the site (World Heritage Committee, 2018). In response the State Party secured funds from a variety of sources towards implementation of various aims embedded in the 2017-2021 IMP. These include a nationally funded project (by the HCENR), and funding from the Czech Republic Development Cooperation (mangrove restoration) and British Council (offering micro loans in response to social challenges in local communities) (State Party of Sudan, 2022). It is currently unclear to what extent this has been achieved due to the war. In the latest Periodic Report, the State Party stated available fundings are inadequate for basic management needs and presents a serious constraint to the capacity to manage (State Party of Sudan, 2021).

At the time the Integrated Management Plan was prepared (Klaus, 2017), the MPA Division of the WCGA staffing included: the General Manager for MPAs, four MPA Managers, all of whom have Bachelor degrees in Marine Biology and 35 rangers, many of whom were recruited from the local community, as well as other administrative personnel. Given the extent of its area and the potential for infringements, staffing levels are very poor and capacity incredibly low (IUCN Consultation, 2017). While the level and degree of threats remains low, the resources and capacity of management staff is such that it hinders effective management of the property, particularly in the face of increasing tourism and other threats (IUCN Consultation, 2020). While the management authority had established 5 ranger stations for monitoring and patrolling by 2017, the small staff numbers lack even basic equipment and transport and there is no information available on staff training or development (IUCN Consultation, 2017). This situation has not improved and salaries have not been paid to the WCGA officers and rangers due to limited resources (State Party of Sudan, 2024). To address these capacity gaps, various capacity building programmes are being developed by different institutions, including PERSGA, Cousteau, ARC-WH and IUCN Tabe'a Programme. However, these too have been disrupted by the war. Although the level of threats remain low, increasing potential threats, such as tourism, are such that the current resources and capacity of management staff may not be sufficient to ensure ongoing effective management of the property.

Some efforts with the objectives of increasing the capacity of the officers had been reached via the participation of the Director of the property, in the Regional Workshop on Community and Stakeholder Engagement in Comprehensive Planning for Interpretation and Presentation of World Heritage Sites, Doha, Qatar, 17-19 June 2025, organized by the UNESCO Regional Centre for the Gulf States and Yemen within the framework of cooperation between UNESCO and the Royal Commission for AL Aula Development.

There is an aquarium based in Port Sudan with some information around the marine ecosystem but the majority of visitation is currently based on live aboard vessels and as such opportunities for education and awareness are limited. However, the 2017-2021 IMP was informed by a number of workshops involving local communities. Such stakeholder engagement in the management of the property has likely fostered greater opportunities for better local awareness of the values of the site. Guidelines on Ecotourism in Marine Areas of Outstanding Value in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean were produced, and provide tour operators and guests information about diving and ecosystems within the property (State Party of Sudan, 2022). Additionally, in 2022 a training workshop was hosted by UNESCO and the Red Sea State to foster awareness among school teachers from the local community (State Party of Sudan, 2024). Inclusion of students in activities within the property (e.g. eDNA collection with scientists in 2023) provides additional educational opportunities. An educational program and awareness campaign was carried out in April 2025, for the communities of Dongunab Village and Mohammed Qol village. The aim was to foster local stewardship and support for manta conservation. The campaigns involved primary and secondary school students in Dongunab village, promoting awareness from a young age.
Awareness activities during phase one of UNIDO Project also included several workshops in Port-Sudan for all stakeholders and training abroad for researchers including training workshops in fish statistics (regular and systematic data from commercial markets) and fish identification (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Even before the war the property had almost no on-ground management presence with most management actions linked to tourism and visitation during the busiest season when live aboard dive vessels visit from other parts of the Red Sea. A general increase in tourism to the site and associated pressures has occurred, following World Heritage inscription (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Monitoring of impacts from tourism activities should be conducted to detect any impact on key habitat types and species in anticipation of increased visitation, but currently appears not to occur. Residential and resort/tourism development in terrestrial areas both within the buffer zones and areas adjoining the property should be closely monitored to ensure population size and tourist numbers do not exceed the limits of infrastructure and ecosystems. There have been efforts by the State Party to encourage the gradual development of low impact tourism (State Party of Sudan, 2024). In recognition of the threat posed by elevated visitation to the reefs by live aboard dive tours the State Party had planned a workshop to discuss the development of a code of conduct for dive operations in the property. This had to be postponed due to the war (State Party of Sudan, 2024).

Human impact, including that from the communities situated within the buffer zone is relatively low. There is private ownership of land within the buffer zone but this is strictly controlled through the legal framework controlling the area. Sustainable use activities are only allowed in the buffer zone and concentrate on artisanal fishing (IUCN Consultation, 2017). However, the extent to which use is monitored remains unclear.

A coral reef monitoring programme was established for both SMNP and DMNP with support from the African Parks Foundation (APF 2006). Maintaining regular monitoring proved challenging due to access issues and financial constraints. More recently, the staff from the Red Sea University re-started monitoring with support from PERSGA. The Integrated Management Plan for the site (Klaus, 2017) proposed the maintenance and expansion of the monitoring programmes, with the support of the Red Sea University in recognition of the fact that there are capacity constraints in terms of staff numbers within the WCGA. Monitoring of turtles took place in 2022 (State Party of Sudan, 2022) while coral communities have been monitored in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (State Party of Sudan, 2022, 2023). Further research and monitoring will need to be conducted within the property to address gaps in the baseline data. Increased monitoring of the impacts from fishing and tourism should be conducted to ensure no adverse impacts on the values of the property and to increase knowledge about the natural values of the site and the boundaries of the Marine Park are needed (IUCN, 2014). The impacts of increasing tourism in the area, especially and potential damage to the reefs from recreational diving, is also a growing requirement for monitoring (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Despite the war and severe financial constraints some monitoring of vessels in the property still takes place (State Party of Sudan, 2022) but it is unclear how sustainable this is. Some monitoring activities are ongoing through the implementation of Fish Statistic and Stock Assessment component of UNIDO PROJECT, that continued during 2019-2024.

There is currently limited research being conducted within the property mainly due to difficulties with access, cost constraints and the war. The Red Sea University has established a research base in DMNP from which staff and students can conduct studies using small local fisher boats. However, due to the size of the property and the distances offshore, much of the property is only safely accessible from a larger vessel, such as a liveaboard dive boat. Despite these challenges studies of charismatic and endangered species including dugong, manta rays and sharks, have been conducted as well as studies of bird populations, and monitoring the status of the coral reefs and seagrass beds and local fisheries. The results of several of these studies have been published in scientific journals: manta rays (Kessel et al., 2017; Knochel et al. 2022), green sawfish (Elhassan et al., 2018), fisheries (Olsen et al. 2021), seagrass (Gaiballa and Ali 2023). The IUCN Consultation (2017) recommended that research and monitoring projects being conducted by the Red Sea University and collaborating researchers should be linked to the management of the property and the results used to inform management planning and actions. While this approach has shown promise, it has been disrupted by the war.

The management of the property falls with a national legal framework with both portions of the property having been declared as marine protected areas by Presidential Decrees. While the Wildlife Conservation and National Park Act, (1987); National Parks, Sanctuaries and Reserves Regulation, (1939); and the Game Protection and Federal Parks Act (1986) govern the property itself, Federal Environmental Law (2001) and State Environmental Law (2006), together with legislation around fisheries, shipping and water quality speak to threats from outside the property. The current war has limited the formal enforcement of these instruments.

The on the ground management of the property follows a complex structure. Responsibility for management of the property sits with the Wildlife Conservation General Administration (WCGA) under the National Government, however the state level government is also involved. The multi-agency and National and State level involvement in management results in somewhat complex procedures. For example, rangers from the National agency aware of infringements are required to report these to the relevant state level authority and then these incidents, if serious enough to warrant further action, are reported to the police. Staffing capacity was significantly increased during a PERSGA project and in response to concerns expressed by IUCN during a 2014 evaluation mission (State Party of Sudan, 2018). However, despite this, the World Heritage Committee encouraged further resources to be made available for the management of the site (World Heritage Committee, 2018). Due to the war, resources have become even more limited and no staff changes have taken place within the property (State Party of Sudan, 2024). The lack of a revised IMP and scare resources limit development and implementation of many management tasks within the property (e.g. routine monitoring in Dongonab Bay and on Mukkawar Island (State Party of Sudan, 2022) and the development of a code of conduct for diving operations (State Party of Sudan 2024)).