Presented in the workshop of "the impact of New Suez Canal" held at the Suez Canal University, Ismailia in 24th of Nov. 2014.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE
NEW SUEZ CANAL, BETWEEN
SCIENTIFIC FACTS AND POLITICAL
PROPAGANDA
Prof. Mahmoud Hassan Hanafy
Marine Science Dept., Faculty of Science

3. HAARETZ
OCT. 21. 2014
Scientists: Suez Canal project 'ominous'
news for the Mediterranean Sea
Central worry is foreign species invading from the Red Sea.
By Zafrir Rinat 10:21 06.10.14
A group of 18 scientists specializing in marine ecosystems have published a warning abou the
ecological consequences of the Egyptian government’s plan to expand the Suez Canal by building a
new, larger and deeper waterway parallel to the present one. The scientists last week called it
“ominous news,” saying the project “is sure to have a diverse range of effects, at local and
regional...

9. Impact of invasive species
 Environmental impact
 Socio-economical impact

10. Red Sea, as a Case Study
Conservation is a MUST
for the national economy

11. Why the Egyptian Red Sea?
 Limited but valuable living resources:
Low fertility (oligotrophic)

12. Limited coral reefs
 Not more than 300 sq. km
Fringing reefs

13. Mangrove
 26 stands of mangrove; Estimated total areas = 550 hectares
Rhizophora mucronata Avicenia marina

14. Sea grasses
 Limited to shallow water

15. Highly valuable for
national economy
Examples

16. Coral reefs value
 3-3.5 million divers
 Estimated value for coral sq. m = $300/year

17. Value of coral reef fishes
 Represents 30% of reefs beauty (i.e. $90/year)

18. Value of sharks
 Low abundance but
highly valuable
 Estimated value at
Brother = $200,000 / year

19. Dolphin (Dolphin House),
successful story
 Value $91,000/single individual
 Creates more than 600 jobs (i.e. 15 jobs/individual dolphin)

20. Dugong at Abu Dabab
 Single individual Value $1,800,000/year

21. Is the species invasion localized,
regional or global pattern?

22. Pattern of invasive species
Methods of the species invasion in the
marine environment:
 Shipping (fouling and ballast waters
 Climate change (Global warming)
 Man-made (Trades, Canals, Dams .. etc)

23. Ship hulls (fouling)

24. Ballast water

25. Climate change- sea surface temperature

27. Climate change – Great lakes

28. Invertebrates in ships’ ballast tanks on the
Great Lakes
18000 All Species Risky Species
14000
10000
Pre-regulation
Post-regulation
Invertebrate Density Mean
+ S.E. individuals.m-3)
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
4000
2000
0
Ballast water exchange reduces density and diversity of species capable of
colonizing the Great Lakes, and no new invasions have been reported
Bailey et al. (2011) Environmental Science and Technology

29. Man-introducing
invasive species

30. Man-introduction of water hyacinth to Egypt
 Water loss
 Fresh water canals blockage
 Rise the cost of canal system maintenance

31. More common fishes introduced to
aquaculture in Egypt

32. Factors controlling migration through
Suez Canal
 Shipping (fouling and ballast waters)
 Climate change
 Rising of salinity level in the Mediterranean
sea (Aswan high dam)
 Bitter lakes system

33. Bitter lakes as a Barrier
After 1869 Before 1869

34. Invasion sequence into the Suez Canal system
Very small numbers of euryhaline spp. Examples C.
edule, m. variables, Sphaeroma serratum, few fish species
Molluscan community completed
Main vegetation community established, dominated
Echinodermata and Decapoda populated
1967-1971
1st stage
1869-1902
Tillier, 1902
2nd stage
Keller, 1895
3rd stage
Cambridge
Expedition,
1924
Biota stable & Bitter lakes are barrier for more migration (Por, 1973)

35. Are the Bitter Lakes
stable/barrier or not ?
Hanafy,
1992.
Stated that
The increasing human activities in/and around the
Bitter lakes (i.e shipping, discharging the agriculture
drainage water, urbanization on the western side of the
lakes & dredging and enlarging the channels within
the lakes)
In addition to the climate change, and shipping, salinity levels in Bitter
lakes and Eastern Mediterranean are main limiting factors for the future
invasion rate

36. Salinity in the Bitter lakes as a BARRIER
60-64 (max. 68ppt) 1871-1872
53.3 ppt 1924-1925 (Fox 1929)
44.4-47.5 ppt
1934 (Compagnie du canal Maritime)
44.0-48.0 ppt
1953-1955 (Morcos 1960)
42.0-48.5 ppt
1964-1967 (Morcos & Messieh
1970)
39.6-40.7 ppt
(Hamid et al., 2012)
2012

37. Impact of the Nile flooding on the Eastern Mediterranean
After
•Aswan High Dam (after 1964)
• Cessation of freshwater
discharge and sediments
loading
• Eroded shore
• Rising salinity in the Eastern
Mediterranean
Before
•Aswan High Dam
•(Before, 1964)
•Input of:
•60-180 million tons of sediments
•16-64 billion m3 of freshwater

40. Pattern is very similar to other aquatic ecosystems
Mediterranean Sea
(non-cumulative number)
San Francisco Bay (cumulative number) Mediterranean Sea (non-cumulative number)
<1900 1940 1980 >2000
canal ships aquaculture
canals and ships
Galil (2011) in Encyclopedia of
Biological Invasions
100
80
60
40
20

42. The number of ecologically or economically problematic
imported species in the most affected marine regions of
Europe.

43. Species invasion in Hawaii
Prior to human settlement 1 per 3000 yr (i.e 0.00003/yr)
After human settlement 1 per 50 yrs (i.e 0.5/yr)
Recently (during the past century) 1 every 3 weeks (i.e 20 / yr)
Loope et al (1988)

45. Annual rates of increase in the establishment of alien mammals (data
from Genovesiet al. 2009), invertebrates (data from Roques et al. 2009) and
plants (data from Pyšek et al. 2009) in Europe since 1500 ad.

46. Cumulative number of alien species established in
terrestrial environment in 11 European countries

47. Examples of the invasive rate
other areas

49. Current limitations to invasion through
Suez Canal
In conclusion: (in addition to the climate change)
Salinity in the Bitter Lakes
Salinity in the Eastern Mediterranean
Toleration of invaders to adept to the canal system
environment
Therefore:
Invasion pattern is not influenced by water
volume or current speed

50. Suez canal:
Length 193 km;
Width 210m;
Depth 24m
Water volume = 972.72 million m3
Canal Branches
Total lengths 80 km
Water volume 403.2 million m3
Temsah lake
Area 1900 acre
Average depth 10m
Water volume 90 million m3
Bitter lake
Great Bitter lake:
Area 193 km2
Little Bitter Lake
Area 40 km2
Average depth 8.29m
Water volume 1.932 billion m3
Current total volume:
almost 3.4 billion m3
New Canal
Length 35km
Width 210m
Depth 25m
Total water
volume 183.7
million m3
Ratio to total
volume 5.4%

51. Scientific facts
 Species invasion is a global pattern, climate change
plays the main role in this process
 Recently the invasion rate through Suez Canal is
increased similar to the global trend
 Rising of salinity in the Eastern Mediterranean and
decreasing of salinity in the Bitter Lakes may
increase the invasion rate
 Doubling impact due to the New Suez Canal is just
a political/media propaganda rather than scientific
findings

52. Not a scientific
publication
Propaganda
rather than
science
350 spp via
Suez Canal,
what about
the another
350 spp ?
Not true

53. Suez Canal is
opened in 1869,
before any of these
convention and
agreements, as
global/nations
need. CBD (1992)
Ratified 1994)
Immediate
notification and
actions to
prevent/minimize;
See the
recommendations
below

54. Objectives: (started 1976)
to assess and control marine
pollution
to ensure sustainable management of
natural marine and coastal resources;
to integrate the environment in
social and economic development;
to protect the marine environment
and coastal zones through
prevention and reduction of
pollution, and as far as possible,
elimination of pollution, whether
land or sea-based;
to protect the natural and cultural
heritage;
to strengthen solidarity among
Mediterranean coastal States;
to contribute to improvement of the
quality of life.

55. Bias statement
, after more
than 150 yrs

56. Not meet
with the
national
sovereignty
& liability
Political
propaganda

57. NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER
Under the Ships in the Suez Canal
By JULI BERWALDNOV. 12, 2014

58. It is questionable, why this jelly fish does not
problematic in the Red Sea or even Bitter Lakes ?

60. Needed
Clear
political
propagan
da

61. Recommendations
 Prepare an strategic Environmental Impact Assessment for the
national project of the New Suez Canal. It is recommended to be
prepared by Suez canal university experts and the cost to be covered
by the Suez Canal Authority
 Establish a monitoring center/environmental center on the Bitter
Lakes in cooperation between Suez Canal university and the Suez
Canal Authority (Suez Canal Research Center)
 Prepare for technical workshop/brainstorm meeting under the
umbrella of the Suez Canal University and Authority to discuss the
approaches and objectives of such center
 Investigate the anti-CBD activities carrying out by Israel and
highlight these activities in the international and obligation
meetings such as introducing of sea bream to the Gulf of Aqaba
(Mediterranean species) and the project of Gulf of Aqaba-Dead Sea
canal.
 Declare Bitter lakes as zero-discharge area

62. Thank you
very much