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

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Exploring the Rich Biodiversity of Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park

The Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, offers a unique opportunity to explore the rich biodiversity of the Red Sea. This protected area consists of two distinct regions, each offering a different yet equally captivating underwater experience.

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The property consists of two separate areas: Sanganeb is an isolated, coral reef structure in the central Red Sea and the only atoll, 25 km off the shoreline of Sudan. The second component of the property is made up of Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island, situated 125 km north of Port Sudan. It includes a highly diverse system of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches and islets. The site provides a habitat for populations of seabirds, marine mammals, fish, sharks, turtles and manta rays. Dungonab Bay also has a globally significant population of dugongs. 

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (vii): Sanganeb is an isolated, atoll-shaped coral reef structure in the central Red Sea, 25 km off the shoreline of Sudan. Surrounded by 800 m deep water, the atoll-like coral reef systems are part of the northernmost coral reef systems in the world. Sanganeb is a largely pristine marine ecosystem providing some of the most impressive underwater vistas resulting from the very high diversity of physiographic zones and reefs characterized by an extraordinary structural complexity. Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island is situated 125 km north of Port Sudan and includes within its boundaries a highly diverse system of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches, intertidal areas, islands and islets. The clear visibility of the water, coral diversity, marine species, pristine habitats and colourful coral reef communities create a striking land- and seascape.

Criterion (ix): The property is located in an ecologically and globally outstanding region, the Red Sea, which is the world’s northernmost tropical sea, the warmest and most saline of the world´s seas, and is a Global 200 priority biogeographic region. The property is part of a larger transition area between northern and southern Red Sea biogeographic zones and contains diverse and mostly undisturbed habitats which are outstanding examples of the northernmost tropical coral reef system on earth. The property and its surrounding area include reef systems (13 different bio-physiographic reef zones in Sanganeb Marine National Park (SMNP)), the only atoll-like feature in the Red Sea, lagoons, islets, sand flats, seagrass beds, and mangrove habitats and display a diversity of reefs, from living reefs to ancient fossil reefs. These habitats are home to populations of seabirds (20 species), marine mammals (11 species), fish (300 species), corals (260 species), sharks, manta rays and marine turtles, and the site provides important feeding grounds for what is perhaps the most northerly population of endangered Dugong. SMNP is an important larvae source area and hosts spawning sites for commercial fish species.

Criterion (x): Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Marine National Park (DMNP) supports a globally significant dugong population, given that the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf host the last remaining healthy populations of this species in the Indian Ocean. The whale and manta ray seasonal aggregations in DMNP are unique to the entire Western Indian Ocean Region and the marine park is internationally recognized as an Important Bird Area for both resident and migratory birds. DMNP is also unique as a home to species from different biogeographic origins: both northern and southern Red Sea species. SMNP lies in a regional hotspot for reef fish endemism. The property supports a high level of representation of endemic species found in the Red Sea, including the richest diversity of coral west of India and a number of coral species which are at the limits of their global range.

Encyclopedia Record: Dungonab Bay

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IUCN World Heritage Outlook

The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park reports the following assessment:

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment