The Site is a Red Sea coral archipelago located about 40 kilometres offshore, comprising over 170 islands, islets and rocky outcrops with a total area of over 10,600 hectares. It includes a diverse mosaic of habitats such as fringing and patch coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mudflats, extensive mangrove forests dominated by Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata, and inland acacia-commiphora bushland. These interconnected ecosystems support high biodiversity, including important breeding colonies of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). Raptors such as the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the vulnerable sooty falcon (Falco concolor) also breed in the archipelago. The rhizophora mangroves host one of the region’s largest colonies of pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens). Managed by the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), the Site is also home to small local communities and coastguard stations, creating a unique protected area where biodiversity conservation is carried out alongside sustainable communities.