Nature in Eritrea

Eritrea's natural geography changes over short distances. The Danakil Depression lies about 100 metres below sea level. The Eastern Lowlands and Red Sea coastal plain lead to the Eastern Escarpment and the Highland-Plateau, where elevations commonly reach 2,000 to 2,400 metres and Emba Soira rises to 3,018 metres. The Western Lowlands, the Gash, Barka, Anseba and Setit river systems, the Dahlak Archipelago and the Buri-Irrori-Hawakil coastal area add riverine, island, mangrove, coral and seagrass habitats. Eritrea has a hot and generally arid climate. Average annual rainfall is about 380 millimetres, with less than 50 millimetres along parts of the coast and more than 1,000 millimetres on sections of the Eastern Escarpment. More than 90 percent of the country receives less than 450 millimetres annually. High potential evaporation creates a persistent water deficit. Heavy rain can still produce flash floods, while drought, heat, storms, desertification and wildfire affect ecosystems and livelihoods. Bush and shrubland cover about 53,400 square kilometres, or 42.4 percent of the recorded land-cover baseline. Grassland covers about 25,700 square kilometres, open woodland about 11,200, agriculture about 7,700, closed woodland about 4,600 and riverine forest about 1,900. Mangroves account for about 100 square kilometres, while barren land covers about 18,700. These figures are based mainly on 1997 and 2008 data, so current changes cannot be measured reliably across all areas. Priority habitats include the Juniperus and Olea forests of Semienawi-Debubawi Bahri, the Gash-Setit riverine and elephant corridor, the Buri Peninsula, the Irrori-Hawakil coastal and island system, the Berasole estuary, Dahlak marine habitats and community-managed closures. Eritrea's biodiversity includes the African wild ass in the Danakil area, Gash-Setit elephants, Olea africana and Juniperus procera. Marine wildlife includes turtles, dugongs, sharks, whales, dolphins, corals, mangroves, seagrass, seaweed and migratory or nesting birds. Five sea-turtle species occur in the evidence base, including species classified as endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable. A marine inventory recorded 1,367 species, although many taxa remain unevaluated. The main pressures are habitat loss and fragmentation, deforestation for fuelwood, charcoal and timber, overgrazing, agricultural expansion, settlement, infrastructure and mining. Marine pressures include overfishing, illegal fishing, trawling, sea-cucumber and shark exploitation, mangrove cutting and grazing, plastic, oil, sewage and agricultural runoff. Invasive species and disease add further risks. Ocean warming, acidification and sea-level rise affect coastal ecosystems, and the 2023 heatwave was linked to extensive coral bleaching and mortality. Eritrea has no fully operational national protected-area system evidenced in the Updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2026-2030. Directive MLWE/02/2023 assigns protected-area responsibilities. Directive-based or de facto areas include Semienawi-Debubawi Bahri at about 110,000 hectares, the Gash-Setit Elephant Sanctuary at about 44,270 hectares and the Buri-Irrori-Hawakil marine and coastal area at about 154,000 hectares. Community-managed closures cover about 244,000 hectares, and eight further proposals cover about 391,972 hectares. The national ambition is to protect 10 percent of land and territorial waters by 2030, but planned areas are not the same as gazetted and fully managed areas. The Department of Environment under the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment coordinates biodiversity policy, environmental impact assessment and international biodiversity commitments. The Ministry of Agriculture handles forests, agrobiodiversity, genetic conservation, desertification and relevant wildlife-trade conventions. The Forestry and Wildlife Authority manages terrestrial forests, wildlife, permits and terrestrial protected areas. The Ministry of Marine Resources manages marine, coastal and island biodiversity and fisheries. Zoba, Sub-Zoba and Kebabi authorities, communities, research institutions and training bodies also contribute to implementation. Communities are recognized as custodians and beneficiaries, with customary knowledge, local closures and monitoring forming part of conservation practice. People use natural resources through pastoralism, agropastoralism, rain-fed farming, fisheries, fuelwood, charcoal, non-wood forest products and wild vegetables. Collection, transport, import, export and harvesting of forest or wildlife products require permits under Proclamation 155/2006 and Legal Notices 111-112/2006. Fisheries rules provide for licences, closed seasons and areas, gear restrictions and bans affecting endangered or protected species. No reliable national price schedule for nature-entry or resource permits was found, and access rules, infrastructure and fees vary by site and local practice. Nature-linked activities include coastal swimming, snorkeling, diving, boating, sailing, hiking and bird or wildlife observation, especially around the Dahlak and Red Sea areas, Semienawi-Bahri and Buri-Irrori-Hawakil. Tourism development must remain subordinate to habitat and species safeguards. Livestock encroachment in Gash-Setit, competition between wildlife, livestock and people in the Danakil area, settlement, grazing and drought can produce human-wildlife conflict. A universal compensation or benefit-sharing system is not evidenced; community conflict-resolution measures and a protected-area benefit-sharing mechanism are planned for 2027-2030. Biodiversity awareness campaigns, ranger and wildlife-scout training, extension work and the integration of scientific and traditional knowledge are planned, but limited taxonomy, monitoring and institutional capacity remain substantial gaps.