In Egypt's Wadi al-Gemal, where swimmers share a glistening bay with sea turtles, a shadowy tourism deal is threatening one of the Red Sea's last wild shores.

Off Ras Hankorab, the endangered green turtles weave between coral gardens that marine biologists call among the most resilient to climate change in the world.

By night in nesting season, they crawl ashore under the Milky Way's glow, undisturbed by artificial lights.

So when excavators rolled onto the sand in March, reserve staff and conservationists sounded the alarm.

Thousands signed a petition to "Save Hankorab" after discovering a contract between an unnamed government entity and an investment company to build a resort.

The environment ministry -- which has jurisdiction over the park -- protested, construction was halted and the machinery quietly removed.

But months later, parliamentary requests for details have gone unanswered, and insiders say the plans remain alive.

"Only certain kinds of........

© Al Monitor