Nabq lies close to the southern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, where the gulf is narrowest. It is the second of the five protected areas of South Sinai and is of importance because it is where one of the most northerly stands of Mangrove, Avicennia marina, in the world is located. Inland from the mangroves the desert is well vegetated and supports a small number of Dorcas Gazelle, Gazella dorcas.
Although the mangroves here are at the very edge of their ecological requirements, it does not detract from their importance to the coastal fauna of the region. Associated with these trees is a wide diversity of marine life including commercially important species of shrimps and fish. Many other forms of marine life live and breed among the root systems of the mangroves. At the same time the crowns of the trees form nesting and feeding habitat for shore birds such as Striated Heron, Ardeola striata, Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, and Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia. The Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, also nests on these trees.
The local community plays an active part in the running of the protected area and contributes greatly to its viability.