3 of 13 Zaranik Cultural poster.

This area is formed partly of a Ramsar site and partly of Zaranik Protected Area (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency). It is a topographically varied area of wetland, saltmarsh, sabkha and sand dunes inhabited largely by Bedouin tribespeople with a rich cultural heritage. Principal sources of livelihood include fishing, livestock raising, agriculture and salt extraction. During bird migrations there is extensive catching of Quail, Coturnix coturnix, and falcons.
On Lake Bardawil, an important local fishery, mostly of saltwater species such as Gilthead, Sparus auratus, and Mullet, Mugil spp., is suspended during spring for fish stocks to recover. However, water runoff from agriculture is causing the lake water to become increasingly brackish.
The cultural heritage and traditional way of life practised by the people of the area is under threat from coastal development for tourism and from cultural influences from the cities.