In view of the significant contributions of coral reefs to the productivity of the coastal waters at Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, the Egyptian government declared three protected areas, during the period 1983-1992 namely Ras Mohammed, Nabq and Abu Galoum. Through a project aiming to study the species biodiversity in these reserves, the structure of coral community has been investigated to determine the effect of human activities and other destructive factors on its
diversity. Line transects and Reefwatch methods were used to survey the community structure of corals in 11 sites, inside the three reserves. 71 hermatypic coral species have heen recorded during this study, in the three reserves. Ras Mohammed Park reef has the highest diversity, especially in closed areas, where all forms of fishing, diving or snorkelling
were banned since 1992, Abu Galoum comes next, then Nabq reserve.In conclusion, marine reserves can protect biodiversitv and provide areas in a natural balance free from direct human disturbance and provide an insurance policy against communities collapse.