Hundreds of seagulls soar above Lake Manzala in Al-Daqahliya, Egypt, as a small fishing boat operates near a rocky shore in the background. Reed grass (Phragmites) grows densely in the foreground, typical of the lake's wetland vegetation. Lake Manzala is one of Egypt's largest coastal lagoons, situated along the northeastern Nile Delta on the Mediterranean coast, and serves as a critical habitat for migratory and resident bird species as well as a traditional fishing ground for local communities who have depended on its waters for generations.