Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad has outlined the national strategy to develop and protect the country’s nature reserves.
Fouad said that her ministry is providing support for ecological tourism in Egypt’s protected areas, as they have been one of the most important features of environmental work in the country during the previous period.
In a statement on Saturday, the minister said that its natural reserves are also one of the most important investment opportunities for Egypt. The Ministry of Environment is working on developing the country’s nature reserves by working on four parallel and interconnected pathways, according to Fouad.
These include the availability of basic infrastructure in the reserves, to ensure their natural resources are protected, and to ensure their sustainability. A total of 13 natural reserves have recently seen development work, through the implementation of 10 projects which aimed to raise the efficiency of infrastructure particularly in the South Sinai and Wadi Al-Rayyan reserves.
Moreover, the Ministry of Environment has also implemented the first phase in raising the efficiency of the infrastructure in the Saluga and Ghazal reserves in Aswan.
The second pathway relies on developing legislation and regulations guaranteeing the protection of natural resources and the sustainability of the reserves’ financial systems. This will take place through the issuance of Resolution 202, concerning the regulation of human uses of marine activities.
Fouad highlighted the importance of integrating the local communities, as one of the most important axes for developing natural reserves. As part of this, programmes have been implemented to develop local crafts, while preserving the cultural and environmental heritages of the communities. This has led to a 400% increase in the income of local communities over the past two years.
The minister also noted that the fourth axis will see investments offered to the private sector, which will be able to invest in the natural reserves.
