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Introduction

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6 views

Introduction

Uploaded by

aliluka4
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A Global Perspective on protected areas

Protected areas are a fundamental tool used worldwide for protecting natural
resources, creating a buffer and refuge against a rising tide of human impacts. The
first nature reserve in modern history is Yellowstone National Park in the United
States, established in 1872. Today, there are 114,000 protected areas around the
world in almost every country, covering nearly 12% of the world's land surface. In
addition to preserving outstanding examples of natural habitats and providing
refuges for endangered species of plants and animals, they also play an
increasingly important role in social and economic development.

NATURE CONSERVATION IN EGYPT


The Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (MSEA) and its executive arm, the
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) consider nature conservation
critical to the national environmental strategy. Egypt's strategic objective of
environmental policy is to integrate environ- mental concerns relevant to
managing natural resources into all national policies, development plans,
programs and projects. The medium-term objective is to preserve natural
resources, biological diversity and national heritage within the context of
sustainable development. The Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) of the EEAA is
responsible for nature conservation and management of Protected Areas. It is
entrusted with implementing policies, programs, studies and other actions that
ensure compliance with the nation's habitat and species protection legislation and
the nation's commitment to international conventions for the conservation of
nature.
In the 1970's, Dr. Mohamed Kassas, noted Egyptian ecologist, conservationist
and former President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), along with other local conservationists spearheaded efforts to pass
legislation for the creation of protected areas in Egypt. As a result of their efforts,
President Hosni Mubarak in 1983 signed Law 102 for Natural Protectorates,
providing a legal framework for setting aside tracts of land and bodies of water as
Protected Areas. This was followed in the same year by a decree declaring the
first Protected Area, Ras Muhammad National Park. Subsequent Prime Ministerial
Decrees were issued declaring additional Protected Areas, the most recent being
Wadi EI Gemal National Park, in 2003. Initially, the Egyptian Wildlife Service under
the Ministry of Agriculture was entrusted with managing Protected Areas. By Law
102/1983 the EEAA assumed the mandate for the development and management
of Protected Areas in Egypt. In the early 1990's, the European Union (EU) assisted
the EEAA in establishing the management of Ras Muhammad National Park. This
project acted as a catalyst for developing the national Protected Area Network.

LEGISLATION
Law 102 of 1983 provides the legislative framework for establishing and
managing protected areas in Egypt which are defined as, "any area of land or
coastal or inland water characterized by special flora, fauna and natural features
having cultural, scientific, tourism or aesthetic value." With growing awareness of
the importance of managing resource use to sustain development, as well as
awareness of rapid environmental degradation, increased attention was given to
environmental protection. The EEAA was restructured in 1992 and Law 4 of 1994
became the primary legislation for environmental management, creating the
Nature Conservation Sector for management of Egypt's Protected Areas. The
MSEA was established in 1997 and the EEAA brought under its umbrella.

PROTECTED AREAS IN EGYPT


In Egypt, as elsewhere, "brown issues such as pollution abatement and solid
waste manage ment have traditionally received higher priority than nature
conservation. However, in recent years the growing popularity of Egypt's
protected areas and awareness of their economic value, particularly for tourism,
have resulted in giving biodiversity conservation more prominence in the national
environment agenda.

Box 1: Milestones for protected area development in Egypt


1983 Passage of Law 102 concerning protected areas
1983 Declaration of the first Protected Area, Ras Muhammad National Park
1992 Establishment of the Nature Conservation Sector
1992 Egypt signed the Convention on Biodiversity, ratified in 1994
1993 Passage of Law 4 concerning environmental protection
1998 Adoption of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
1998 Formulation of the Protected Area System Plan
2001 Inclusion of all existing and proposed protected areas on the official GOE
Land Use Map issued by Presidential Decree
2002 First Protected Area management plan, for Wadi El Rayan
2002 First Egyptian International Conference on Protected Areas and Sustainable
Development, Sharm E Sheah
2003 Declaration of the 24 Protected Area, Wadi El Gemal National Rark
2005 Declaration of Wadi El Hitan as the first Natural World Heritage Site in Egypt

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