A large portion of Egypt’s total area, 15 percent, is constituted of some 30 natural reserves, according to Advisor to the Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Mostafa Fouda.
Fouda said that the Natural Reserves Department is preparing legislation that allows it to be sovereign and independent from the Environmental Affairs Authority. “We want to be an executive and not just a coordinating body,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He added that natural reserves are spread over 150,000 square kilometers. “We need 6,000 workers and modern technology to maintain this wealth,” he noted.
“Those reserves are not just heritage,” he said. “They are important geological sites.”
“Lake Brolos and Wadi Rayan have enormous fish wealth,” he said.
He said ministries are not coordinating to maintain sustainable development for the reserves. “The Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Environment must work together because those reserves are a tourist attraction,” he said.
Edited translation from MENA
