Nature reserves in Siwa and New Valley officially decreed

Egypt's Prime Minister Atef Ebeid decreed that the nature reserves in Siwa, Marsa Matrouh Governorate, besides the New Valley be officially established.

Minister of Local Development Moustafa Abdel Kader said last week that the minister of environment and the governors of Marsa Matrouh and the New Valley are cooperating in the implementation of the decrees and defining the activities of the two reserves.

"The decrees aim at exploiting Egypt’s potential natural resources for the present and the future," Abdel Kader said, adding that the two governorates will prohibit activities that might be harmful to the environment in the vicinity of the reserves.

"The local development ministry will follow up with the authorities concerned both the social and economic development of the Siwa oasis, while preserving its natural beauty and ancient heritage in the region," Abdel-Kader said.

State Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mamdouh Riyad emphasized the need to consider the environment before embarking on any projects and stressed that all industrial and tourist projects must be subject to environmental feasibility studies before being licensed.

A map of nature reserves in Egypt is being drawn up and will include regions that amount to 15 per cent of Egypt’s total areas that need protection, Riyad said in a speech at a seminar entitled "Youth and Environment" recently held in Alexandria.