RAS
MOHAMMED NATIONAL PARK
INTRODUCTION
In 1983,
the Government of Egypt has taken an important step for nature conservation by
adopting the Law 102 on Protected Areas and by declaring Ras Mohammed Protected
Area under this law as the first protected area of Egypt. Since this date,
numerous sites have been declared as protected area reaching 21 sites and about
8.5% of the country in 2002. The objective is to cover all the different
ecosystems and main natural resources by 2017 with about 15% of the country.
In 1989,
the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt was becoming increasingly aware
that environmental matters are crucial to a sustained rational development programme
in all economic sectors. With respect to the tourism sector the Government has
emphasized that a long term tourism expansion programme capable of generating
much needed foreign exchange cannot take place without considering the
environmental implications of that expansion and ensuring that there is also
a parallel and regulating resource conservation and management programme.
It is with
this view that the Government approached the European Community seeking assistance
to develop the Ras Mohammed Protected Area into a National Park. A programme
was set up and agreed upon for two years and was due to end in June 1991.
The main
result was an evaluation of the protected area and of the present and potential
damages with an increasing tourism pressure. The result was the extension of
the boundaries on land and at sea and the change in the status to declare Ras
Mohammed as the first National Park of Egypt.
Based on
the results of the first programme, a second one was set up from 1991 to 1996
in order to consolidate and expand the agreed policy in particular by selecting
and training staff for the management. The Ras Mohammed National Park was now
considered as a reference for Egypt for protected area declaration and
management. This period has seen the extension of the protection to Nabq and
Abu Galum in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba, covering the marine
environment up to Taba (260 km of coastline). This project aimed at showing
that it was better for protected areas to be connected in a network and that
development zones have to be very strictly environmentally controlled.
From 1996
to 2001 (with an extension up to end 2002), two projects were running in
parallel, one for Ras Mohammed, Nabq, Abu Galum and Taba and one for Saint
Katherine protected area. At the same time, assistance was given at the central
level for the Nature Conservation Sector. These projects aimed at reinforcing
the existing balance between environment and development by surrounding
development zones by protected areas in order to increase the mutual benefit of
the strict control. This allows a long-term protection of natural resources and
a long-term social and cultural benefit based on tourism and related
employment.
These
projects aimed to develop the Ras Mohammed National Park as a model for other
parks in Egypt and to show that protected areas are a benefit to tourism and
that both are dependent on each other.
During the
period from 1989 to 2002, the pressure is growing. The number of visitors to
Ras Mohammed National Park by land has increased from 500 to about 150,000. The
number of rooms in hotels in Sharm El Sheikh has increased from 50 to about
25,000 and the number of employment for Egyptian from 100 to more than 50,000.
The future expansion of the city facilities has been planned and could be
completed in the next two to three years. It will bring the number of room to
around 30,000 and the number of employment to 60,000.
You are one
of the visitors. When visiting, please respect the regulations. If you wish to
receive more information, please stop by the visitor centre or ask the rangers
you will meet during their patrolling or monitoring activities.
Take
nothing with you, leave nothing behind
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