Wildlife awareness needed for Gulf Arab tourists

      
    
 
Yomna Kamel Middle East Times staff

 
THE OSPREY IS A FISH EATING FALCON
 An increase in the number of violations of wildlife protection laws committed by Gulf Arab tourists in the southern Sinai and Red Sea mountains reveals a lack of awareness on their part of the importance of Egypt's natural treasures.

Most violations of environment rules are committed by Gulf Arab tourists who are not aware that most of the southern Sinai and Red Sea are natural protectorates. Unlike in the past when Cairo was their favorite tourist destination, these Gulf Arabs currently like to stay in the Sinai and Red Sea coastal areas. More violations have been recorded as their numbers have increased in the area.

Although their more frequent visits are a boost to the area's economy, environment experts are not happy with what they are doing to the fragile wildlife.

Hunting is one of the favored activities for Gulf Arab tourists who often use dogs and falcons to hunt down animals. After their countries issued laws protecting their own wildlife, they started heading to Egypt to carry out the same activities unaware that similar laws exist here says Lieutenant Omar Hassan, head of the Southern Sinai Protectorates Unit.

"From time to time we catch Arab tourists entering the country with hunting equipment," he says. "At the Port of Nuweiba, we stopped an emir [Arab prince] with hunting dogs and falcons and convinced him that hunting is an illegal activity here just as it is in his country."

The Egyptian press recently reported that many Gulf Arab tourists were arrested for hunting dear and mountain dwelling rabbits. These latest incidents brings the number to 36 violations over the past several years. Most of these have taken place in the Red Sea mountains near Marsa Allam, Al Qussair and the Hamama resorts.

There are 54 rangers appointed by the Environmental Affairs Agency who are joined by 12 Bedouin guards in the area whose job it is to monitor the South Sinai protectorates and hand out fines to those who commit

violations.

Hassan says that fines range from E£500 to E£10,000 along with the possibility of spending up to a year in jail. In addition to this, the violator is forced by law to compensate for the damage caused. Sometimes the damage might reach millions of dollars.

"Although rangers help in implementing the law, having five natural protectorates on an area of 11,000 kilometers in Southern Sinai makes it essential for the public and NGOs to work with the ministry," he says. "The problem is more complicated in the Red Sea protectorates which is a vast area that extends to the Sudanese borders and includes 22 islands."

The southern Sinai and Red Sea islands and mountains are homes for dozens of birds like the osprey, white-eyed gulls, spoonbills and the reef heron as well as migratory birds that visit the area twice a year on their voyages to or from Africa, Europe or Asia. These areas are also home to rare animals like the desert fox and the Nubian Ibex.

According to Hassan, the best way to protect these natural treasures is to develop people's sense of environmental awareness and make them feel that natural protectorates belong to them and their children who are the keys to protecting the future.

Currently, though, Hassan blames the media and NGOs for the lack of environmental awareness.

"While it is difficult to educate people of other countries through international agreements, it is much easier for NGOs to do so. We have some common training programs with Arab countries like Yemen and Jordan, but still there is a need for more cooperation," he says.

As one of the more active organizations in environment protection, the Arab Union for Environment and Development has already taken some steps to enhance cooperation among Arab states in environmental affairs.

The union held a conference several months back for 26 environmentalists from 18 Arab countries to discuss aspects of cooperation among Arab countries.

Union director Magdy Allam agrees with Hassan that awareness is the task of environmental organizations and volunteer groups.

"We encourage young people to work as observers in the area and report any violations to guards working in the protectorates. Also, there are volunteers who follow migratory birds and put signs at the sites they roost in," he says.

However, Allam still believes it is not enough to merely increase the number of signs in order to protect the wildlife.

"There is a need for an Arab and international dialogue to make Arab tourists more aware of the issue," he says.