Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

‘IUCN Green List’ Recognizes Two Egyptian Valleys as Reserves


Wed 28 Nov 2018 | 08:49 PM
Norhan Mahmoud

By: Nour El-Hoda Foad

CAIRO, Nov. 28 (SEE)- The team of the Egyptian Ministry of Environment has succeeded in listing ‘Ras Mohamed’ and ‘Wadi Al-Hitan’ reserves in the IUCN Green List during the United Nations Conference on Biopersity in Sharm El Sheikh.

Theses two Valleys along 15 new sites in France, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru and the United Arab Emirates have been granted international certificates to carry out various activities. Although the total number of listed reserves are 40,  there are 70 other candidates awaiting to meet the standards.

Since being set up in 2015, the Federation requires several criteria for granting such certificates to ensure the ways of protecting nature and preserving it. The most important criteria is to assure that the handlers are capable of strictly managing the site in order to be granted further rewards and incentives.

The inclusion of ‘Wadi Al-Hitan’ valley has gifted the site an opportunity to settle after years of conflicts due to the absence of security post the 25th of January revolution as it was difficult to secure the 1795 km. One day, for example, a diplomat break into the site with his four-wheel drive that resulted in the breakage of the vertebrae of one of the giant whales.

Furthermore, the officials had to stop the peasants who seized pieces of land for the purpose of agriculture. Actually, the seizure of rocky monastery in the ‘Valley of Rayan’ by one monk in which the church evicted the monastery for being a dangerous area was another major mess.

The issue has been recently resolved through the reconciliation of both parties after the conclusion of an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment to legalize the practice of ecclesiastical activities in the area and to pay annual royalties.

Internally, ‘Wadi Al-Hitan’ Valley is an open museum that embraces a number of skeletons of giant whales with hands before the evolution of the organism in which the hands developed into fins. It also includes marine fossils that date back more than 50 million years, specifically to the Middle Eocene era, that formed the bottom of the sea at the time.

Ayman Al-Wahi, Manager of ‘Wadi Al-Hitan,’ explained that visitors can sense the extent of excellence of this region, even through the land, in-which the sand is mixed with small discs, the size of coins, that belong to an an exquisite and spiral clamshell creature that was transformed by  time into the so-called ‘Lemonataid.’

“The reflected sunlight that illuminates caves inside the phosphorus mountains is another scenery that feasts the eye in the valley,” added Al-Wahi.

He noted that the ‘Wadi Al-Hitan’ is close to ‘Al-Rayyan’ Valley, its famous waterfalls and lakes, ‘Al-Madura’ Mountain and ‘Al-Rayyan’ Mountain. These are popular tourist attractions for Egyptians and tourists as various camping, sport, entertainment and are astronomy observation events are organized there.

Recently, the attractions have been renovated through establishing a walkway next to the waterfalls, shops to serve visitors and public toilets.