Loss of biodiversity threatens us all, explains Mahmoud Bakr The world around us is filled with thousands of kinds of living creatures. This diversity is one of the secrets of the natural environment we live in. Each has its own special function in the eco-system that helps to create the necessary balance between living creatures and the environment. Biodiversity ensures the continuation of life and is vital for our well-being. Protecting biodiversity is extremely important for the economy, recreation, culture and the environment. Biodiversity forms an unfathomable wealth that can be used in untold ways, including for recreation, as an inspiration for ethical teachings and psychological well-being, and as a source of creativity for artists, poets, and musicians. Humankind is connected to the world's rich biodiversity in immeasurable ways. It provides humankind with food products, fibres used in clothing, fur, leather, feathers, building materials, wood, dyes and medicines. Biological resources have formed the basis for human achievements, and most of the world's economy depends on them. Living microscopic organisms play a vital role in eco- systems and are often used to create medicines as well as in genetic engineering to create new materials. Biodiversity is also a source of enjoyment in tourism, which increasingly demands natural environments, and which provides an important source of income for their residents. Egypt is, relatively speaking, not very rich in biological diversity due to its arid desert climate. Other factors that threaten Egypt's biodiversity include destruction of its natural environment, pollution, and excessive exploitation of its natural resources. Yet despite this, and despite the thin and irregular plant cover, desert dwellers manage to find valuable natural resources that they use for fuel, as well as medicinal plants. Excessive harvesting of the latter, however, leads to the deterioration of biodiversity. The drying up of sections of the northern lakes has led to a decrease in the number of birds, both native and migratory. Law 102/1983, concerning natural reserves, was issued to regulate preservation of natural resources. There were 24 such reserves by 2003 occupying approximately 10 per cent of Egypt's land -- approximately 100 sq km. There is a plan to increase the number to cover 17 per cent of Egypt by 2017. This law was issued without direct input by scientists and experts, and at a time when the available financial resources were limited for research and determining scientifically which areas required protection. However, the idea of protecting natural resources and environmental processes in the eco-system was a healthy response to the population explosion and rapid technological development that have harmed the environment and drained its resources. It is time to update the original legislation taking into account work that has been done in the meantime. Field studies conducted in Egypt in the 1990s calculated the following numbers of various animals and plants in the country: 661 plant plankton, 980 animal plankton, 440 arachnids, 10,000 insects, 132 mammals, 91 reptiles, seven amphibians, 515 birds (15 of which are rare, 17 of which are endangered, and 12 now extinct), 272 corals, 793 fish (669 of which are vertebrate), 73 sponges, 552 jellyfish, and 2,672 types of wild plants (including 900 Mediterranean, 765 desert, 534 Nilotic, 527 Sinai, 335 oasis, 323 Western Desert plateau and 13 Red Sea types). Although land and water form important environmental, economic, and social resources for Egypt, and wild animals and plant growth provide incredibly important resources for desert dwellers, they are all subjected to human and natural factors that lead to their decrease and destruction. Maged George, minister of state for environmental affairs, says that his ministry organised a media campaign to raise awareness over the dangers of poisoned bullets used in the hunting of migratory water birds. This campaign was part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to protect global biodiversity and to heighten protection of migratory water birds and their flight paths. George also says that relevant countries were called on to replace the use of poisoned bullets with non-poisoned ones as quickly as possible, and to disseminate information about the importance of doing so. They were asked to develop educational programmes for hunters in cooperation with NGOs, and, subsequently, to devise laws and bylaws criminalising the use of poisoned bullets. George stresses the importance of not introducing inappropriate gene pools into birds' native habitats, and calling on relevant states and governments to cooperate and apply more stringent laws in prohibiting the introduction of non-native birds. He says that a strategic plan for 2009-2017 has been approved for the protection of various types of migratory water birds including the reclamation of their nesting areas, securing their flight paths, and awareness-raising about the birds, their flight paths and the dangers they are exposed to. This is in addition to raising awareness of their importance in alleviating poverty, and the importance of protecting them and supporting the Agreement on the Conservation of African- Eurasian Migratory Water Birds. In cooperation with the governorate of South Sinai, St Catherine protectorate's administration recently reported that four Nubian mountain goats had been killed. The hunters had used three unlicensed guns, and despite the difficulty of reaching the mountain site by foot, patrols persisted for three days until they caught the hunters, seized three of the killed mountain goats, and took legal measures. A committee was quickly formed to determine an initial fine of LE180,000. Mustafa Foda, head of the nature preservation department, says that it consistently monitors all kinds of endangered animals, especially the Nubian mountain goat. Last year, the St Catherine protectorate counted only 145 mountain goats, meaning that it is threatened with extinction. Foda says this means that punishments must be severe for those who hunt this animal. He also says that opening fire in the protectorate causes disturbances for the animals there just as it has negative ramifications for tourism, one of the most important income sources in the region. He says that in addition to hunting, it is threatened by global warming, climate change, and lack of sufficient rainfall and water in the mountains, factors that may lead to its disappearance, which would harm the eco-system it lives in. Foda says that it is registered internationally on the 2004 list of endangered species, which grants it international priority in protection programmes. Egypt has signed a number of international agreements for the protection of animals threatened with extinction, most importantly the Nubian mountain goat. Foda says that, in cooperation with the border police, the nature preservation departments in the Red Sea protectorates have also seized 23 endangered reptiles which were intended for sale to tourists. This occurred during routine inspection patrols to prevent trade in endangered animals. This patrol seized 21 endangered snakes, including the Egyptian cobra and the sand snake, in addition to two rare turtles. Their sale was a blatant violation of Law 4/1994 concerning protection of the environment, and legal measures were taken against the traders. George stresses the necessity of protecting invaluable biological wealth and regulating its use in scientific and academic research. In cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and other relevant agencies, the ministry has devised guidelines for the ideal ways of benefiting from biodiversity, in addition to a system for dealing with each biological type in a way that adheres to the environment law and international agreements to protect biodiversity. He says that the ministry consistently monitors plant and animal life in Egypt and has listed all Egyptian mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and butterflies with their characteristics and photographs in a printed volume and on the Internet via the biomap project. It did so in cooperation with the nature protection department and the network of natural protectorates throughout Egypt, of which there are now 27.
