- The USAID cooperated with the Government of Egypt to implement the project of Sustainable Tourism and Economic Growth in the Red Sea. The project aimed at integrated ecological and social management of the southern Red Sea region, including environmental and social assessment, eco-tourism development, management of protected areas, community development and alternative livelihoods.
- The main aims of the project were:
- Engagement of local Red Sea residents equitably in the economic, social and cultural benefits generated by tourism.
- Enhancement of Egypt’s competitiveness in the fast growing international and cultural tourism market
- Protection, management, and sustainability of the natural/cultural assets for tourism and livelihoods within an integrated coastal zone management framework.
- Environics was subcontracted to provide several services within the scope of this project.
- Main Activities and Outputs:
- Surveying and assessing the baseline environmental, physical, social, cultural and economic conditions of the project area. Particular emphasis was made on the biological, social, and man-made environments. Several meetings and interviews were conducted with the local stakeholders to identify their concerns and needs.
- Compiling the relevant legislative and regulatory framework, which entailed investigating the rules and standards that organized the quality of environment, health, security, and protection of environmentally fragile areas and endangered species.
- Scoping and determining potential impacts during the construction and operation phases, which focused on the project’s most significant activities. The impacts on the physical, biological, and socio-economic aspects of the region were assessed. These aspects comprised air quality, water quality and drainage, land use, ecology, geology and soils, landscape effects, traffic, and nature conservation, particularly in Wadi El-Gemal Protectorate.
- Developing a master action plan for Wadi El-Gemal National Park (WGNP), which was designed to function within the overarching structure of policy, legal and regulatory instruments that apply to business activities and revenue generation.
- Tailoring a business plan for WGNP.
- Providing oversight and management to project construction activities.
- Building a user-friendly software for accessing Red Sea Protectorates (RSP) databases.
- Monitoring and maintaining the IT/MIS hardware and software systems at the Cairo and Hurghada offices of the project.