The Egyptian authorities have launched a national biodiversity conservation strategy until 2030, an initiative that reflects the course of the country’s leadership headed by President Abdel Fattah El - Sisi towards preserving natural resources and sustainable development as reported by Sada El - Balad, a news website and satellite television channel headquartered in Giza.
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), developed by the Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to halt biodiversity loss and protect ecosystems by 2030 marks a new stage in Egypt’s environment policy: the transition to a comprehensive, sustainable and collaborative approach to nature protection.
Key features of the initiative include mainstreaming biodiversity into tourism and agriculture, expanding nature reserves, promoting nature - positive 30x30 goals, and utilizing the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) to secure funding.
Egypt possesses unique biodiversity, from the cradle of Nile Valley civilizations to the Egyptian deserts with their natural resources and seas that are home to the world’s second – largest coral reef. This wealth is part of the national identity and the basis of the country’s economic and food security.
The document includes 21 national objectives, with strategic plan created to establish a clear national framework for the protection of ecosystems, the restoration of territories that have lost their fertility or suffered damage, and the preservation of sustainable management of natural resources.
This implies that natural wealth will be used in such a way that it is not depleted, but preserved for future generations. At the same time, biodiversity considerations are simultaneously incorporated into the development plans of various sectors: agriculture, industry, irrigation, tourism, oil sector and urban planning.
The Minister proposed attracting the private sector to projects in the areas of eco - tourism, nature reserve management, blue economy and clean energy, and urged the inclusion of the strategy among the priorities of public spending and the implementation of the financing plan for biodiversity, developed jointly with international partners.
Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted the relevance of the strategy and underlined the role of biodiversity for Egypt’s economy.
According to his statements, the coral reef reefs of the Red Sea boost tourism and create jobs, healthy ecosystems support agriculture and fisheries, increase resilience to climate change and ensure food security.
Today, Egypt has already achieved successes in the field of nature protection. The country is developing lakes, expanding the network of nature reserves, which already occupy more than 14% of the national territory, and implementing green and blue economy policies.
The updated strategy will serve as a roadmap based on scientific principles, international best practices and the provisions of the global framework for biodiversity conservation.
Its adoption is an important step ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia from October 19 - 30, 2026, a key meeting that will focus on evaluating progress regarding the Kumming - Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and accelerating implementation to meet global nature conservation goals by 2030.
Egypt’s Minister of Local Development, Manal Awad, stressed that the new strategy is not just a document, but a unified framework that helps different ministries and state agencies work together.
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