Egypt's Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, held a meeting with Princess Alia bint Al Hussein of Jordan and Ahmed Al Ansari, Governor of Fayoum, via video conference to review the latest developments in environmental investment in nature reserves and prepare for the implementation of the "Safe Haven" project in Fayoum. The meeting discussed the latest amendments that have been added to the project in recent months, in terms of the volume of water consumption required for the project, the environmental impact assessment study, and its vegetation cover plan, in addition to the feasibility study and financial model for the project.
The project coordinators explained that the master plan includes the water needs of the artificial lakes that will be implemented, the needs of agriculture and regular uses, the number of trees that will be planted in the project, especially in the first three years, how to reduce water consumption, and the possibility of using agricultural drainage water for any future expansions, including the first phase plan on an area of one thousand hectares, including the infrastructure and sites of animals, whether predatory or herbivorous while benefiting from the Jordanian experience in this field.
During the meeting, the Minister of Environment stressed Egypt's keenness to implement this project, which began more than a year ago, which achieves a new type of biodiversity conservation in Egypt, social solidarity, and new job opportunities for the local community. It also provides a different type of ecotourism, so the "Safe Haven" is an integrated project that serves the goals of the Egyptian state in protecting endangered animals.
Fouad explained that the project was the first step in supporting Egyptian-Jordanian cooperation in environmental investment and nature protection. It comes within the tireless efforts to promote all promising investment opportunities in Fayoum.
Moreover, the Minister of Environment pointed out the need to ensure the clarity and integration of the project's financing model, especially after what has been accomplished in the technical part of the project and the master plan, and the need to work in the coming period to complete the financial aspect of the project so that we can start implementation at the beginning of 2025.
Al-Ansari confirmed that the "Safe Haven" project, which is planned to be implemented on an area of two thousand acres in the Wadi El Rayan Reserve, will contribute to enhancing economic and tourism development opportunities in the governorate, promoting the local community, and providing job opportunities for the people of Fayoum.
He added that serious steps have been taken in this regard, expressing the importance of the project and its economic development impact, while stressing at the same time the governorate's readiness to provide the necessary support and overcome all obstacles to the implementation of the project.
Princess Alia bint Al Hussein praised the cooperation with the Egyptian side in implementing this project, which will put Egypt on the roadmap for leadership in dealing with endangered animals. "We look forward to studying the mechanisms for achieving the sustainability of the project, determining the expected returns from it, and developing a clear vision on financing the project and its sustainability by attracting a group of sponsors and investors to partner in implementing the project," she said.
