Saving Wadi Degla

Four Egyptian graduates have launched a campaign to save the nature preserve of Wadi Degla near the Maadi suburb.

“I just pointed out the problems of building factories within or near the designated protectorate and the students did the rest,” said Andrew Main, former biology chair of the American University in Cairo about the four AUC graduates; Hala Mohie, Sara El Sayed, Magda Nassef and Philip Andrasevic.

Wadi Degla is a nature preserve on the outskirts of Cairo with a rich source of limestone, granite and marble. The geology of the land dates back 50 million years and is home to many animal and plant species. The marble factories would take up 198 acres of the 30 km long, dry river bed in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Twenty of the factories are already in operation.

“The factories will create waste and pollution that would damage the peaceful valley,” Andrasevic said. The alumni have been attached to Wadi Degla since their days as students.

“We used to go there for biology labs, fieldtrips and trash clean-ups,” he said. “Wadi Degla is one of the most stunning places in Egypt, making it one of the most beautiful places in the world. And it’s right here in Cairo.”

El Sayed, an environmental scientist at Wadi Environmental Science Center, passionately outlines the groups’ goals. “We are not only saving the preserve, but also raising awareness about nature in Egypt,” she said.

The four are being assisted in their efforts by biology Professors Moshira Hassan and Suher Zada, and Writing Instructor Richard Hoath, who are contacting NGOs and the media to raise awareness about the preserve.

Professor Sharif El Musa of the political science department in the AUC is also using the group’s efforts as an example of how law affects sustainable development in his graduate environmental politics course.

“The ultimate purpose of this project is to come up with an action plan that could help avert such a tragedy,” El Musa said. “This obviously requires studying the characteristics of the site and the key players involved.”

The group is currently in the process of collecting data to assess the potential damage the marble factories pose to Wadi Degla in order to better inform the public about the importance of saving the natural park.