Minister of Local Development and Environment: Development of Wadi Snor Cave Reserve in Beni Suef due to its geological value

Cairo – Ahmed Sabri: Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Environment, met with Dr. Hany El-Shater, Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Office for West Asia, and Ahmed Rizk, Country Representative of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Egypt, to discuss cooperation in implementing the Ministry’s priorities in the development and conservation of protected areas, preserving biodiversity, and developing local communities.

Dr. Manal Awad discussed avenues for cooperation with UN-Habitat and the International Union for Conservation of Nature in implementing a pilot model for the development of a natural protected area using nature-based solutions. The Minister of Local Development and Environment also heard a presentation on the Regional Drought Initiative aimed at enhancing resilience to drought, restoring drylands, and promoting nature-based solutions in several Arab countries.

She clarified that the initiative represents an integrated and proactive approach to drought management, combining ecosystem restoration, enhanced drought preparedness, sustainable land and water management, climate change adaptation, and strengthened community governance through the active participation of local communities as key actors in land and natural resource management. The Drought Initiative system has proven its capacity to bolster resilience to drought and climate change through joint local management, establishing community rules to regulate resource use, and restoring degraded ecosystems.

In collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, she directed efforts to develop protected areas and enhance their efficiency, while simultaneously strengthening partnerships with local communities. She also ordered the improvement of visitor services within protected areas through innovative approaches, and reinforced monitoring and surveillance systems to preserve biodiversity.

Furthermore, she directed the formulation of a vision and plan for the development of the Wadi Snor Cave Protected Area in Beni Suef Governorate, given its geological significance, with a view to opening it to visitors as soon as possible.