The environment ministry approved 84 tourist projects for implementation, including tourist hotels and resorts. The decision came after the ministry reviewed studies on the environmental impact of the projects.
Environment minister Maged George said his ministry has approved 42 projects in Red Sea Governorate: 17 by the Public Authority for the Development of Tourism, ten projects in South Sinai, six projects in the New Valley, and another six projects in Luxor.
George explained that the aim of the environmental impact studies was to preserve the environment and its natural resources and to help achieve sustainable economic development in a way that satisfies current needs, without diminishing future prospects for coming generations.
According to George, the assessment of environmental impact involves looking at the unintentional impact of projects or development programs with a view toward minimizing damage and maximizing benefit.
The minister said that a new guidebook has been published and a number of seminars and workshops have been held to brief ministry officials, administrative bodies, Egyptian universities, branches of the environment ministry and other concerned authorities about amendments to the system of assessing the environmental impact of such projects.
He confirmed that governorate branches of the environment ministry approve the environmental aspect of small projects with a limited environmental impact, taking into consideration specifications defined by the environment ministry.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
