Save Giftun Island RED SEA

[Herbert]

To: Government of Egypt
We are appalled and shocked at the news that a proposal to develop Giftun Island by a group of Italian investors is even being considered.

We would like to put on record our staunch and firm opposition to any such plan to defile what is already decreed a national park and protected area.

Giftun Islands like Ras Mohamed, Tiran, and Rocky Island etc. are part of our martime National heritage and should remain as such in the same manner as karanak. Abu Simbul and the Pyramids.

Furthermore, no matter what assurances may be promised the environmental impact of any such plan is nothing short of catastrophic, haven't we seen enough development related damage that has already befallen the coast line in southern Sinai and the Red Sea? We strongly appeal to all government authorities not to entertain any such plans that may infringe on what has been entrusted to all of us to protect and preserve as temporary custodians for future generations.

We also would like to put on record our full and unwavering stand and support for H.E Gen. Saad Abou Rida Governor of the Red Sea for his far sighted and courageous stand in opposition to this proposed development.
On behalf of all Red Sea stake holders.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Please to support us you can sign the petition at
petitiononline.com/GIFTUN/petition.html

 

[Herbert]

Any tourist who visits Hurghada just has to spend an entire day on el-Giftun Island while he's there. It takes about 40 minutes to get across by boat. During the crossing, tourists can admire the magnificent coral reefs and several species of brightly coloured fish that shimmer in the crystal-clear waters of the Red Sea, before the skipper moors his vessel to one of the buoys off the island. Visitors can then spend the day enjoying this glorious island, that resembles similar hideaways found in places like Hawaii, Japan, Cyprus and Greece. All visitors to the island must respect the environment. Most people spend the day swimming, snorkelling, playing on the sandy beach or simply snoozing in the shade. Everyone has to leave by sunset, having had an unforgettable time.
But it appears that this dream is about to be interrupted. An Italian investor has recently proposed a giant tourist project for el-Giftun Island, which will cost US$2 billion. The project, currently being studied by the Egyptian government, has set nature lovers and people who work in tourism and protecting the environment panicking. A number of seminars have even been sponsored to discuss the problem. At a workshop a few days ago, most participants agreed that any tourist project on the island would destroy its beauty forever. They stressed that the proposed project and any other similar schemes must not happen.


Protected by the law

According to Karim Helal, Chairman of the Red Sea Society for Diving and Maritime Activities, el-Giftun Island is one of the most important Red Sea areas to be protected by the Natural Reserves Law. "The proposed tourist project, using Italian funds, has shocked all experts and workers in the field of tourism and environment. El-Giftun Island is on a par with Ras Mohammed Reserve in the Sinai and the Giza Pyramids. It is part of our heritage which we must preserve. The project would ruin the natural environment of the island, which is home to wonderful coral reefs, turtles and many kinds of birds. I think the whole idea should be scrapped," he says.
Red Sea Environmental Protection Executive Director Amr Ali explains that the island is 24km long. "There are many top diving centres located between el-Giftun el-Kabir and el-Giftun el-Saghir. This project would have the same negative repercussions as others that have been carried out on the Red Sea. We should never sell our nature reserves. El-Giftun Island is very popular with tourists who come to visit Hurghada. Therefore we urge senior officials to forget all about the project," he says.


Investment and environment

Former Chairman of the Environmental Affairs Department Salah Eddin Hafez argues that investment and environmental conservation should go hand in hand. "Similar projects have been proposed in the past, but they were scrapped when the region was declared a nature reserve. Nothing has changed since then, so how can we dream of giving the green light to a project that would ruin this magnificent spot?" he asks.
Minister of Environment Dr Mamdouh Riyadh stresses that President Hosni Mubarak personally wants the country's nature reserves to be protected. "The President urged us to declare Siwa Reserve a nature reserve in 2002. Then we declared Hamata and Wadi el-Gamal nature reserves too. As for el-Giftun Island, the idea of 'selling' it is out of the question, although I am a supporter of development. A meeting will soon be held in Hurghada, to discuss the issue and for deciding on a strategy for developing el-Giftun Nature Reserve," says Dr Riyadh.

 

[fgray1]

What does this have to do with Scuba diving?
Fred

 

[SubMariner]

What does this have to do with Scuba diving?
Fred

I've dove the reefs off this island in the Red Sea several times from a liveaboard.

It really would have an impact on the diving if the island were to be developed.

Unfortunately, the originator of the thread doesn't seem particularly interested in imparting information, just spouting off.

 

[justleesa]

I have been there too. It is a beautiful spot to dive and lots of boats drop tourists off to catch some sun on the Island.

I asked him for more info in the thread that he had posted in the "New 2 Scuba" forum. He PM'd, but no hard facts.

 

[happy2dive]

This is part III of my Hurghada dive report. Parts one and two are in the Africa section.

22 April, in between the morning and afternoon dives, our boat (Big Hollywood) joined more than 100 other diveboats off the shore of Giftun Island, a pristine uninhabited island off the coast of Hurghada. The island and its coral reefs have been declared a nature preserve in 1995. Forty percent of Hurghada’s dive sites are located around this island, which is the second largest protected island in the Red Sea after Shedwan Island.

The reason for this gathering was to protest an incredibly daft plan by Italian investors to develop this island into a resort complex of over 1000 rooms (NOT eco-lodges) and to build a bridge to connect to the island to the mainland. If this plan goes through, it would mean certain death for most of the unique marine life in the area. Of course the divers and dive centers in the area as well as the local government that relies on eco-tourism income were enraged at this news.

Thus we braved becoming ‘toast’ in the harsh Egyptian sun while we were ferried to the island in small boats for the photo shoot. We all donned our ‘Save Giftun Island’ t-shirts and posed for the local news crew. A full report of the protest and the development plans is available at the following link:

Giftun Island Protest Report published on Egypt Today
http://www.egypttoday.com/ArtTemplate.asp?ArtID=1&IssueNo=5&IssueYear=04&MagID=ET

To summarize, the following are at stake:
794 marine species, including whale sharks that have been spotted around the island
196 types of hard & soft coral representing 80% of the biodiversity of corals in the Red Sea
5 rare species of sea turtle, including the Hawksbill turtle that nests on this island
6 species of migratory birds including 2 endangered species, the Osprey and White-eyed seagull
2 eco-systems at stake, coral and sea grass

(source Egypt Today and EmperorDivers.Com)

You can also help by signing an online petition to stop the Egyptian government and the Italian investors. Please sign up by following the link in my signature.

I hope we can all stop this idiocy together.

Greetings from Amsterdam
Happy2dive

 

[Walter]

This is an excellent project. I hope we get a substantial number of signatures. I'm number 9228.

 

[justleesa]

Finally some facts on the subject! Thanks for posting!
Oh yeah! Glad you had a great trip. Next time you go, hook up with some locals, they'll get everything dirt cheap for ya!

 

[archman]

Down with the evil developers!

 

[mania]

I can't believe they want to destroy this place. What a shame!!!!
Developers don't know the limits. Is money the only thing that's important???

I'm shocked.
Mania