Save Giftun Island RED SEA

[happy2dive]

Thanks for signing the petition. Please pass the word to your other diving friends as well. I've asked the administrator whether it would be possible to move the thread to a more visible place...but no...it'll have to stay where it is.

 

[fgray1]

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

Yes money is the only thing that's important. Don't be shocked. Without money you don't have a chance to save anything. Make it worth their while to leave it alone and they will.
Such is life.
Fred

 

[divebunnie]

Hi guys,

I just had some good news on this one, apparently the proposal has been rejected by the Egyptian authorities. This came to me in a news letter from Emperor Divers.

I am now not sure how concrete the plans were to build on Giftun Island, as this seems to have been resolved so quickly.

As for the impact on SCUBA diving, it would have been pretty extensive, the construction alone would have created huge amounts of dust that would have been washed straight onto the surrounding reefs, choking the coral to a certain extent and certainly having an adverse affect on the visibility.

Ok that all sounds pretty selfish on my part as a diver, but we do forget that aside from its beauty, the reefs are a vital part of the aquatic ecology, and as such are the homes and feeding grounds for thousands of species of fish.

Anyway, as I said, I have now heard that the panic is over and the island will remain undeveloped.

 

[mania]

Well, first of all this subject was already discussed here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/t57426.html

Second of all it was President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak personally killing the deal. So the Giftun Island remains undeveloped. At least for some time.

Mania

 

[divebunnie]

Not sure if there are two threads on this subject or whether things have been tidied up a little.

Anyway, I had some good news from Emperor divers the other day and I believe Mania posted a message too saying that the Giftun project has been quashed from the very top, Mubarak has rejected the proposal, so the island will remain untouched.

Good news for all concerned… especially the fish!

 

[Winton]

The one thing Herbert does say in the post is that the south Sinai is a "National Park", as such it deserves the protection of the government, it is the people that should hold the government accountable. The Island should be out of reach from developers. The area is filled with marvelous coral reefs, and a variety of tropical and pelagic fish. The area deserves its status as a National Park, all of the worlds reefs should be protected, reefs and rainforests; the area is an incredible experience for scuba divers. Coral reefs are fragile ecosystems that need to be protected and preserved. It is a good thing that the development of the island is not going to take place, I believe that the impact from a resort, timeshares or whatever was the intent of the Italian investors would have been catostrophic. Probably was not even considered by the Egyptian government, although if the bakshish/kickbacks were high enough well anything is possible. Development brings water quality issures that involve, petrolum products, insecticides, and many other by-products that wold come with populating an un-populated island. I for one would have been glad to have signed the petition, and I spent my Red Sea time in Sharm El Shiekh, not Hurgada.

Well that is good news too...

 

[happy2dive]

Hello DiveBunnie

Thanks for the update on the Giftun Island development plan.
I found some more info on this....
Please see


http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=617556#post617556

 

[happy2dive]

Not sure if there are two threads on this subject or whether things have been tidied up a little.

Anyway, I had some good news from Emperor divers the other day and I believe Mania posted a message too saying that the Giftun project has been quashed from the very top, Mubarak has rejected the proposal, so the island will remain untouched.

Good news for all concerned… especially the fish!

Thanks for the update on the Giftun Island development plan. Indeed there is another parallel thread on the same subject started by Herbert

http://www.scubaboard.com/t54501.html

To verify the information you received from Emperor Divers,
I scanned the Internet for independent reports. One I found is a report in the Al-ahram, issue no. 689, 6-12 May 2004. The following excerpt implies that the plan is shelved, pending the study of the islands.

“Talks surrounding the proposal by an Italian investor to transform Giftun island into a flashy, high-tech, Vegas-style tourist resort have been halted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, pending a "comprehensive study of all islands in the area".”

While it's wonderful to know that public outcry has had an effect, I’m not sure if we have solid cause to celebrate the rescue of Giftun Island. This recent stop to development pending a study may not mean a definite stop to future building plans....although the current turn of events is a welcome one.

Meanwhile, I think it will be prudent to keep on gathering more signatures for the petition and to keep a sharp eye on future news concerning this island and the other protected islands in the Red Sea.

The full latest report from Al-ahram can be read at the following url.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/689/eg5.htm

 

[fgray1]

Same story different location.
I wish someone would just worry as much about humans.
Fred

 

[divebunnie]

somehow I think us humans can look after ourselves.

We have caused more damage and destruction to the very planet that sustains us than any other species could possibly wreak. If you look at it in a really basic sense, if we continue as we are, it will be to our own end, as despite all our clever inventions, we rely on the natural balance of things for our long-term survival. Maybe this won't affect our lives personally, but certainly those of our children, so… to cut it short, we are actually thinking about us humans, just with a little more foresight than many.
Anyway… back to the diving…