Environmental Trips to Wadi El Gemal and Elba Raise Awareness about the Importance of Nature Reserves and Contribute to Environmental Protection

As part of Egypt's World Environment Day celebrations and in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, the "New Egypt" Foundation organized environmental trips to the Wadi El Gemal and Elba nature reserves for 158 participants from different age groups. These trips aimed to raise awareness about the importance of nature reserves and promote participation in environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.

Importance of Nature Reserves: Dr. Yasmine Fouad, the Egyptian Minister of Environment, stressed the importance of these trips, especially for children and young people, to integrate them into environmental volunteer work and establish the concept of teamwork and its role in protecting the environment. She also explained that these trips aim to introduce participants to Egypt's rich natural resources that are abundant in our reserves, including natural and geological heritage, marine and desert resources.

Trip Activities: ** Wadi El Gemal Reserve: Participants learned about the nature of the reserve, its natural resources, and the reasons for its declaration as a nature reserve. A mangrove cleaning campaign was implemented with the participation of 76 participants from the age group of 12-18 years. ** Elba Reserve: 82 boys and girls participated in an environmental trip to support youth participation in environmental protection. Interactive recreational and environmental activities were organized for the participating children to raise awareness about the importance of the Elba Reserve and its natural resources. A cleaning campaign was carried out on Hurghada Beach to remove waste, especially plastic waste, and to learn about its dangers to marine life.

Cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and the New Egypt Foundation: The Egyptian Ministry of Environment stated on its official Facebook page: "These trips come within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Environment and the New Egypt Foundation for Community Development to raise awareness about environmental issues and strengthen the role of citizens in protecting the environment. The cooperation includes launching initiatives and pilot projects that contribute to addressing environmental problems, raising the standard of living, integrating society into the field of environmental work, building capacities in environmental fields, promoting ecotourism, and increasing green spaces."