Wadi El-Hitan, an Egyptian nature reserve, received a positive assessment from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said on Thursday.
“We are proud of Wadi El-Hitan site which is run by Egyptian experts,” Fouad said.
“This is the only global heritage site that has made progress in the level of performance in the report," Fouad said, adding that "there is a buffer zone around the area to protect fossilised skeletons from threats, like visiting and traffic."
The good assessment is considered the highest level of praise in the IUCN World Heritage outlook website.
“Wadi El-Hitan comprises exceptionally rich values related to the record of life, and these are generally in a very good state of conservation,” said the IUCN on its website, adding that an appropriate management framework is in place through the updated 2019 Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area, including Wadi El-Hitan, as a separate component in its programme of action.
Nevertheless, the IUCN added that the management unit still needs to develop a site-level plan for Wadi El-Hitan as part of the main management plan, including its own site maps.
“Financial resources have increased from previous years and bode well for implementing future management actions,” it added.
Located in Fayoum governorate, Wadi El-Hitan site and protectorate which includes some of Egypt’s and the world’s fossils of whales that go back millions of years is located inside the bigger protectorate of Wadi El-Rayan protectorate.
Wadi El-Hitan has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Wadi El-Hitan was included in 2018 in the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas, which is a global standard for best practices that provide certification for areas that are effectively and efficiently managed and show good governance, design, proper planning, effective management and positive conservation results.
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