New Protected Area Management System Expected To Secure Sound Eco System
Securing healthy life style through securing sound ecosystem continues to be a global concern. These being the fact, a number of countries fail to implement any measure to put an end to what they conceptually believe is a threat to the ecosystem and to any creature whose existence depends on the existence of healthy environment. It is less likely to find an unpolluted environment in developed countries. But, a number of developing countries have been keen to keep the natural environment intact in an attempt to get rid of the negative impacts of pollution and in a bid to decelerate the rapid climate change. Bing among developing countries, Eritrea clearly understands such threats of environmental disarray and is working hard to prevent environmental hazards as much as possible.
Thus, the Eritrean government has been exerting efforts to protect biodiversity and to alleviative land degradation. Protection of biodiversity in all parts of Eritrea and particularly in the Northern and Southern Red Sea regions such as in Irrori, Hawakil and Borasole areas has now been given priority. The government of Eritrea along with highly concerned partners is working hard to promote environmental protection.
The Ministry of Land, Water and Environment is therefore planning to implement an integrated area protection project focusing on Northern and Southern Red Sea regions of the country.
What needs to be remembered in here is that no matter how huge or important the mapped out plans of the Government are; people’s understanding on area protection is a decisive factor towards successful campaign. In connection with people’s deep understanding of the need for area protection Mr. Mogos Wedldeyohanness, director general of Department of Environment at the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment, said that area protection is not new to the Eritrean Society and thus Eritrean villages have been getting used to it since a long period of time.
A recently conducted workshop was then all about initiating conservation of biodiversity and combating land degradation through developing modern area protection system in wider part of the country.
Present on the occasion of the Project inception Workshop that dealt with Protected Area Management System, Ms. Rose K. Ssebatindira/ UNDP Deputy Resident/ Representative said: ” This is particularly important because the project aims to conserve a unique national system of protected areas (found in the green belt, the marine and coastal areas) that will contribute substantially to securing the long-term survival of Eritrea’s globally significant biodiversity.”
The primary goal for the initiation of such a project is mainly aimed at developing and strengthening necessary protected area policy so as to protect and if possible to restore the natural environment.
The Government and particularly the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment has so far indentified and decided different parts of Eritrea to be part of the protected area. Most of the protected areas are rich in biodiversity.
Even though all the six regions of the country have a natural beauty of their own, but Gash-Barka, Northern and Southern Red Sea Regions are highly endowed with abundant biodiversity. Hence, the establishment of protected area at a national level and extending its scope to cover other areas with significant biodiversity resources is what is expected to be carried out in the future.
Eritrea’s biodiversity in general and wildlife in different river banks of the Gash-Barka Region, marine life in the coastal areas of the Red Sea, and green vegetation in Semenawi-Barhri are indeed among the natural resources that need to be highly protected. If Eritrea secures it ecosystem it will definitely secure healthy life style of its people.
Tourism would also be by far promoted with the expansion of the scope of the protected area. The vastness of the protected area would determine the abundance of biodiversity and the biodiversity would by far enrich potentials of tourism. So, where there is sound ecosystem, there is healthy life style and a booming economy.