Egypt 1st regional state to join int’l Green Fin initiative 

Egypt is the first country in its region and the 11th worldwide to officially adopt the international Green Fins Initiative which is a UN Environment initiative, internationally coordinated by The Reef-World Foundation, with an aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines to promote a sustainable diving and snorkeling tourism industry.

Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach which leads to a measurable reduction in negative environmental impacts associated with diving and snorkeling. The approach is proven and replicable, has been adopted by 10 countries and nearly 600 individual marine tourism companies since its inception in 2004.

Green Fins provides the only internationally recognized environmental standards for the diving and snorkeling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance. Reducing diving and snorkeling-related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, helps to make them more resilient to other stressors such as those associated with climate change. Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic support and resources. Members receive annual assessments, training and feedback to help them reduce their environmental impact in line with the Code of Conduct. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stressors such as the effects of climate change.

While Green Fins is usually adopted by a government body (which integrates the program’s activities with their annual plans and absorbs associated costs), in Egypt the industry has collaborated to bring Green Fins to the area through the CDWS which is a non-profit organization.The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has also offered financial support to the Green Fins Egypt  through the UNDP project “Mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity into the tourism development and operations in threatened ecosystems in Egypt.”

The initiative will be piloted in South Sinai Governorate and expanded to be available to all dive and snorkel operators nationwide by March 2020. Following a week of training by Reef-World (22-28 September 2019), Egypt now has a team of four Green Fins Assessors in South Sinai Governorate. The Green Fins Assessor team is comprised of the Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) representatives who are now certified to recruit, train and conduct assessments of new Green Fins members in the country.

The new assessors are now fully certified to provide training about the ecology and threats to coral reefs, simple and local everyday solutions to these threats and Green Fins’ environmental standards to dive and snorkel operators. The second phase of national introduction will see four-five more assessors trained in the Red Sea Governorate in March 2020 and CDWS is calling for interested operators in the region to sign up in advance.

Diving related damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, is becoming an increasingly significant issue. This damage makes them less likely to survive other local and wider stressors, such as overfishing or plastic debris as well the effects of climate change, such as rising sea temperatures. The Green Fins initiative helps identify and mitigate these risks by providing environmental consultation and support, based on robust individual assessments, to dive and snorkel operators. Reef-World hopes to significantly reduce negative environmental impacts on coral reefs in the Egypt by reaching 30 marine tourism operators, training 150 dive guides and raising awareness of sustainability best practice among 30,000 tourists during Green Fins’ first year of implementation.

To date, four Egyptian dive and snorkel operators have already joined the global network of nearly 600 trained and assessed Green Fins members. These are the Reef Oasis Dive Club, Water Land 3 Diving Center, Diving and Discovery and Camel Dive Club and Resort. There has also been significant interest from other operators who have signed the membership form and are looking forward to their training and assessment. The CDWS aims to certify 30 dive centers in the coming year.

Egypt is a popular holiday destination with 11.3 million tourists visiting in 2018; up from 8.3 million in 2017. Of these, there are approximately 500 businesses providing diving and snorkeling activities in the Red Sea and an estimated three million divers and snorkelers visiting the region each year. The CDWS is rallying dive centers to join the Green Fins initiative to help improve their sustainability and prove they are following environmental best practice as a way of attracting eco-minded tourists.

Chloe Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “We’re proud to be helping protect Red Sea coral reefs by bringing Green Fins to Egypt; the first country in the Middle East and the 11th country worldwide to adopt the initiative. As one of the original global diving destinations, the diving community in Egypt has shaped the way we dive and travel today, so I’m really pleased to be working with them to lead the way in sustainability within our industry. In fact, I learned to dive here aged 12 which has dramatically influenced my life dramatically and the way I have developed the Green Fins program as a whole.

She continued: “Through Green Fins, dive and snorkel operators in the region can improve their environmental best practices and reduce their negative impact on coral reefs; helping to conserve these vital ecosystems for many generations to come. The program is initially launching in South Sinai Governorate with the Red Sea Governorate to follow in March 2020 so we urge dive operators in both regions to get in touch if they are interested in proving they follow environmental best practice by achieving a Green Fins certification.”

Hesham Gabr, Chair of the Chamber of Diving & Watersports, said: “Fortunately, the Red Sea is blessed to have a pristine underwater world with crystal clear visibility, warm waters and a thriving aquatic ecosystem. From large, multi-colored coral reef systems home to several fish species to the presence of the BIG underwater creatures, we are lucky to be the custodians of a naturally rich and beautiful environment. Since the start of the 2019 summer alone, we have already had multiple sightings of whale sharks, dolphins, manta rays, eagle rays, hammerheads, oceanic reef sharks and much, much more! It is so important that we protect and preserve the Red Sea’s exquisite marine life for future generations. As such, we are excited to promote environmental best practice to our members and help them reduce negative impacts on life under the sea, through the implementation of the Green Fins initiative.”

Ahmed el Wassief, Chair of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, said: “Sustainability is a crucial element of the Egypt Tourism Reform Program that Egypt is undertaking to improve the standards and the quality of both the touristic infrastructure and its human element. The effort will surely put Egyptian tourism at the forefront of Eastern Mediterranean destinations. And has so far resulted in Egypt being the fourth highest improvement in tourism competitiveness.”