How a popular hunting destination in Egypt is looking to become an ecotourism hot spot

Editor’s note: This story is part of a collaboration between Ensia and Egab, a media startup that helps young local journalists from across the Middle East and Africa get published in regional and international media outlets, with a focus on solutions journalism.  When Egypt banned bird hunting in Lake Nasser last October, environmental groups celebrated. But for Mohammed Sayed, a boat owner in the southern city of Aswan, and at least another 100 boatmen working with five tourism companies operating in the lake, the decision served a considerable blow. “Last year, we had around 11 bird-hunting trips in the lake, but now after the ban, all were canceled,” he says. Trips like these have supported Lake Nasser’s boat owners and their families. After that move, many found themselves in a difficult financial situation. But despite being a significant source of income to members of the local community, unregulated hunting has ravaged migratory bird populations in the lake over the past decade, in part because boat owners guide nonnative hunters to nesting locations in the area, says Ekramy Abaseery, general manager of Southern Protectorates of Egypt. A Clash of Interests Extending some 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles), Lake Nasser serves as a haven for millions of migratory birds traveling among Europe, Asia and Africa. During the migratory season, many birds descend upon the lake in search of sustenance. The fluctuation in water levels caused by seasonal flooding between summer and winter creates vast areas along the lake’s edges that harbor abundant plant life and provide rich environments for birds, according to Haitham Mossad, conservation director at Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE). “While conducting the annual winter bird count in Lake Nasser, we usually encounter tourists actively hunting,” he says. “In some places, we’ve even come across cases of mass bird killings. I remember finding a pile of dead flamingos once.” Over the past 15 years, extensive overhunting caused many migratory birds to stop nesting in the lake altogether, says Khaled Noby, head of NCE. He says that his group has discovered rare species such as flamingos, pelicans and yellow-billed storks in… Read More
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