Egypt's - Biodiversity - and - efforts for safegaurding it

The term ‘biodiversity’ covers the numbers and diversity of plant and animal life together with genetic diversity and assemblages of organisms that exist in a given area. Within an area species numbers can vary enormously as they depend on various factors, among which are climate, topography, availability of water and average temperature. However, biodiversity is much more than numbers of plants and animals, it is what underpins human life and well-being.

Egypt, lies at the northeast corner of Africa at the junction of four biogeographical regions, Irano-Turanian, Mediterranean, Saharo-Sindian and Afrotropical . At the same time it is at the center of the great Saharo-Sindian desert belt that runs from Morocco on the northwest corner of Africa to the high, cold deserts of central Asia. This unique position is enhanced by the circumstance that it is divided by the Nile, the longest river in the world. Most of Egypt is either arid or hyper arid, however, due to its very varied eco-zones, the country is home to a wide diversity of terrestrial habitats and a fauna and flora, which although relatively low in species numbers and with few endemics, is extremely varied in composition.

This book covers Egypt's unique and vaired biodiversity along with the laws which were established to protect it and other related subjects.

* This book was published with the support of the American University Press. ISBN 977-17-0902-X