Sustainable Developement

at the breeding-, resting- and wintering areas of the white and the black stork

 

On the Eastbound Route

Germany, France, Spain, Marocco, Nigeria, 

Poland, Albanien, Turkey,  Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Kenya, Chad,  Southafrica

White Storks in Egypt

CONTENT

  • White Stork in Egypt

  • Childrens work on the cottonfields of Egypt

  • Organic-cotton in Egypt

 

FUTURE-LINKS Egypt

Basical data Egypt
Nature and Environment
Rio+5-Report - Egypt
Learning Sustainability
Intercultural Egypt

 

Stamps with icons of birds of Egypt

Egypts importance for the White Stork is international: The bigger part of the worldwide population of the White Stork uses the region for the transit in spring and autumn. After crossing the Sinai Peninsula (in spring) the storks follow the Gulf of Suez. Near Qena they meet the large valley of Nile up to Aswan Dam. A smaller section of the migrating birds follows the
Nile, while the bigger number of individuals choose the direct route through via the Nubian Dsert.

In October 1989 the first scientistic research for the migration of the White Storks was conducted as a common project of the EU and the Ministry of State For Environmental Affairs of the Egypt government under the command and supervision of the Ras Muhammad National Park. On this occation it was tested, weather the area of the Ras Muhammad Park on the southern end of Sinai Peninsula is the limiting factor for the migration of storks along the east-branch.

The counting on 14th October stated the number of individuals as 275.743.
With rough estimation it could be some 390.000 up to 470.000 birds trespasing the area. A high percentage is landing close to the shore and is resting over night for a start on the consecutive day with recovered power (estimated by experts on some 190.000 to 230.000). Therefor the Ras Mohammed Park area is now in the special IBA-list ("BirdLife International Important Bird Area").


Source: http://www.weissstorch.privat.t-online.de/zug-baha.htm

Childrens work

at the cottonfields in Egypt.

  

The available area for agricultural use in Egypt is used for cotton. The export of this can raise 188 Millions of Euro per year. This business should make the farmers income secure, but the opposit is the case: Their effort lets the farmers and their families get from poor to poorer. The rotten system of canals needs urgently repairs. The prices for seeds and fertilizers have been exploded but on the other hand the ballance between offer and supply has suffered a breakdown. You could trace these links of the chain until You find as source of the process the American governments decission, to support mainly their own cotton farmers with laws and toll-installations, which allow them selling their cotton very much cheaper without any pain.

To overtune/compesate this handicap the farmers in Egypt feel themselve pressed to send even their yonger childrens from age 7 to 12 on the fields. They are requested to help there on the fields during harvest period. Just in the summer-months with the extremely high temperatures above 40°C it is then necessary to do the work of pest-controll: They have to search all plants along the rows for caterpillars ans visible worms and delete the infected leaves. The plants are small in the beginning and it is fitting to let do children that job, easier than if adults must bow for the same. And additional to that the plants must let go patiently 14 circuits of spaying pest-controll liquids over the leaves.

Some of these chemical coctails are determined by the general surgeon of the WHO as "extremely dangerous". 

 

Not only a profit for storks:

Organic Cotton in Egypt

 

 

 

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FUTURE-LINKS EGYPT
 

Basic Dates

Wikipedia Egypt

 
 
 

Environmantal Affairs

Ministry of State For Environmental Affairs