Adrere Arnellal
Desert
Ecolodge
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY INTERNATIONAL (EQI)
Project Description
The
project presented for the Tourism For Tomorrow Award is Adrere Amellal,
a desert Ecolodge in the oasis of Siwa owned by Environmental Quality International
(EQI) a Leading environmental consulting and investment firm in Egypt.
The oasis of Siwa is a fertile depression nestled deep in the Western Desert
of Egypt. The Siwan community has lived in extreme isolation from the outside
world over long periods in history. As a result, Siwa is characterized
by its own unique local customs and traditions, and its own language.
Adrere
Amellal (which means 'White Mountain' in the Siwi language) is situated
at the base of a majestic white mountain, after which it is named. The
Ecolodge overlooks olive and palm groves Siwa's largest lake, and
the sand dunes of the Western Desert of Egypt.
Objectives
The project reflects EQI's
recognition of the environmental and economic merits of an
alternative approach to tourism that capitalizes on the natural and
cultural assets of the region while ensuring the preservation of
these assets for the benefit of present and future generations.
Emphasis is placed on offering environmentally sensitive and
culturally minded visitors a return-to-nature experience that allows
them to enjoy the beauty, purity and tranquillity of the desert,
learn about its unique geological and ecological features, and gain
insight into the history, culture and traditions of its people.
Equal emphasis is placed on benefiting the local community and
strengthening the local economy by employing local workers, using
local products and traditional skills, and transferring know-how and
successful experiences to the
community.
Financing
Adrere
AmelIa is fully financed by EQI as a private investment in sustainable
development. Number
of Visitors Per Annum, Scale/Size of Facilities
The
projects, which includes the ecolodge itself and desert park grounds, occupies
an area of 150 acres. Twenty seven units, including suites and rooms, have
been built, in addition to a reception area, kitchen and dining areas,
a large outdoor stone pool fed by spring water from a restored ancient
Roman well, a herbarium, and a library. The capacity of the ecolodge is
planned at a level that is appropriate to the carrying capacity of the
location, taking into account socioeconomic, cultural and environmental
considerations. No new accommodation units are planned. Since January 1999
- when the ecolodge opened to visitors - until end July 1999, the ecolodge
has received 150 guests. Another 160 guests are expected between September
and end of December, making a total of 310 visitors in 1999. EQI is currently
building the capacity of local residents to run and operate the facility.
Growth in occupancy will be staged in accordance with EQIs ability to
train the Siwan community to service guests.
Cultural
&
Social
Considerations
Cultural
and social considerations have been incorporated at all stages of project
implementation. During the initial land purchase, instead of buying public
land directly from the government, EQI first met with a council of two
tribal sheikhs and thirty community elders, formed specifically to discuss
the sale of the land. Only after local leaders were satisfied that the
sale posed no threat to their way of life did they sign a document of consent.
The council has outlived the transaction and has decided that no further
land will be sold unless, as in the case at hand, its use contributes to
the public good.
Sociocultural
considerations were also incorporated in the design and implementation
of the ecolodge, which is designed to harmonize with the landscape and
cultural setting of the area. All units are built in keeping with traditional
architecture using local building materials and techniques. Flooring, walls,
roofing, plastering, insulation, doors, fixtures, furniture, and accessories
all rely on manual traditional techniques and local materials. Siwans have
been actively involved in the design and construction phase. This has
resulted
in mutual benefits to the community and to EQI. The local community has
benefited from the creation of job opportunities and the revival of old
trades, while EQI has benefited from the incorporation of local knowledge
and expertise in the management of the environment. The ecolodge was built
by eight community elders, helped by 80 young Siwans. Since, in recent
years, urbanization has resulted in the gradual replacement Of Siwa'smost
striking cultural feature - its architectural style - by modern buildings,
young Siwans were growing up with little knowledge of the old building
systems. With most of the investment in Adrere Amellal - the largest initiative
in Siwa since the turn of the century - focusing on labor, a new generation
of builders who are knowledgeable about traditional building systems has
developed. Experimentation carried out at the project has also helped introduce
innovations and improvements in the traditional building Systems.
Visitation
to the ecolodge since January I 999 has brought about further sociocultural
and economic benefits to the community. Job opportunities have been created,
with trained Siwan staff actively involved in running the ecolodge. Organized
recreational and cultural activities provide additional economic benefits.
Excursions organized in collaboration with local tour operators are arranged
to the ancient sites of the oasis, including the old traditional town of
Shali, the Roman spring of Cleopatra, the Temple of the Oracle (where Alexander
the Great sought confirmation that he was the son Of Zeus), and the wadis
and springs in the vicinity of Siwa. Longer excursions are arranged into
the heart of the Western Desert, where desert safaris operate within strict
environmental guidelines. Visits are also arranged to the market of Siwa,
where guests can shop for the traditional jewelry, carpets, pottery, and
baskets made by the local community. The demand created by the ecolodge
has revitalized arts and crafts, including handicrafts produced by women.
Owners of the local cafes are also benefiting from the increased visitation.
EQIs investment in Siwa
was guided by and has impacted other development activities
undertaken by the company in the oasis. As the urban Management
Programmes Support Office for the Arab States Region EQI
collaborated with community membersto organize a city consultation in the oasis in
May 1998 gathering representatives of stakeholders in the area to
explore key issues affecting Siwa's development. Among the
stakeholders were representatives of the Siwa City Council, the II
Siwan tribes, and local opinion leaders. Since the consultation,
previously unplanned resources have been directed towards four key
areas of development in Siwa: natural resource management and
environmental protection, basic infrastructure upgrading,
socioeconomic development, and cultural heritage preservation. The
field research and interviews conducted in preparation for
consultation, and the results of the consultation itself, played a
major role in shaping EQI is approach to its tourism initiative. EQI
is currently building on the results of the consultation and on its
experience in Siwa to promotepublic-private investments in the areas of
poverty alleviation and environmental management. Proposals
submitted by EQI to the UNDP, the European union, and the Global
Environment Facility are currently under review.
Built Heritage
Abandoned traditional
Siwan houses at the site have been restored and reconfigured into
ten suites and seventeen rooms, all of which offer genuine
desert-style comfort. In keeping with Siwan tradition, the waIls of
the units are built using kershef (an indigenous building material
consisting of sun-dried salt rock and clay), while the ceilings are
made of palm trunks. A Roman spring has also been restored. In
addition, the ecolodge is the site of the mausoleum in of Sidi
Gaafar, a spirleader highly revered by all Siwans. EQI has renovated
the mausoleum and has committed to hosting an annual commemoration
ceremony. The first ceremony was held in August 1998. A similar
ceremony is planned for this year.
Pollution, Waste and Environmental
Impact
An environmental
management system designed to conserve energy and minimize waste has
been set in place at the ecolodge. Natural ventilation systems,
which take advantage of the dry desert climate through strategic
positioning of doors and windows and through the use of shading,
have been adopted, eliminating the need far air
conditioning.
Oil lamps and candles are
the principal source of lighting for the grounds and lodges. On cold
winter nights, coal-filled braziers are used for heating. Plans are
underway for the installation of a photovoltaic solar system for
lighting the herbarium and the library, and for the supply of hot
water. Waste and wastewater produced at the ecolodge are recycled
solid waste is separated at source. Organic waste is composted in a
compost pit and used as a fertilizer in agriculture. Recyclables are
picked up by local residents, while a small amount of non-recyclable
material is transported to the municipal dump site. EQI is currently
working on converting the dump site to a privately operated sanitary
landfill. Wastewater at the ecolodge is treated aerobically using a
traditional pond method in
which
plants (bamboo and papyrus) assist in the oxidation process. The run-off
water at the pond exit is used to irrigate the ecolodge's agricultural
grounds,
where
fruits and vegetables are organically grown. Since wastewater is becoming
a serious problem in Siwa, EQI is examining the feasibility of replicating
this model at the community level, and has already submitted a proposal
for donor funding.
Natural
Environment
EQI
is developing the grounds of the ecolodge into a desert park for the conservation
of rate and endangered species of flora and fauna. At present, priority
is being given to the cultivation of plant species indigenous to the Siwa
region and the North African Sahara, including medicinal herbs and green
fodder from highly palatable range species. Palm varieties have already
been planted, while documentation of other desert flora and the collection
of plant specimens is well underway. At a later stage, vegetation from
the Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent deserts, Australian deserts,
and others will be introduced. Breeding of vulnerable and endangered species
endemic to the Western Desert, such as the Dorcas gazelle and the slender-horned
gazelle, is envisaged at a later stage of the project. The park will provide
opportunities for research and education, and will include a farmer outreach
component.
Environmental communication
The
ecolodge has received a fair amount of coverage in the local, regional
andinternational
press. EQI itself has been active in its attempts to promote similar desert
friendly investments, whether through promotional material or through presentations
in local and international fora. The company has developed a brochure that
is being distributed among reputable organizations to market the project
in Egypt and abroad.
The
brochure is also distributed in conferences and workshops organized and/or
attended by EQI, to promote an environmentally sustainable approach to
tourism. These include the I998 World-Tourism Organization meeting in Cairo
on Ecotourism, in which EQI actively participated. Among the companv's
most important contributions to the conference was ensuring the participation
of several Siwans, who played a lead role in the discussions. One prominent
community member who participated in the conference has been selected by
the United Nations to be honored in New York in September for his efforts
to promote the sustainable development of Siwa.
Leadership
EQI
has applied the knowledge base accumulated over 20 years of work as a consultant
in the field of sustainable development, by investing directly in the very
projects it has traditionally promoted. EQIs initiative has shown that
civic investment in sustainable development is not only wise but also profitable.
It also shows that one does not have to be Siwan to serve the interests
of the Siwans, but that interaction and mutual respect among cultures enrich
human development. By linking our destiny to that of the Siwi population
we have managed to launch a self-propelling process of development that
is bringing joy and prosperity to the people of Siwa and to EQI. The project
can be considered a source of worldwide inspiration, encouraging the mobilization
of private investments in sustainable development. |