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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 EQI’s 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.

EQI’s investment in Siwa was guided by and has impacted other development activities undertaken by the company in the oasis. As the urban Management Programme’s 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. EQI’s 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.

 



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