Area-based conservation: The strengths and weaknesses of the Egyptian emerging experience in area-based conservation

The interest in securing and sustaining the townscape and urban values of the historic environment has escalated as a response to the writings of intellectuals, such as Kevin Lynch and Gordon Cullen. Such interest has been construed by the governments’ introduction of statutory tools allowing them the right to designate urban areas within the boundaries of which the historic environment can be provided a statutory protection. The earliest European attempt to introduce such tools has been the Dutch establishment of the model of conservation areas known as “Protected Town and Village Views” in 1961. In 1962, the renowned Malraux Act has officially established the French similar model of protected areas known as “Secteurs Sauvegardés”. The introduction of such tools has marked the emergence of what has been later called area-based conservation. In Egypt, the enactment of the Act No. 119, in 2008, and the establishment of the model of protected areas known as “Areas Enjoying a Distinctive Value”, seem to have marked the emergence of the Egyptian official experience in area-based conservation. The main aim of this study was to preview the key features of the Egyptian emerging experience in area-based conservation and to unveil its strengths and weaknesses. The study approached the issue by means of a comparative analysis conducted among a group of adopted case studies. The adopted case studies included the British, the Dutch, the Egyptian, the French, the Irish and the Maltese experiences in area-based conservation, in addition to the international institutions’ experiences. The findings indicated that adopting the centralized approach to designate the Egyptian “Areas Enjoying a Distinctive Value” seems to be the major weakness of the Egyptian experience. The findings suggest the further boosting of the role of the Egyptian local authorities in the management of such designated areas.