Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

How Egypt is growing forests in middle of the desert

How Egypt is growing forests in middle of the desert

Amid the success of the Serapium Forest, a massive plantation in Egypt, the country is now looking to plant more desert lands with trees as part of plans to fight climate change.
Growing a forest in the middle of the desert has become reality with Egypt eyeing more of these projects to support its economy and fight environmental and climate changes.

Egypt has managed to plant trees in the desert using wastewater, as part of plans to preserve the environment, reduce pollution and optimize the use of natural water resources. The Serapium Forest, which has boomed despite the drought and rainfall deficit, consists of 200 hectares (494 acres) of trees planted in Ismailia city, in northeast Egypt. The forest has been a vital project that set a precedent for other projects to reduce water pollution and unemployment.

The Central Administration of Reforestation affiliated with Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture launched work on the Serapium Forest back in 1998. A documentary was released in 2014 showing the results of this project.

In light of the success of the Serapium Forest project, African countries followed suit. In 2019, 21 African countries, including Egypt, embarked on a tree-planting project, dubbed the Great Green Wall. Preparations for the project had started back in 2007. Twelve African countries, including Egypt, launched the project from Nigeria, and soon nine other countries joined the initiative. It starts from Senegal, in the far west of the continent, to Djibouti, in its east.

The project, of which only 15% has been completed, stretches over nearly 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles). It is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2030. The forest will extend over 100 million hectares (247 million acres) at an estimated cost of $8 billion.

Ragaei Saafan, project manager in Serapium, told Al-Monitor that using sewage water to grow a forest in the desert is a golden idea and helps boost the economy. He explained that the treated sewage water will help transform large areas of the Egyptian desert into arable and economically viable areas.

He said that the evergreen forests would purify the air, combat desertification and help reduce the high summer temperature. He added that there is a tree leaf cutter machine in the Serapium Forest, allowing cypress, pine and other deciduous conifers leaves to be used as fertilizers and feed for the livestock. There is also a possibility to raise livestock without any significant cost, except for the potable water, he noted.

Saafan pointed out that in addition to its role in maintaining soil fertility, this forest serves the local economy. He explained that a good management would allow some planted trees, such as the mahogany and camphor, to serve as a permanent source of income in Egypt by exporting the trees or using them in the local wood industry.

Commenting on how the treated sewage water is channeled to Serapium Forest, Saafan explained that the wastewater is channeled in big underground basins high in micro-organisms, and oxygen is pumped to accelerate the water purification process. The water, high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which are good for the forest, is then stored throughout the forest. According to him, the trees have grown four times faster than in any other forest in Europe where the weather is much more favorable. While an average of 60 years is needed for a tree in Europe to become mature, 15 years is more than enough for the trees to mature in this forest.

Commenting on the Ministry of Agriculture’s plan to implement the experience in the other governorates, Sayed Khalifa, head of the Central Administration for Agricultural Extension at the ministry, told Al-Monitor that the ministry already started a plan to promote forests in the various governorates. He noted that 250 feddans (260 acres) of land in Ballanah in Aswan governorate will be planted with trees, including palm trees, after the irrigation network is set up.

He added that 40 feddans (42 acres) of trees are expected to be planted in Armant in Luxor governorate, in addition to 300 feddans (311 acres) in el-Belina in Sohag governorate.

Khalifa said the goal behind growing forests in Egypt is to optimize the use of treated sewage water, produce wood and create new wood-based industries, produce biofuels, protect the country against desertification and erosion, solve the problem of food security, stabilize sand dunes, protect the coasts and boost tourism.

Commenting on the desertification rate in Egypt, Abdo Mahmoud, professor of lands studies at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagazig University, told Al-Monitor that Egypt loses 3.5 feddans (3.6 acres) per hour, which is very dangerous given the limited agricultural lands across the country, amounting to 4% of Egypt’s total area.

He accused the successive governments of ignoring the threats of desertification, but at the same time, he praised the current serious attempts to combat desertification.

During a meeting with the minister of water and forests of Cote d'Ivoire, Alain-Richard Donwahi, in October 2018, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ezz El-Din Abu Steit had said that there are 33 forests across the Egyptian governorates linked to sewage stations, in addition to 28 forest nurseries to supply forests with seedlings.

The minister added that since Africa is the natural extension of Egypt, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for further cooperation with all African countries, particularly in the agricultural sector, according to the Middle East News Agency.

During a seminar held in 2018 at the Regional Center for Food and Feed affiliated with the Agricultural Research Center, Sisi’s adviser Hani el-Kateb said that Egypt has no experience in growing forests, although its weather is favorable for that. He stressed the need for Egypt to take advantage of such weather in growing forests and cited water scarcity and network problems as top obstacles in this regard. He pointed out that ancient Egyptians and Chinese used the Phragmites in their irrigation.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×