Resumen de Development of sustainable forestry in desert lands using sewage water
Egyptian Western Desert covers about 700,000 square kilometers and accounts for about twothirds of Egypt's land area. In the mid 1990s Egypt established the “National Programme for the Safe Use of Treated Sewage Water (TWW) for Afforestation”. Within the framework of this programme, a pilot project was conducted on over 4,000 hectares spread over the country to determine the success/failure of afforestation using basic-treated sewage water. This case study demonstrates the afforestation results at Ismailia “Serapium Forest”. The supporting scientific work is carried out by highly qualified German and Egyptian scientists including: The Institute of Silviculture, Technische Universität München (TUM); Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ain Shams University; Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Alexandria; These institutions aim to gain important scientific information and to attain achievements towards the successful realization of the afforestation in Egypt. Officially, the Serapium Forest is 128.5 ha large (305.8 feddans) and the planted parcels with “Tree Species” hold an area of 96.3 ha (229.3 feddans). “Non-tree Species” cover an area of 13.0 ha (30.8 feddans) and the “UncultivatedParcels” 19.2 ha (45.7 feddans). The area of four non-tree species being planted in parcels is 13 ha (30.8 feddans), (Agave sisalana, Bambus, Jatropha curcas, Simmondsia chinensis) and the total area of 9 tree species is 128.5 ha (305.8 feddans) (Casuarina equisetifolia, Cupressus sempervirens, Dalbergia sissoo, Eucalyptus citriodora, Harpullia, Khaya grandifoliola, Khaya senegalensis, Pinus halepensis, Terminalia arjuna). After determining the yield of some tree species and investigating the feasibility of the afforestation in Egypt by using (TWW), its environmental, social and economical impacts were concluded. It was estimated an internal rate of return exceeding 12% by afforesting 1,000 ha of desert lands using 14 tree species of theplantation forests (in Egypt) stating that it was relatively high. They estimate that each yield could be attained approximately 4.5 times earlier than in Germany, the leading country in forestry in Europe. Egypt currently allocates 6.7 billion m³ of sewage water annually. 5.5 billion m³ of this sewage water is sufficient to afforest over 650,000 hectares of desert lands and store over 25million tons of CO² annually in the new plantation forests. The results show that the Serapium Forest plantation is a great proof of the ability of Egyptian institutions to establish man made forests irrigated with (TWW) in the desert. The most promising types were Khaya senegalensis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus citriodora.
