Gabel Elba PA falls within Egypt’s largest and most important protected area, the Elba Protected Area (PA), which encompasses some 35 600 km2. It is located between the longitudes 22°00'N - 23°50'N, and the latitudes 35°00'E - 37°00'E. The study area northern boundaries extend more than 50 km north of Shalateen town, and the southern border extend about 100 km a long the international Egypt-border between Egypt and Sudan.

It contains an enormous variety of habitats and landscape features, ranging from coral reefs to mountain habitats, and supports a rich flora and fauna. There are at least 27 species of mammals, 38 species of reptiles and amphibians, and some 60 species of breeding birds. One of the most prominent features of the area is Gebel Elba (Elba Mountain). Due its closeness to the sea and its interception of moisture-laden north-east winds, Gebel Elba enjoys a higher precipitation than other Red Sea Mountains.

Indeed, Gebel Elba is a “biodiversity hotspot”, with a biological diversity unparalleled in any other terrestrial environment in Egypt. The relative abundance of moisture supports a diverse flora of some 458 plant species – almost 25% of plant species recorded for the entire country. Many Afro-tropical elements have their northern limits at Gebel Elba, and the dense cover of acacias and other scrubs represents the only natural woodland in Egypt.

Gabel Elba region as a southern border of GEPA with its geographic location and its natural resources not only represent an important biological hotspot but also as a cultural and economic corridor between North Africa and Egypt. From thousands years, there is a continuous interaction between the biological diversity and local people across the border of the Egypt and Sudan. As a critical part for this study to understand the complex situation of causes and vector of invasion of mesquite

The Local people in the study area.

There are three main tribes residing in the Elba PA: the Bisharia, Ababda and Rashayda; the former two are indigenous to the area.

The Bisharia are the largest tribe in the GEPA. This tribe’s territory includes Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, the majority are found in the Sudan. The Bisharia are a sedentary to semi-nomadic peoples of Hamatic descent speaking an unwritten language, “Beja”. The Bisharia occupy the southern sections of the PA including the vicinity of Gabel Elba. Populations in the park are subject to continuous fluctuations and movements dependent upon the seasonal availability of rangeland, including movements between Egypt and Sudan.

The Ababda are an indigenous tribe to the southern Eastern Desert, predominately found in the northern sections of the PA. Their territory is mainly north of Shalatein to Quseir as far west as the Nile Valley, with small numbers found south to Sudan. Like the Bisharia, they are a sedentary to semi-nomadic people subject to seasonal movements. They are known to coexist and maintain good relations with the Bisharia.

The Rashayda are non-indigenous tribe inhabiting the coastal plain. Originally, from Saudi Arabia, the tribe was expelled in 1846 and settled along the Red Sea coast of Sudan south to Eritrea. Families from the Rashayda tribe were residing in the Halaib when Egypt took over the administration of the area. The Rashayda are more affluent than Bisharia and Ababda tribes playing a pivotal role in the camel trade and other trade between Egypt and Sudan.

Social-Economic Context

The main socio-economic activities of the local tribes are livestock herding and charcoal production. There is some limited trade in other natural products, such as honey and wild plants sold as remedial medicines, as well as handicrafts. In the coastal communities there are commercial enterprises, including trade between the Sudan and Egypt. This is mainly engaged in by Egyptians and the Rashayda.