Abstract
The research aims to quantify the environmental carrying capacity of both Petrified Forest Protectorate in East Greater Cairo and Hassanah Dome Protectorate in West Greater Cairo, with their sustainable use and preservation. The environmental carrying capacity works as a sustainable method not to exceed the environmental limits of nature reserves or in other words, the number of visitors does not exceed the maximum allowed for visiting the reserve. The methodology used in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been used. The elements of the methodology are at 3 levels, namely, physical carrying capacity (PCC), which depends on the optimal rate of space used per capita and open period, real carrying capacity (RCC), which depends on environmental and social factors, and effective carrying capacity (ECC), which depends on administrative and operational capacity. The results of the research found that the Petrified Forest Protectorate (East of Greater Cairo) accommodates 186,286 visitor per day, and Hassanah Dome Protectorate (West of Greater Cairo) accommodates 26,612 visitor per day. In addition to assessing the level of the ecological carrying capacity index (ECCI), which measures the extent of support for the population and its activities, and by comparing the total environmental carrying capacity of the two protectorates that reached 212,898 visitors per day with the population of Greater Cairo (Cairo Governorate and Giza Governorate), which reached 17 million (Capmas, 2017), it was found that the environmental carrying capacity of the two protectorates is not sufficient to support recreational activities and environmental tourism for people of Greater Cairo.
Highlights
The research problem is represented in the urban growth Cairo (East of Greater Cairo) and Hassanah Dome Protecand population pressure in the Greater Cairo region, and torate, which is located at a distance of 23 km from Cairo the fact that Cairo is the capital of the Arab Republic of (West of Greater Cairo) (EEAA, 2020)
The expansion of outskirts of Greater Cairo (East and West of Greater Cai- recreational activities and environmental tourism in these ro), as shown in Fig. 1, became the only optimal and close reserves may cause negative impacts on the natural and environmental outlet for the people of Greater Cairo, and environmental constituents of these reserves, and these reserves are represented in the Petrified Forest necessitated a study of assessment and determination of Protectorate, which is located at a distance of 30 km from the environmental carrying capacity of these reserves
The concept of environmental tourism carrying capacity provides a certain level of tourism activity and in case of exceeding the limits of this activity, it will result in the damage of the environment including natural habitats; the number of visitors usually indicates the level of change which can be acceptable regarding resource sustainability and social and economic user satisfaction (Maggi and Fredella, 2010)
Summary
Environmental Planning Department, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Ph.D. Urban Planning Department, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Development, Cairo University Campus, Gamaa Street, Giza, Egypt
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