"Laboratory" in the Heart of Egypt's Desert.. This is How a Russian Protects Rare Plants in Marsa Alam

Editor’s Note: "Earth Call" is an editorial series from Ofoq News committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet and the solutions to address them. Rolex has partnered with Ofoq News through the "Evergreen Planet" initiative to raise awareness and knowledge about key sustainability issues and inspire positive action - Nature has always been a part of Russian Irina Springle's life, as her relationship with plants began in her childhood, and this passion was enhanced during her university studies in the former Soviet Union. However, she later became one of the prominent voices in the field of plant conservation in a completely different environment, namely Egypt, where she fell in love with the desert nature.

As a result of this passion, she established, in collaboration with environmental enthusiasts, a garden at the Wadi Sabra Resort in Marsa Alam. Springle said in an interview with Ofoq News Arabic about this garden, which is about eight years old: "We are now planting very rare plants that are difficult to find."

The garden started with only three species, but today it includes more than 60 types, including plants grown from rare seeds collected from the desert after great effort, along with plants that grew naturally after being transported by birds or winds to the resort's land, located between the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea. Unique desert plants formed the local knowledge that Springle gained from the Bedouins in Egypt, which was a fundamental pillar in designing the desert garden within the Wadi Sabra Resort, as she worked with them for twenty years during her repeated trips to the desert.

When starting work in the garden and asking them about the plants that should be planted, their first answer was a plant known as "Laloub dates" or "Heglig." This plant has been used since ancient times, as the Bedouins benefited from all its parts, such as the fruits, leaves, and wood.

Oils were also extracted from it, and traces of it were found inside the tombs of the pharaohs. Springle said: "It is believed that it was used for cosmetic purposes."

This legacy continues to this day, as the resort employs this knowledge in producing skincare products from these oils rich in benefits. "A Living Seed Bank" Despite the importance of the Heglig tree in the past, it is no longer widely spread in Egypt today and does not grow everywhere. In general, desert plants face multiple challenges, including agricultural expansion, road construction projects, in addition to the impacts of gold extraction activities.

Therefore, initiatives like this desert garden are gaining increasing importance, as it is a place where people can visit and learn from, collect seeds, and contribute to restoring desert habitats. Springle explained that "the garden we have today represents a living seed bank."

When people think of recreating a desert habitat, they can turn to this place for the necessary seeds instead of searching in the desert, a process that may not yield results even after years of effort. Despite the existence of many botanical gardens around the world, Springle confirmed that this garden is a "unique place," especially since it focuses exclusively on desert plants.

She said: "Desert plants that grow in the desert are considered part of Egyptian heritage that we seek to protect."