Biodiversity in national and international law

Today, more than ever, the world is aware of the importance of biodiversity, not only for the preservation of the environment, but also for the economic exploitation of this diversity. Hence, biodiversity has begun to take its place in modern legislation, in addition to the attention that was and still aroused at the level of international law.

At the international level, interest was represented in concluding the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity in 1992, which is the first comprehensive agreement in terms of the countries that have acceded to it and the species it deals with. At the national level, the interest was represented in the issuance of modern legislation in many countries that simultaneously addresses the preservation of biodiversity from the dangers of deterioration or demise, and its use to benefit from it at the scientific and economic level. This use has become a central theme in the legal framework for biodiversity.

Despite the importance of the issue of biodiversity in terms of protection and use, it has not yet received sufficient attention from the Egyptian legislator, who had previously issued the Natural Reserves Law in 1983, a law that was not sufficient at the time of its issuance, and no longer meets the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity in its related provisions protection.

In addition to the need for modern legislation related to biodiversity, we also need in Egypt to establish a general legal framework through codification that includes all provisions related to the environment in general, and from us, in particular, the provisions of biodiversity; So that the various environmental legislations do not remain separate without providing any framework that brings them together. Is it time to issue a general environmental regulation in Egypt?