30 July - 5 August 2012 - orsam

4- How to? Resource development. Resource Efficiency. Alternative paths to sustainability.
5- Benefits of regional cooperation for sustainability: in food production, energy, research and
development.
Between 25-30 April, AFED organized regional consultations (in Cairo, Beirut and Amman) to
discuss preliminary findings.
MAIN FINDINGS OF THE GFN ARAB FOOTPRINT SURVEY
The results for the Arab region Ecological Footprint survey are critical for understanding the region‘s
competitive advantages and disadvantages. Here are highlights of the findings:
* The average Ecological Footprint per capita in the Arab region increased 85 percent, from 1.2 gha
to 2.2 gha per capita, between 1961 and 2008
* Population has increased 250 percent over the same period; the overall regional Ecological
Footprint has therefore increased more than 500 percent.
* Between 1961 and 2008, the available biocapacity per capita in the Arab region decreased 60
percent, from 2.2 gha per capita to 0.9 gha per capita
* 4 nations alone contribute more than 50 percent of the Arab region‘s Ecological Footprint: Egypt
(22 percent), Saudi Arabia (14 percent), UAE (10 percent), and Sudan (9 percent)
* Only 2 nations provide approximately 50 percent of the biocapacity of the Arab region: Sudan (32
percent) and Egypt (17 percent)
* Since 1979 the region has been in a situation of biocapacity deficit, with its demand for ecological
services increasingly exceeding its supply. In order to maintain this situation, the import of ecological
services from outside the region‘s borders was necessary.
* Other than in the GCC countries, the average inhabitant‘s Footprint is small compared to the rest of
the world, and in many cases it is too small to meet basic food, shelter, health and sanitation needs. In
order to make vital quality of life improvements, large segments of the region‘s population must have
greater access to renewable natural resources. Meeting this need will involve multiple strategies:
large improvements in resource efficiency; expansion of biocapacity without resource intensive
production; and, since it is likely that the Ecological Footprint of this region will then rise, a
corresponding decrease in the Ecological Footprint of other regions will be required.
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