Biodiversity and Sustainable Use of Egyptian Desert Plants: Economic Potential Under Climate Change

Climate change encompasses significant, long-term alterations in the Earth’s climatic system, including shifts in temperature regimes, precipitation patterns, and wind dynamics that define regional climates. These changes arise from both natural drivers, such as volcanic activity and variations in solar radiation, and anthropogenic influences. The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related extremes are exerting profound impacts on ecosystems worldwide. Egypt has been particularly affected over the past five decades, experiencing pronounced manifestations of climate change, including prolonged droughts, declining precipitation, and a sustained rise in ambient temperatures. These conditions intensify environmental stresses by accelerating soil erosion, reducing the productivity of marginal lands, and promoting desertification. The impacts of climate change in Egypt are further compounded by land-use transformation, the proliferation of invasive alien species, and heightened extinction risks for numerous plant taxa already considered vulnerable. Located within the hyper-arid Sahara of North Africa, Egypt’s three major desert regions such as the Eastern Desert, Western Desert, and the Sinai Peninsula rank among the most arid landscapes globally. Desert vegetation, dominated primarily by xerophytic shrubs and subshrubs, constitutes the prevailing plant life form and occupies more than 90% (one million km2) of the country’s land surface. Although each desert is characterized by distinct physiographic features and floristic assemblages, the combined effects of extreme aridity and escalating human pressures have resulted in the decline and local disappearance of many economically valuable plant species from their natural habitats. Anthropogenic activities represent a major threat to Egypt’s plant biodiversity, with overharvesting, urban expansion, overgrazing, waste disposal, road construction, and tourism-related development causing widespread degradation of natural ecosystems. This chapter assesses the current status of Egypt’s natural plant resources through representative case studies from the three desert regions. It examines the traditional uses of desert plants for fodder, folk and herbal medicine, and household applications, and presents the biogeographical distribution of economically important plant species across Egypt’s major ecological regions.