As part of the launch of the Small Initiatives Program for Civil Society Organizations in North Africa (PPI-OSCAN) and the partnership between the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED) and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, RAED signed a cooperation agreement with the Benban Solar Energy Investors Association to implement the “Nile Valley Seed Bank Project.” 

In this context, the Benban Solar Energy Investors Association, in collaboration with the Southern Region Protected Areas and RAED, organized the first field trip for the Nile Valley Seed Bank Project team to the First Cataract Islands. During the trip, researchers from the protected areas provided a detailed explanation of the wild plant species in the region to the rest of the team, collected plant samples and seeds, and documented all relevant field data at the site. 

The trip was concluded with the collection of 12 herbarium samples and 8 types of plant seeds.