Desert oases as geoheritage-rich areas: present knowledge and sustainability perspectives in the western desert of Egypt and beyond

Contemporary progress in geological heritage (geoheritage) studies in deserts has allowed the identification of a new resource for sustainable development in oases. The field investigations and the bibliographical survey enable the identification of geoheritage-rich areas (GRA) in the Western Desert of Egypt and beyond. These GRAs reflect natural concentrations of peculiar geological and geomorphological features. Eight oasis-centered GRAs are outlined in the Western Desert of Egypt (Bahariya, Dakhla, Dungul, Faiyum, Farafra, Kharga, Kurkur, Siwa), and several GRAs of the same kind are found in North Africa (beyond Egypt), the Middle East, and western South America. The Egyptian GRAs often represented sedimentary, paleogeographical, and geomorphological features. It is established that these GRAs differ in geoheritage exploration and content, and the most comprehensive data are available for four oases of the Western Desert of Egypt (Bahariya, Farafra, Faiyum, and Siwa) and the Hingol area of Pakistan. It is argued that various sustainability aspects matter for the considered oases of the Western Desert of Egypt and can be linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Utilization of geoheritage resources can contribute to the sustainability of desert oases. It is also suggested that geoheritage studies in the oases of the Western Desert of Egypt can serve as a model for similar research in other desert domains of the world.