“The global decline in biodiversity remains alarming. The main causes include deforestation, changes in habitat and land degradation, often linked to the growing impact of climate change,” declares the Secretary General of the United Nations on the International Day for Biological Diversity.
“The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)and ostrich are already extinct in Syria; meanwhile the Mediterranean Monk Seal and the Arabian Oryx are close to encountering the same fate,” comments Mr. Adnan Saad, director of the Biodiversity and Protected Area Management project.
Syria has experienced drastic socio-economic changes during the last fifty years. Population has increased more than five times since 1950, which not only had a direct effect on the land but also amplified demand for livestock products, causing pressure on the grazing resources. Moreover, over-exploitation of wood resources caused natural habitat destruction and deterioration and loss of biodiversity. As a result, numerous species of trees and consequently the whole ecosystem are now endangered.
However, since the implementation of the national strategy and national action plan of biodiversity in 2003, Syria has taken large steps towards the protection of its environment and biodiversity.
In 2005, in cooperation with the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (MSEA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR), UNDP started a 7 year project for Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Area Management funded by GEF, to ensure that Syria’s globally and nationally significant biodiversity is sustainably and efficiently used.
An exhibition of environmentally friendly products and samples of locally collected herbs and spices
So far three sites have benefited from the project: the Protected Area (PA) of Al Fronloq in the governorate of Lattakia which represents the climax vegetation in the area, the PA of Jebel Abdul Aziz in Al- Hassake governorate which is home to the nearest living examples of Neolithic sites along the Euphrates, and the PA of Abou-Qubies in Hama region which has a unique assemblage of fauna and flora, including as many as 25 rare or endangered species.
The project aims to transform the role of local communities from sources of threat to the environment partners in its conservation, while involving them in PA management.
Community-based organizations (CBOs) are encouraged to submit alternative sustainable livelihood activity proposals while the project will provide technical and financial support for implementation of those most suitable for the local economic and ecological conditions.
“The locals are not only our partners, but also the owners of this land,” says Mr. Adnan Saad, director of the Biodiversity and Protected Area Management project. “We are developing a resource management scheme aimed towards sustainable livelihood and reduction of pressure on natural resources.”
“Education and public awareness are essential to a responsible lifestyle. We encourage traditional and environmentally friendly lifestyles in the communities living in and around the protected areas,” says Ms. Kaukab Daieh, State Minister of Environment.
On the international biodiversity day on the 25thof May, an exhibition of environmentally friendly products and samples of locally collected herbs and spices was held in the Abou-Qubies protected area. It was accompanied by poetry readings, songs and speeches by Mrs. Kaukab Daieh, Minister of Environment, Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN Resident Coordinator in Syria, and the governor of Hama among others, celebrating the beauty of Syrian natural environment and biodiversity.
Ms. Kaukab Daieh, State Minister of Environment and Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Syria Receiving memorial plate from the local community of Abou-Qubies
“This festival is one of many activities aimed at increasing public awareness about biodiversity and the need of action in order to protect it. Next month we are holding a fundraising event for the establishment of CBO– run alternative livelihood projects,” says Adnan Saad.
Ultimately, empowering local communities to protect their traditional knowledge and ensuring equitable access to and sharing of the benefits of biodiversity are part of UNDP’s Global Biodiversity Programme’s activities to achieve the goals of sustainable development and poverty reduction.
By Ingrida Kerusauskaite