Resource information
This sectorial Action Plan aims at proposing measures to protect the national soil from deterioration, limit the land degradation and soil erosion, and to combat the desertification. It is meant as an implementation of the art. 4 of the International Convention to Combat Desertification of 1994.The Plan can be divided in three main sections. The first section deals with the status of climate, natural and water resources in Syria. The second one reports measures and projects hold in the past years facing the matter. While the third section explains the proposed measures to combat desertification and drought mitigation, indicating the institutional concerned bodies and ministries for the different fields.The main objectives of this Strategy are the follow: improve the productivity of the land in areas affected by desertification through the maintenance of land and water resources, together with a sustainable management; improve the economic conditions of the population of the affected areas through the development of alternative production programs in line with the objectives of the fight against desertification; strength the gender-sensitive design in the program activities emphasizing the participation of local communities, popular organizations and land users in proposing, implementing and evaluating the projects. Basic principles to give effect to these objectives are: awareness of the role of climate variability in the degradation of natural resources and work to avoid their impact; a proper water management; soil conservation and maintenance of deterioration factors; preservation of natural vegetation, to create the conditions to protect the ecosystems.The document also assesses the present desertification level in the country and its social and economic effects, in particular in the agricultural and pastoral fields.
