Appreciation of how forest land can be managed in a sustainable way in arid and
semi-arid zones (ASAZs) of centralized countries is limited. Accordingly, this thesis
seeks to analyse the role of government and communities, including women, in the
formulation and implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) policy
and practices in the semi-arid environment of Syria where such land is limited in
extent (e.g. 3% forest and 57% rangeland) and yet where its high biodiversity
value is of international significance. The thesis employs a variety of methods: a
case study approach (Syria); a questionnaire (i.e. 142 respondents); face-to-face
interviews (i.e. 26 interviewees); participant observation and secondary data. The
SFM model was used to organise and analyse the influences of environmental,
economic, social, cultural and political issues on the state of forest land in Syria.
Three contrasting forest areas were selected for detailed analysis at local level: Al
Foronloq had the Arab Institute of Forestry close by and the area had a high
biodiversity value for landscape; Abo Kbeis contained key genetic resources and a
number of women there had been trained in forest management and Abd Aziz
Mountain was characterised by rangeland with traditional grazing plus a very arid
environment.
The main results obtained from census data confirmed that Syrian forest lands
have diminished considerably since 1900 with regard to their geographical extent
due to agricultural development, expansion of rural-urban settlements as well as of
agricultural land onto Syrian forest land. On a more general level, the political
issues in Syria (i.e. centralization and independency of the country) demand
development of the internal resources of the country, such as agricultural
production, in order to cover the needs of human maintenance.
Scrutinising forest documentation and using results of face-to-face interviews, it
was found that there were considerable changes in forest policies in terms of
forest protection and plantation. In addition, there was a recent indication of
adopting SFM principles in the case study area, largely as a result of action by
agencies external to Syria at the national level, and the new role of NGOs in forest
management at the local level. The increasing level of awareness of
environmental problems; the capacity of institutions; community participation in
natural resources management and achieving international agreements were also
found to be paramount in any contracts between the Syrian government and other
organisations.
This thesis, at the local level, showed that respondents in the mountains (in the
Abd Aziz Mountain (AAM) study area) seemed to be older, poorer, mostly with
non-educated background, with more than three children, than in the Al Foronloq
(AF) and Abo Kbeis (AK) study areas. Respondent groups in AAM were found to be more dependent upon forest resources than respondents in AF and AK; and
they occupied land illegally because of their mission to develop agricultural
activities, including grazing. The study confirmed that educated households in AF
and AK use forest resources more than non-educated households. Conversely,
non-educated households in AAM suffer from gaining a local income which may in
turn affect their attitudes and behaviours in using forest resources; and as
consequence, householders suffering from financial problems may be less aware
of the importance of forest protection and try to solve their individual needs by
increasing the pressures on the forest resources.
The major constraints affecting the formulation and implementation of SFM policy
are insufficient financial resources, inadequate management from national to
regional and local levels; the limitations are also related to local communities’
attitudes and ignorance of the role of women in forest management.
This thesis found that the contribution of women in the labour force at the local
level was high in Lattakia (Al Foronloq study area) compared with other study
areas (e.g. 32.9% in Lattakia against 13.4% in Hamah and 18.8% in Alhasake)
(UNDP: Syrian Human development, 2005); although, there was a significant
relationship between income level, family size and women’s contribution in forest
management at the local level and no significant relationship with the educational
level. On a more specific level, the role of religious faith in AK affects the
contribution of women in the society and the workplace generally and in forest
management in particular.
Finally, the application of the SFM model in this study provided a flexible approach
for analysis of complicated interactions between the government and communities.
It also provided a comprehensive framework for different types of analytical
purposes. Each of the three main components (issues, state and political decisionmakers)
was divided into several sub-components which facilitate the explanation
and identification of the complexities affecting the formulation of SFM policy and
the implementation of such policy. It helped to provide a set of policy
recommendations which may help to increase future community participation in
forest management and reduce the influences of community pressures on forest
resources in Syria.
Date of Award | 2010 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | |
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Supervisor | Andrew Williams (Other Supervisor) |
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- Government
- Local community
- Top-down and Bottom-up actions
- Sustainable forest management
An Investigation into Sustainable Forest Policies and Practices in Syria
Al Berni, R. R. (Author). 2010
Student thesis: PhD