| August 2010 |
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Defending Diversity By Samia Madwar
Syrian photographer Issam Hajjar was surveying the slopes of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains east of Bloudan six years ago when he came across animal tracks in the snow. On closer inspection, he noticed the paw prints resembled those of the Syrian brown bear, an animal thought to be extinct in Syria since 1960. Hajjar expected the images he took of the tracks to elicit excitement among environmental experts back in Damascus. But while some agreed that the tracks resembled those of a bear, nobody volunteered to investigate further. Despite being disappointed by the lack of interest, Hajjar said the discovery of the prints only hardened his resolve to preserve Syria's waning biodiversity. He continued his surveys as part of a project called Sannir, named after the ancient Aramaic term for the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The project, sponsored by Daaboul Investment Group and several other organisations, seeks to promote and protect the country's wildlife which is under threat by rapid urbanisation and poor environmental protection legislation. In June, Sannir released its first book of landscape photography dedicated to natural sites in Syria. It is also working on another volume documenting the country's historical sites. Saving what remains At the book launch in Damascus, Hajjar finally discovered a kindred interest in his discovery. Darem Tabbaa, an expert on Syrian fauna and president of the Syrian chapter of the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), has been trying to reintroduce the Syrian brown bear in the country. The animal lives inside foreign reserves and zoos, but to date Tabbaa has been unable to secure the funds necessary to raise a bear in captivity in Syria. Tabbaa was, therefore, thrilled when he saw Hajjar's photo of the tracks. He might not need to bring the animal back to Syria – perhaps it still exists here after all. One of the major hurdles to wildlife protection in Syria is that, as in this instance, not enough is known about the current state of the country's flora and fauna. But while environmental protection efforts are small and slow going, work is being done. The UN declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and through this framework the UNDP commissioned, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, a much-needed biodiversity survey of Syria's natural resources.
Tabbaa contributed to the report, titled A Feasibility Study of Syria's Natural Reserves, which recorded at least 2,500 animal species. It also lists large mammals that, like the Syrian brown bear, are presumed extinct in Syria due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting. The reem gazelle, Syrian onager and Arabian ostrich also make it onto this list. A lack of awareness and insufficient data management aggravate threats to wildlife. A visit to the Central Bureau of Statistics, for example, yields volumes of information on agricultural production, land use and ownership, but scant records on wildlife populations. The number of wildlife studies, however, is increasing. Several universities are conducting studies in this area and the Syrian Environmental Association (SEA) is creating a field guide to the country's nature reserves which will list the flora and fauna found there. Seeing is believing To improve awareness and combat apathy towards the environment, Samir al-Safadi, an SEA staffer, suggested that instead of publishing lists that tell people what is in their environment, groups like his need to encourage more Syrians to see it for themselves. Currently, most of Syria's nature reserves are closed to the public. This means that while the wildlife – in theory – goes undisturbed, the general public never get to see what it is that they should be working to protect. Safadi said he has repeatedly suggested to the Ministry of Environment that it open more reserves to the public.
Not only are people cut off from unspoilt nature, but too little of it is set aside for protection. Less than 1 percent of Syria's land area is protected, one of the lowest percentages of protected land among Mediterranean countries, according to the UNDP. The reserves that do exist – and many unprotected places – are home to such rare animal species as the bald ibis and large, iconic trees including cedars and firs. Until they can visit these sites themselves, Syrians must largely learn about their country's wildlife through secondary means. SPANA has produced educational nature documentaries and children's stories, as well as a mobile exhibit on animal diversity. It will be housed in a bus that is now getting its final touch-ups in London before coming to Syria, where it will visit primary schools in every governorate. The exhibit will feature games that allow children to view the world through the eyes of animals and interactive stations where they can learn more about ecosystems. Turning predators into protectors Teaching people to know and respect animals is key to changing attitudes and behaviour, Safadi said. SPANA's materials encourage people to view animals such as snakes and owls as rightful residents of the land, rather than pests or enemies. People are reluctant to accept certain animals and are quick to reach for a weapon when they encounter them, he said. Unregulated hunting is also a culprit in the decimation of wild animals in the country. In 1994 the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform issued a ban on the hunting of wildlife. Safadi argues the ban only affected poorer, subsistence hunters with little to no impact on wealthy hunters, especially those from Gulf states. To date there are no official studies which have assessed the effectiveness of the ban. Anecdotally, it seems to have had a positive impact. While breaches of the ban occur, Tabbaa said he has seen a marked rise in the number and variety of certain animals, especially birds, since it was introduced.
Rich in diversity Despite the many threats facing it, Syria's environment contains a wide array of animals and plants. The country's flora is remarkably diverse. According to Mwaffak Chikhali, a plant taxonomist and consultant with the water management and environmental consultancy company Earth Link & Advanced Resources Development (ELARD), there are 3,700 known plant species in Syria. He estimated there are at least 400 species yet to be discovered. By comparison, there are only 1,800 known plant species in England and about 2,800 known plant species in Germany, a country which boasts a land mass five times greater than Syria's. A three-volume publication on plants and herbs in Syria and Lebanon by French taxonomist Paul Mouterde, titled Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie (New Flora of Lebanon and Syria), includes 80 pages on species that are only found in Syria. What's more, the book only covers 55 percent of Syria's land mass, meaning the remaining 45 percent is yet to be classified. Of the thousands of plant species indigenous to Syria, Chikhali's favourite is the wild tulip. Protecting and increasing biodiversity can also reap economic rewards, he said. "Wars have been fought in the Netherlands over tulips," Chikhali said. The genetic source of the tulip is rooted in Syria. As such, Chikhali said the country "should be a breeding ground for genetic varieties of tulips" and benefit financially from them. No large-scale plans to grow the plants currently exist, however. Like Hajjar, Chikhali has created his own photo database of plants and wildlife which he posts on his website, Flora Syria Online. Of its 1,600 images, photos of tulips are the most prominent. Perusing the images, flowers in unconventional shades of dark purples and reds fill the screen. It is a site that inspires a sense of pride and protection towards Syria's natural heritage. As more people see what their country holds, they may begin to feel the same. |
1 February 2012
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