Project overview:

Natural forests in Syria cover an area of 234 500 ha, while plantation forests account for 268 500 ha, covering an area equivalent to 2.71 percent of the country (CBS, 2007). While forest plantations benefited from management, natural forests lacked adequate management and were severely degraded.

Syrian forests represent an important source of livelihoods for rural people and have been recognized for their grazing, tourism and recreation potential. They play a significant role in the protection of watersheds, prevention of soil erosion and flooding, as well as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, landscape quality and desertification control. 

However, in the absence of a real forest inventory and reliable data regarding forest resources, it was difficult to thoroughly assess the role of Syrian forests in terms of market and non-market goods and services in the Syrian economy. The forest sector produced very modest volumes of wood, which were mainly used to satisfy small industrial and domestic needs, firewood and charcoal, and other medicinal and aromatic plants and fruits.

Within the cooperation framework established between Syria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) and Turkey’s General Directorate of Forestry, a delegation of Turkish technical staff undertook an official mission to Syria from 21 to 24 February 2009 in order to assess the needs of the forestry sector in Syria and to explore the possibility of designing a project under the FAO/Turkey Partnership Programme for the implementation of joint projects and programmes in the near future. With this purpose, both sides agreed to give priority to the preparation and implementation of a joint project to serve the development of institutional capacities in forest management planning and fire management planning in Syria.

The project was designed to benefit from the know-how and experience of the Turkish Forestry Organization in this field, and contribute to achieving the following objectives:

• introduction of a sustainable forest management planning methodology and building up of institutional capacities, through the preparation of a model management plan for a selected forest area and through on-the-job training
• establishment of a forest resources inventory and database/information system
• establishment of a model forest management planning unit in Syria
• strengthening of planning and institutional capacities in forest fire management
• strengthening of conservation and the sustainable use of natural forest resources

Key results of the project:

• An Ecosystem-Based Functional Forest Management Plan for a selected forest management unit in Syria was prepared with the participation of stakeholders, and based on an ecosystem-based multifunctional forest management methodology.
• A forest fire management plan was prepared with the participation of stakeholders for the same forest management planning unit.
• A forest resources inventory and a database/information system were established.
• Practical training courses for selected Syrian staff were organized in Syria and Turkey.
• An ecotourism site in Idlib was selected and the necessary site management maps for ecotourism purposes were developed.
• A technical manual was prepared on the methodology and procedures for preparing a Forest Management Plan, with a view to standardizing activities in Syria.