The earth’s finite natural resources and the environment are under tremendous pressure today. Indifferent human activities are taking their toll and governments across the globe are fast realizing the need to stem this tide, introduce corrective policies and pursue a path of sustainable development. The Arabian Gulf region is one of the world’s most naturally endowed and economically prosperous regions. It also scores well on several social parameters. It is the world’s richest in oil and gas reserves and the poorest in renewable water and arable land and continues to rely excessively on natural resources as a development strategy. Water and oil are being tapped at unsustainable levels. Gulf countries face several urgent environmental issues that include water scarcity, land degradation, biodiversity, coastal environment degradation and air pollution. The Gulf Region and the Arab World in general suffers from Land degradation and desertification. The proximate causes of land degradation and biodiversity loss are overgrazing, expansion of agriculture to marginal areas and rangelands to meet the increasing demand of food and fodder, and salinization due to over-abstraction of water and poor irrigation practices. In light of the above, a training program plus a workshop in field related to water, land and biodiversity issue is very crucial in order to know the up-to-date management techniques as well as see in practice such techniques.


Program Themes:

1. The program includes lectures, case studies, field visit and a workshop.
2. Integrated Package for the sustainable Management for Renewable Natural Resources in Arab World.
3. Increase the knowledge level in the field of management of renewable natural resources in arid and marginal lands.
4. Know the success stories in the fields of protection and maintenance of biodiversity and integrated management of water resources.
5. Desertification monitoring, estimation and rehabilitation of deteriorated areas.
6. Raise the awareness in the modern techniques, approaches and measures in the integrated and sustainable management of Renewable Natural Resources in arid Arab World.
7. Networking the experts and specialists in the program themes in the Arab world.
8. Field visits to a number of research centers for land and water uses, protected areas, desertification project and climatologically station across Syria.