5. Major conclusions and recommendations

Back to contents - Previous file - Next file

The workshop confirmed the need to confront the prevailing rangeland degradation due to irrational human activities, environmental factors, limited results generated by various programmes, lack of funds and insufficient attention devoted to this resource in the past few decades.

Range resource development programmes have been limited to production aspects without giving adequate consideration to socio-economic and human development. This very same element is also a major cause of deterioration either due to the high rate of population growth or the illconceived programmes that concentrated on meeting immediate demands without sufficient planning and efforts to accommodate future requirements.

Accordingly, sustainable rangeland development can only be achieved through comprehensive remedial programmes planned and implemented through collaborative efforts of all parties concerned within the framework of clearly defined policy and well-designed methodology.

The Workshop recommended that:

1. Efforts for rangelands maintenance and development should concentrate on high potential areas that are more responsive to investment. Development of such areas ensures better and quicker environmental and socio-economic returns on both natural resources base and dependent communities;
2. More attention should be directed to socio-economic and resource surveys, and research programmes that deal with grazinglands; their potential and state of degradation;
3. The collection, preservation of their germplasm and re-introduction of endangered plant species should be given priority;
4. Policies, interventions and introduced technologies should be tailored to suit local conditions and realities of pastoral areas without ignoring their effects on the environment and local communities;
5. Universities, research institutions, researchers and graduate students should be encouraged and motivated to give greater attention to rangeland maintenance and management. Initiation of joint and collaborative programmes among such institutions should be encouraged;
6. More attention should be given to the rational use of grazing resources taking into account environmental conditions. Grazing should be controlled and regulated according to actual rangelands productivity. Such efforts should also comprise settlement and regulation of land tenure and grazing rights and creation of local institutions that can ensure collective commitment towards development and conservation of these areas. In addition, complementarily between range, cultivated lands forests and other forage resources will be achieved within agro-silvi-pastoral systems consistent with conservation and rational utilization of resources in the different agro-ecological zones;
7. Close supervision and regular monitoring of she range ecosystem should he exercized in order to protect it from dumping of dangerous and toxic refuse or radio-active materials which can ultimately result in the transfer of such materials through the food chain to human beings;
8. Appropriate measures and precautions should be taken to enhance contribution and participation of all sectors of the society in environmental, developmental, socio-economic and cultural programmes as well as services and activities designed to benefit pastoral areas;
9. More attention should be given to institutions, staff and community leaders involved in all aspects of development of grazing areas to upgrade their knowledge by organizing suitable training courses on conservation and sustainable development of rangelands. They should also be allowed appropriate access to relevant technologies;
10. Marginal lands should be used for mixed farming, using progressive and environmentally-sound practices so that forages and fodder shrubs can be an integral component of this agricultural system. This will facilitate establishment of an efficient agro-pastoral system in which animal production becomes a major component;
11. Integration of livestock and fodder in crop rotations should be promoted in both irrigated and dryland farming areas in a way that will ensure production of additional forage and accommodation of part of the range livestock to reduce grazing pressure on rangelands and to improve the efficiency of agricultural production;
12. Bilateral, sub-regional, regional and international cooperation programmes should be encouraged and use should be made of their favourable impacts to enhance rangeland conservation and development; and
13. Ways and means should be explored to strengthen efforts done within the framework of UNEP in the occupied Arab areas of West Bank and Ghaza for the evaluation of environmental conditions and in order to arrest further deterioration.

Participants of the workshop recognize the need to support local and national efforts through the adaption of coordinated regional and international activities that are planned and implemented in collaboration with concerned institutions and regional Arab as well international organizations particularly those participating in the workshop. This should begin by:

a) Preparation of appropriate methodologies for rangeland conservation and development in the Arab countries. This should comprise vegetation measurement methodologies, vegetation mapping, regular monitoring and evaluation of components of range development plans. This will ultimately form the basis for national and international efforts regarding this issue.

Within this context, the workshop strongly support the formation of a task force consisting of FAO/RNEA, the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Environment, ACSAD and other interested parties. This group should be assigned the responsibility of preparing the general features, guidelines and requirements for achieving the above mentioned goal. It will also advise on ways and means for putting into action the recommended programme and propose sources of funding and supervision.

b) Organization of an expert consultation with the objective of utilizing remote sensing techniques to monitor and evaluate the condition of rangelands and to assess the status of desertification in the Arab countries on regular basis.

This consultation should also advise on relevant ways to establish an Arab network for utilization of remote-sensing techniques for the above mentioned activities taking into account operational units and programmes that commenced in some member countries, The workshop recommends the formation of preparatory committee from the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Environment, FAO/RNEA UNEP, ESCWA and ACSAD to initiate necessary steps for organization of the proposed consultation.

c) Steps should be taken to establish a comprehensive project on conservation of biological diversity and its utilization for development and protection of the different ecosystems in the Arab Region. This should be done in conjunction with the implementation of an efficient training programme so that staff in the Arab countries can acquire necessary skills and be exposed to the most recent technologies in this field. This should be carried out under the umbrella of the Council of Arab Ministers of Environment with contributions from UNEP, ACSAD, FAO/RNEA, IBPGR, ALECSO and other interested parties. LAS Technical Secretariat and FAO/RNEA are expected to consider assigning a reputable specialist in this field for preparing a regional Arab programme on biological diversity which would then be submitted to the concerned authorities for taking the necessary action towards its implementation.