Damascus, SANA- The Arab Center for the studies of Arid Zones and dry lands (ACSAD) held Tuesday workshop titled “combating desertification and restoring degraded ecosystem in the Arab World” at its headquarters in Damascus.
At the workshop held on the occasion of the World Day to combat desertification and drought, Nasr AL-Dine El -Obeid, Director-General OF ACSAD, emphasized the importance of addressing land degradation, which threatens food and water security in drylands.
“Desertification threatens more than a billion people worldwide” he said.
Al-Obaid reviewed key ACSAD projects aimed at combating desertification, including land rehabilitation in Jabal al-Bishri and the Syrian Badia, as well as regional initiative in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
For his part, Dr. Firas Al-Ghammaz from the Ministry of Agriculture presented successful experiments on reducing soil erosion and coastal fires.
World Desertification Day marks June 17th of each year, with the aim of raising awareness of its dangers and ways to combat it.
Reem Safi/ Abdulrahim
