Damascus's advanced training workshop on the use of remote sensing techniques
Syria, Economics, 3/18/2002

Under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian reform Nour Eddine Mouna and in collaboration between the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands ( ACSAD) and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). The advanced Training Workshop on the Use of Remote Sensing Techniques and the Geographic Information Systems in Monitoring and Combating Desertification was opened on March 18 at ACSAD's headquarters. It will continue until April 22nd.

In a statement to Arabic News (ArabicNews.com), ACSAD's director of Soil Division & Water Use Gilani Abdelgawad said that this fourth training workshop is being held after ACSAD had implemented three basic course in the past three years. It is attended by 21 participants from 20 English- speaking African states.

He said that the training workshop is sponsored by the Arab bank For Economic Development in Africa ( BADEA) and executed by the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands ( ACSAD) Outlining the objectives of the workshop, Abdelgawad said that it will focus on the capabilities provided by the remote sensing techniques and GIA in the field of desertification monitoring and combating; The use of digital processing of the Satellite images and the preparation of the different thematic maps; the use of multi temporal satellite images to monitor changes on land and vegetative cover; and field training which will be used to provide the methods and practices used to rehabilitate degraded lands in arid and semi- arid areas.

Outlining the activities of NADEA, Dr. Abdelgawad said that BADEA's activities started in al-Khartoum Sudan in March, 1975. He explained that this body which was established at the initiative of the Arab Summit in its 6th conference held in Algeria is a financial institution funded by the governments of the AL member states, signatories to the Agreement Establishing the Bank.

He continued that BADEA was created for the purpose of strengthening economic, financial and technical co-operation between Arab and African countries. To this end, BADEA was given the mandate to: assist in financing economic development in non- Arab African countries by providing concessionaire loans for the establishment of development projects in the different economic sectors of the African economies; Stimulate the contribution of Arab capital to African Development; and to provide technical assistance required for African Development, in the form of financing project, feasibility studies and providing institution building.

He added that since its inception and until the end of December 2001, BADEA approved 303 project loans, 17 lines of Credit, 258 Technical assistance Operations and 14 loans under the Special Arab Aid Fund (SAAF). Total BADEA commitments amounted to 2425.54 million US dollars.

On why concentration on the African continent to fighting desertification, ACSAD's expert said that two thirds of African continent are desert or dry lands, and that 70% of the Arab states are located in African.. He said that there are extensive agriculture dry lands in Africa and almost three- quarters of which are already degraded to some degree.

He said that Africa is the second continent in the world which is affected by desertification and land degradation after Asia. The total area which is affected by desertification in Africa is about 400 million hectares noting that Soil degradation processes in Africa are: wind erosion, water erosion, chemical and physical deterioration. Soil degradation in Africa is mainly die to miss land use overgrazing, agricultural activity, over exploitation of vegetation for domestic use and deforestation.

He said that the African region is affected by frequent and sever drought. Many African countries are land locked have widespread poverty, need external assistance, and depend heavily on natural resources for subsistence, they have difficult socio- economic conditions, in sufficient institutions and week scientific, technical and educational capacities. All these facts led to the conducting this training workshop, Dr. Abdelgawad commented.

In the context of ACSAD's efforts to combat desertification, Dr. Abdelgawad noted the Bishri Mountain project in the Syrian steppe. He said that ACSAD has launched in 1993, a project for monitoring and combating deserrtification in the Syrian steppe, jointly with the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, the General Remote Sensing (GORS), the German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) and the General Union of Peasants in Syria. He said that al-Bishri mountain was selected as a pilot project, because of its unique fragile ecological system. He added that the purpose of this project was multiple; to evaluate the possibilities and limitations of the Use of Remote Sensing and GIA techniques to monitor, detect and quantify desertification, processes and status, to help the local authorities and communities in managing the steppe natural resources.

He indicated that the project has achieved satisfactory results, therefore, several training courses and workshops were carried out for many participants from different Arab countries and others to disseminate the output knowledge to them about rehabilitation of degraded range-land.

He concluded by saying that through technology transfer to the effected countries stake- holders and farmers a similar project is going on in Jordan steppe and the outcome so far is promising.

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