Hubble bubble means forest trouble
From the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Shouldering a saw, Amer, 18, heads to the woods every night to cut down trees
near his village of Markieh in Syria's northern coastal province of Latakia.
With his family, he decided a few years ago to abandon tobacco-growing after
three years of severe drought caused productivity to plummet. To deal with the
family's deteriorating financial situation, Amer started working in the
production of charcoal from the oak trees of the nearby al-Shoaira forest.
The charcoal fetches a good price because of demand for use in nargiles,
the hubble-bubble tobacco pipe popular in cafes across the country. But the
uncontrolled harvesting of wood is
endangering the country's forests.
It is thought that hundreds of Syrians work in the production of charcoal
today, especially in the heavily wooded northern coastal areas of Tartous and
Latakia. The numbers have increased because of the recent rise in unemployment
and inflation, observers say. Some people with other jobs produce charcoal in
their spare time to raise cash because their salaries are insufficient.
"I earn more than a public employee," said Amer, who refrained from giving his
last name because his new occupation is considered illegal. "Why would I look
for fixed employment if this work generates more money."
Those working in the production of charcoal say they make on average US$400 a
month.
People in cooler mountainous areas have traditionally been allowed to use
branches from the woods, which are viewed as public property, for heating.
Since charcoal production became popular, cutting down whole trees has reached
alarming levels, experts say.
Mahmoud Ali, a professor of environmental sciences at Tishreen University, said
the green cover is declining "dangerously" in Syria and the area of forest per
inhabitant and relative to the country's total land area is low.
"Producing charcoal could kill the trees or affect the quality of the wood by
making them more vulnerable to attacks by pests," Ali said.
The growing deforestation is also leading to undesirable effects on the
environment, said Amin Moussa, an agricultural expert also teaching at Tishreen
University. Especially on the steep mountainous slopes, cutting down trees is
causing landslides and leading to a deterioration in soil fertility, he said.
Extensive production of charcoal is said to have been a major cause of
deforestation, especially in Central Europe, before the widespread use of coal.
The charcoal-making process involves chopping branches into small pieces that
are then placed in four-meter-deep holes and allowed to burn slowly in the
absence of air for about 10 hours. That means the charcoal makers can go away
to do other work, returning in the evening to collect the product.
Abu Kasso, a farmer from the village of Sanybleh near al-Shoaira forest, said
that the resulting charcoal is sold to local merchants. Charcoal fetches more
than $2 a kilogram, mainly from cafe owners who need to feed the growing demand
for nargiles, and that makes it a lucrative business.
"I feel guilty about what it does to the forest, but I have no other way to
feed my family," Abu Kasso said.
The authorities have tried to prevent the systematic chopping down of trees by
posting security guards at the entry to forests and sending out patrols, but
they have not been able to contain the activity, observers say.
Some forest guards admit that they turn a blind eye to the making of charcoal
and accept bribes from farmers who produce it.
"My salary is not enough," said one forest guard speaking on condition of
anonymity. "I have to resort to additional sources of income to secure my
children's future."
Experts say that laws prohibiting the abuse of natural forests have not been
properly implemented and that other strategies should be adopted to prevent
deforestation caused by the production of charcoal. Ramez Yazbek, an
agricultural expert, said the government should organize the manufacture of
charcoal because banning it completely is not realistic. The authorities should
allow the cutting of some of the tree branches in a way that does not harm the
tree itself, Yazbek said.
Omima Nassif, another environmental expert, said, however, that forests like
Al-Shoaira should be turned into nature reserves and used for ecotourism in
order to protect them. Young people currently working in the production of
charcoal could be employed as guides to the forests, she said.
Some residents in the villages around the forests have been complaining about
fumes that come from the charcoal pits.
"We are all living off these forests, but we are also paying a price by getting
health problems," said Rabiha, a housewife living in Dlaybet village near the
al-Shoaira. Doctors also report an increase in lung disease in mountain areas.
The government should protect the environment but also create job opportunities
for the residents of the villages, she said.
"The authorities are pouring money into the cities at the expense of rural
areas," she said.
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