Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

DAMASCUS, (ST) – Minister of State for Environmental Affairs, Dr. Nazira Sarkis, recently stressed the importance of eco-tourism and work to achieve a balance between tourism and the environment, economic and social interests through the focus towards sustainable management of natural resources.

 During the final meeting of the National Commission for adopting the Directory of Eco-Tourism Sites, Dr. Sarkis pointed out the importance of eco-tourism, which is an activity that combines between originality in cultural and natural heritage and modernity in its ethical civilization in  addition to its significant role in the maintenance of instinctive and natural life from extinction.

“The Ministry has given great interest since 2003 to the eco-tourism and establishing the national capacity to ensure the circulation of such kind of tourism as widely as possible, pointing out that several training workshops were held in this regard and the creation of a special bureau of eco-tourism in the ministry,” Dr. Sarkis said.

It is worth mentioned that a national committee was created comprising representatives of all the ministries, the Planning and International Cooperation Commission and the Regional Planning Commission to prepare a guide eco-tourism sites in Syria.

During the meeting, members of the Committee discussed the methodology of directory and its contents, which include a definition of eco-tourism and its conditions, principles and types in addition to the possible activities locations of eco-tourism sites and classification adopted to sites of eco-tourism in Syria, including geographical location and tourist attractions to be the site of eco-tourism as well as activities that can be carried out at these sites according to different environmental rules, customs and traditions and traditional industries to communities living in or near sites and the existing infrastructure that the site needs to be an integrated eco-tourism site.

Sh. Kh.