Homs Badia .. Measures to Protect Medicinal, Aromatic Plants
HOMS, (ST)- Homs Badia extends over three million hectares and makes up a large stockpile of thousands of species of medicinal and aromatic plants and forms a shelter for endangered wild animals. The location also contains natural and artificial ecological reserves that contribute to the conservation of biodiversity.
The Director of the Public Authority for the Management, Development and Protection of the Badia in Homs (PAMDPB) Eng. Luay Suleiman said that “The Homs branch is the only one that managed to keep a group of the endangered wildlife and the protection of reserves.”
Eng. Suleiman pointed out that the most important species that have been saved are Ghazal al Reem, Arabian oryx, ostriches, where the PAMDPB transferred some of them to a special place created at the Authority’s headquarters in the city of Palmyra to preserve them and keep the nucleus for the formation of the herd in the future and they are currently in good health and all veterinary services and necessary fodders are served by a group of veterinarians and technicians doctors.”
“The whole herd of oryx, numbering 29, a group of Ghazal al Reem numbering 32, ostrich birds which is now 5 in addition to 9 chickens, Pharaonic chickens and peacocks were transferred,” eng. Suleiman said.
The Badia of Homs which constitutes 33 percent of the Syrian desert area includes five environmental reserves with a total area of more than 109 thousand hectares.
“Cultivation of smooth cactus was introduced to the desert in Homs, to be used as assistant feed to ruminants such as sheep and camels. The experience has succeeded and these crops will be expanded. The cultivation of 15 thousand of palm trees and some 5 thousand seedlings of palm to be planted in the future in some locations in the desert because of the economic importance of palm tree and its relevance to the environment of the desert and to encourage local people to grow it to maintain the soil from erosion and the aesthetic view.
In the field of the protection of the desert, vegetation and natural pastures, it was allowed for the cultivation of rain fed crops for the season 2012-2013 in order to support the national economy.
In the area of environmental construction, domed houses of stone and adobes have been set to strengthen eco-tourism buildings in the desert and an environmental awareness center in the area was established, In the area of community development, jobs for locals also were secured Director of the PAMDPB clarified .
The Branch of the Commission is working to improve the vegetation through the development of the natural cover and rehabilitation of degraded sites. The Branch has four pastoral nurseries to produce pastoral plants and 11 pastoral areas.
The Homs Badia is 3,000,656 thousand hectares and is located on the eastern side of the territory of the province within the fifth zone with less rainfall rate of 200 mm per year and the number of population groupings 61 localities divided into four administrative regions.
Sharif al -Khatib