Facing imminent water shortage Near Eastern countries need to plant trees – UN

Countries in the Near East, the most parched region in the world, are showing increasing interest in planting trees to boost water quality and food security but face an imminent water shortage and the threat of deforestation due to agricultural expansion and urbanization, a United Nations agency said today.

Overall forest cover in the region declined by slightly less than 1 million hectares per annum in the last decade, with six countries recording a drop, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Some 20 countries are discussing the role of forests in food and water security at a four-day meeting at the agency’s Near East Forestry Commission in Beirut, beginning today.

“Although forest cover is low, afforestation and green landscaping are gaining ground in the Near East, despite harsh climatic conditions,” FAO Assistant Director-General for Forestry Hosny El-Lakany said. “Planted trees not only help the region to have better quality water but trees serve as windbreaks and shelterbelts against desertification.”

Forest cover in the region amounts to around 110 million hectares, equivalent to 5.9 per cent of the land area, with Sudan accounting for more than half. For all other countries, forests on the average account for less than 3 per cent of the total land area.

Forests are important as a source of fuelwood and livestock fodder and also provide some 2 million cubic metres of wood products and more than $100 million worth of exported non-wood forest products such as gum arabic, cork, pistachios and honey.

Although trees consume water, they eventually contribute to watershed management, regulate water flows and serve as windbreaks and shelterbelts against sand encroachment.

An increasing number of countries in the region, including Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, have begun using treated waste water to irrigate forest plantations and greenbelts. Using such water is essential given the scarcity. It is also low in cost and effective to dispose of water and to improve the quality of forest plantations.