Forests have regional importance.
        Forests provide protection from sandstorms.
        Forests provide timber and fuel for the region.
          Population growth has increased the clearing of forests.
Explanation: Although forests occupy only a small percentage of the region's land area, they still play a significant role. In rural areas, especially in the mountains, people rely heavily on forests for timber and fuel.
For example:
Nearly sixty percent of Yemen's population depends on the region's forests for fuel.
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria also depend heavily on the region's trees for fuel.
It should be noted that as many people in the region move from rural to urban areas, the stress on the forests is expected to decline.
In addition to timber and fuel, forests also provide protection. They protect the region's soil and water, particularly in mountain areas and in areas where desertification is a problem. They prevent erosion by stabilizing sand dunes and river banks. Forests also provide protection against dust- and sandstorms.
Increasing population has reduced forested areas in the region. Forests have been cleared to provide new areas for people to live. To feed the region's growing population, farms have replaced wooded areas. One of the more affected areas lies along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Lebanon and Syria.
Many countries have recently become aware of the ecological value of forests. Governments recognize the value of the preservation of biodiversity and the development of ecotourism in the region. In many countries, sustainable forest management practices have been included in the countries' development plans.
Biodiversity. The primary biodiversity issues of the region include:
management of water resources;
maintenance of inland water biodiversity; and
reducing the overhunting of large mammals and birds.
The region has a wide variety of both land and water ecosystems. Like their supporting ecosystems, some plant and animal species are endemic, meaning they are unique to the region.
For example:
eight hundred plants species;
seven mammal species;
ten bird species; and
11 percent of the coral species.
Population increases and the corresponding resource use, especially water, have resulted in significant habitat loss and reduced biodiversity. A large number of the region's vertebrates are threatened by extinction.
Increasing urban development has resulted in the increased use of surface water and the extraction of groundwater. Population increases strain food resources and result in the use of land that was previously considered "unfarmable" to be used for agricultural purposes. These new farmlands frequently require much irrigation, resulting in salinization and decreases freshwater biodiversity.
People's activities have also reduced biodiversity in marine ecosystems. These activities include:
pollution due to oil spills and the disposal of industrial and domestic waste; and
the introduction of non-native species through the shipping industry.
Changes to coastal ecosystems have significantly reduced the number of mangroves. In Saudi Arabia, for example, approximately fifty percent of the mangroves have been lost.
Additionally, Mediterranean monk seals, marine turtles, and marine sponges are threatened by changes to their coastal ecosystems.
Recent history has also witnessed a decline in large land animals. This decline has been largely attributed to excessive hunting and technological advances such as four-wheel drive vehicles and automatic weapons. Threatened animals in the region include the gazelle, the leopard, the cheetah, the ostrich, the oryx, and the bustard.
Since the 1980s, programs to breed threatened species have been created. Additionally, strategies to reintroduce the Arabian oryx, the Houbara bustard, and some species of gazelle into Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Jordan have been implemented.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has been ratified by most nations in the region. Signers have committed to substantially reducing the loss of biodiversity on a local, national, and global level by 2010. Some countries have also signed agreements that are related to biodiversity such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Further, many countries are abiding by the terms of other regional agreements such as the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and Regional Organization for the Protection of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA).
Another effort to reduce habitat destruction and increase regional biodiversity is the movement to increase the number of protected areas in the region. Although the goal of this movement is desirable, it is also flawed. Frequently, local populations affected most are not consulted in these decisions.
