Syrian Future Movement (SFM) and the Rights of Plants and Trees
Due to the years of the Syrian war, significant environmental damage has occurred, including the decline of green cover, deforestation, air and soil pollution, depletion of groundwater, surface water pollution, mismanagement of waste, dwindling biodiversity, and a decline in agricultural production. Some of these damages existed before the war due to the corrupt policies of the Syrian regime, such as air, soil, and river pollution. However, they worsened and increased during the war, making it burdensome for Syrians to restore the life cycle of plants and trees and ensure their sustainability.
The Syrian Future Movement (SFM) attaches great importance to plants and trees, considering them not just natural landscapes but essential for creating healthy, livable, and sustainable cities. They are also crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change and improving air quality.
SFM emphasizes the need to revive the sector of plants, trees, and forests and address the significant damages caused by the war.
SFM seeks to launch a national afforestation campaign across the country, making it a national culture linked to a specific annual event and raising awareness about it. This initiative begins in areas where the plant sector has been destroyed and trees uprooted, aiming to restore vegetative cover across Syria.
SFM believes in collaborating with international organizations and non-governmental organizations to obtain support and assistance in revitalizing plants and trees.
SFM stresses the importance of implementing the International Convention for the Protection of New Plant Varieties and joining the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).
SFM advocates for protecting agricultural lands from pollution, especially oil pollution and pollution from sewage water.
SFM emphasizes the need to conserve water resources and improve irrigation to ensure an adequate supply of water for plants and trees.
SFM works continuously with the local community to raise awareness of the importance of plants and trees and their preservation.
SFM sees the importance of investing in scientific research to develop effective strategies for protecting and improving the health of plants and trees.
SFM’s strategy for reviving the plants and trees sector relies on the principles of prioritization and patience, as it requires identifying recovery priorities and may take years to see necessary improvements. Nevertheless, they are committed to making all necessary efforts beneficial to the environment and local communities to achieve the desired goal.
SFM emphasizes the need to care for productive and long-lived trees and to improve and develop some varieties that can be used in various fields.
SFM is concerned with the issue of vaccination for plants and trees, considering pesticide spraying as an important and necessary action that requires unified efforts to improve plant strains and prevent their decline.
SFM aims to remove the file of plants and trees from political exploitation and move towards competition that serves the ultimate goal of reviving the plants and trees sector.
SFM relies on the experiences of advanced countries in creating natural reserves and issuing effective laws to prevent the deterioration of the plant sector.
SFM seeks to establish environmental natural endowments as a new initiative to promote more attention and to link positive religious attitudes with nature.
SFM aims to make caring for plants and trees not just a commercial investment issue but also an exceptional humanitarian, societal, and national issue.
SFM supports the initiatives of activists in the field of nature and the environment, opening its doors to them in Syrian territories to cooperate towards achieving a better reality regarding the revival of the plants sector.
SFM aims for a significant cultural change in how Syrians deal with plants, making caring for them a distinguished humanitarian, societal, and national issue.
