environmental degradation as a cause of conflict in - Steiner Graphics

• Some water points in places like al-Aris, Sangdanga, Abyad and Burushshould either be closed or restricted to local consumption.• New boring of wells should be regulated by the local authorities in accordancewith Land Carrying Capacity (L.C.C.).• Wood cutting in settlement surroundings for various purposes should bestrictly avoided.• The experience of Burush village in conserving trees in settlement perimetersthrough the efforts of the inhabitants themselves should be followedin all affected areas.• Rehabilitation of the Acacia senegal tree (hashab) and its combination withmillet were recommended as urgent measures to reconsolidate the reactivatedsand dunes and to contribute to an increase in the farmer’s income.• Some areas should be conserved for at least five years (between Umm Kaddada,Burush, and Abu Humeira) before any cultivation practice continued.• Limitation of wood cutting should go hand-in-hand with experimentation inenergy-saving methods, such as introducing charcoal ovens instead of thecommonly used open wood fires.• Transportation, both collective and private, should be encouraged to bringdead trees from distant areas at an affordable price for urban consumption.• Environmental education should be made compulsory at all levels. Teachersas well as students should be involved in conserving and rehabilitating theecosystem. The example of El Sayed Abu Hamad, in El-Fashir, who engagedmore than a thousand of his pupils in planting trees in the town perimeters,should be followed in the area.• Planting and conserving of trees should be the duty of every individual inthe area. Laws and incentives should be announced to ensure the continuationof programmes (food for work, for instance).• There should be planning of the southern zone of rain-fed cultivated areassouth of latitude 13 N to provide for seasonal population movementsthrough expanded cultivated areas and increased land productivity in orderto promote exchange between the northern zone of nomadic livestock breedingand the southern zone of rain-fed cultivation.• This measure can only be undertaken through the improvement of the infrastructureand the enlargement of the market functions of the central townsin the transitional zone (Umm Kaddada, El-Fashir, Mellit, and Kutum).• The Abandonment of cultivating in the qoz should be accompanied by developmentprojects in wadi basins at local levels.• Availability of underground water in the Nubian sand stone aquifers wouldassure continuous provision of water for irrigated agriculture particularlyhorticulture.52