Foreword by President Yasser Arafat
The
well being of the Palestinian people depends, in the short
run, on the political peace process and the guarantee of ownership of our land.
In the long run, it is the health of this land and the related natural resources– as the environmental context within which a sustainable development must take place– that will underwrite the prosperity of the Palestinian people and their diverse local communities. Chief among the factors that determine the health of the environment is the diversity of what nature has bestowed on this land– the plants, the animals and the habitats they need to continue their life.
As an emerging country on the international scene, we are committed to the preservation and sustainable use of Palestine’s rich heritage of land, water and marine natural resources.
The civilisations that have rooted themselves in this productive and blessed land are among the oldest on earth. The survival and flourishing of these civilisations have always depended on its geographic location at the meeting point of the three continents of the Old World– Africa, Asia and Europe. This unique position has given Palestine a particularly rich biological diversity. In addition, the many lifestyles that have developed in this corner of the world over the centuries have all contributed to the solid traditions of wise and sustainable use of the biodiversity in Palestine.
Today, these rich biological resources and the indigenous knowledge of our people are among the most important natural and social resources we have to build a prosperous nation.
Recognising the enormous importance of this biodiversity for the regional and global communities adds to the heavy burden of responsibility that already lies on our shoulders to preserve and use biological resources at the local and national levels sustainably and wisely. In this process, the role of the public at large, and especially the local communities of farmers, Bedouins, fishing folks, urban dwellers and others is paramount. The government, the local communities, the non-governmental organisations– with support from the international community– must all come together in well-organised efforts for collaborative management of biodiversity to carry out this common responsibility jointly.
The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Palestine (BSAPP) is the crucial step in carrying out our commitment to this responsibility. It must guide the actions of the government, as well as the civil society and the local communities towards a prosperous and sustainable future for Palestine. The local communities, who have struggled for the liberation of Palestine, now have an indispensable role to play, which is no less sacred. They must use their traditional wisdom to guide the nation in the management of our very scarce natural resources, including rangelands, forests, farmlands, marine and freshwater resources, and the remaining wild and semi-wild lands. For we must assure Palestine’s future generations that they will inherit– in a much better condition than we did– the resources we have borrowed from them. The prosperity of our people and our very sense of identity as Palestinians will continue to depend on the integrity of the land as our natural heritage.
On behalf of the Palestinian people, I express my thanks to all those who have contributed to the elaboration of the BSAPP at the national and international levels, especially to the Palestinian Environmental Authority and its Head.
We are proud of the progress we are making so far, and look forward to signing and ratifying the Convention on Biological Diversity to reflect our sincere commitment to the implementation of its articles.
By approving the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Palestine, we commit ourselves to the implementation of its strategic recommendations and programmes of action. This approval puts an obligation on all of the institutions and agencies of the Palestinian National Authority to reflect BSAPP’s strategic programmes of action in their policies and practices. This requires systematic planning and co-ordination with the various ministries and bodies charged with the management of natural resources in Palestine.
Yasser Arafat