Project overview
CAMP Syria focused on the country’s Mediterranean coastal region, extending along 190 km of coastline and representing one of Syria’s most economically and environmentally significant areas. Although covering only around 2% of the national territory, the region accounted for approximately 11% of the population and contributed around 11% of the national GDP.
The project area included three distinct geographic zones: the fertile coastal plain with abundant freshwater resources, the hilly inland zone with more limited agricultural potential, and the mountainous hinterland. The region played a strategic economic role, concentrating major industrial and energy activities, including petroleum refining, cement production, energy generation, agriculture, and maritime trade through the Port of Lattakia.
Rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, and increasing pressures on natural resources led to a number of interconnected environmental and planning challenges, including:
- Uncontrolled ribbon development along the coastline
- Urban sprawl and low-density housing expansion
- Marine and coastal pollution from untreated waste and industrial activities
- Pollution and bacteriological contamination of freshwater resources
- Inadequate waste treatment and disposal systems
- Degradation of wetlands and coastal dunes due to sand extraction
Key objectives
CAMP Syria aimed to:
- Promote integrated coastal area management and coordinated spatial planning
- Strengthen the protection and sustainable use of freshwater resources
- Address marine, industrial, and agricultural pollution pressures
- Improve land-use planning and urban development control
- Develop environmental monitoring, assessment, and vulnerability analysis tools
- Support institutional coordination for coastal management across sectors
Results and outputs
The project built on preparatory activities initiated in 1988 and developed a comprehensive framework for integrated coastal management through a series of studies, assessments, and planning tools. Major outputs included:
- Preliminary Integrated Planning Study and detailed regional assessments
- Monitoring systems and prospective development studies
- Climate change impact assessment for the coastal region
- Vulnerability studies of freshwater resources to pollution
- Groundwater pollution potential and surface water protection maps
- Freshwater Protection Plan
- Integrated Coastal Resource Management Plan
The project also produced a number of policy recommendations and management measures, including:
- Establishment of sanitary protection zones around freshwater resources and waterworks
- Measures for pollution control across catchment areas and coastal zones
- Recommendations for improved waste treatment technologies and practices
- Integrated pollution abatement measures for industry and agriculture
- Immediate actions to address illegal construction, dune sand extraction, and wetland degradation
- Land-use planning policies and an urban development scheme for the coastal region
- Proposal for a high-level inter-ministerial committee to coordinate coastal management policies and decision-making
Follow-up
CAMP Syria represented one of the early large-scale attempts to apply integrated coastal management principles in the Mediterranean region. The project established an important foundation for environmental planning, freshwater protection, and cross-sectoral coordination in Syria’s coastal zone. Its methodologies, planning tools, and policy recommendations contributed to broader efforts under the Mediterranean Action Plan to promote sustainable coastal development and integrated resource management.