¿Women are key to end environmental violence in Syria¿

13/04/2021

Angham Daiyoub (Banias, Syria, 1993) is studying for a PhD in Terrestrial Ecology at CREAF-UAB. She is conducting a thesis on ecofeminism and the role of women in forest conservation. She was selected by the FAS for one of four scholarships awarded this course to study the tools to prevent violent extremism. He previously studied a master's degree in forest management at the University of Lleida.

- Your PhD has to do with ecofeminism. What do we mean when we talk about “ecofeminism”?

It is a movement that began in the 70s at the hands of the french woman Françoise d'Eaubonne. It consists of connecting women with the environment. She believes that the degradation of the environment is related to the oppression of women.

-How did ecofeminism came to you?

I consider myself a feminist, and I also have an ecological background. I’ve always wondered about the relationship between women and ecology, and I did independent research.  And my tutor, at the UAB, also recommended me to read books about it and take me to talks.

-You were born in Syria, where there has been a war for many years. Is ecofeminism also helpful in preventing violent extremism?

Yes, of course, because there are many types of violence. I, in particular, focus on environmental violence, even thought it does not have a direct physical impact on humans, it has a very important long-term effect. The health of the environment reflects the health of humans. Women in Syria during the war have not been in decision-making positions, we have not fought on the front lines, we have not participated the way men have. When we rebuild the country, it is very important to put more women in decision-making positions so that they contribute to the conservation of the environment.

-War and conflict have a very clear impact on the buildings where people live and work, but there is not so much talk about their impact on the environment. How important is it?

The destruction of forests and the environment greatly affects the health of people, and also the health of ecosystems. Animals and plants live in the forest and if lost, this creates an imbalance in the ecosystem that affects us. For example, cutting down trees affects climate change, because trees act as carbon sponges, and global warming increases. In my city, for example, forests are on the side of factories and that is why they are so important, to reduce this pollution that the factory generates. Also, the more forests, the more rain, and the less soil erosion. Forests filter water and improve water and air quality and help fight climate change.

-What damage has the war done to the forests and natural environment of Syria?

On the Syrian coast, the war has caused damage to 25% of the forests, which no longer exist because of agricultural expansion and fires. These are data from a “paper” that came out recently. Animals need their space and if their habitat and habitat has diminished, they escape or die, which is what has happened. In addition, last year there were many fires, as a result of the few forests that exist. Syria only has 2% of forests and that is why it is so necessary to take care of them and not make them disappear.

-Although you have been living here for a few years, did you experience in your own flesh the destruction of forests by the war in Syria? What did you feel?

Honestly, it strikes me more to see the destruction of a forest than that of a house, because I know that the house can be rebuilt more or less quickly, but a forest will take about 20 years or more to be rebuilt. Also, when a forest is destroyed, not just a set of trees is destroyed, it is much more: it is an ecosystem full of very diverse life (shrubs, plants, insects, etc.). I am very sorry, and even angry, to see the ignorance that exists in my country about this, because Syria is a very arid country.

- You are doing a PhD thesis on the role of women in forest conservation in Syria. What is it about?

At the moment I am doing the first chapter, focusing on gender studies, on whether the theory of ecofeminism is applied in Syria. I plan to do fieldwork through face-to-face interviews with Syrian women, so I will be traveling to the country this year and staying there for three months. According to the theory of ecofeminism, women have treated forests more respectfully than men. I’m going to check it out, interviewing women and men alike, asking how much they’ve cut down, how often, how to cut down trees, how they’ve picked up forest resources like edible plants or mushrooms, and so on. To try to find out if they have treated it with more respect than men or not. I will compare all this through models with a mathematical application to quantify the data. I will focus on the area of ​​west-north Syria. I am not 100% sure that this is really the case, but I do have the perception that it has been so because I am from this area and I have acquaintances and relatives who live there. Now I have to prove it scientifically. I hope that despite the pandemic, everything goes well for me.

-Are there any studies prior to this theory that go in the same direction?

Yes, yes there is. There are studies in the war in Colombia and the Congo, and also in areas of Brazil, which even thought there is no war, have also concluded that women know more about the forest and the natural environment, and therefore respect it. 

-Do you make any specific proposals on how to act in this regard?

My proposal is aimed at including more women in decision-making positions. We also need them to play the role of an educator, to train children in caring for the environment because they know it well, women know, for example, how to collect forest food without hurting it. Education is key in this area, and much is needed.

-How do you value your experience studying the doctorate at the UAB, specifically at CREAF?

I am lucky to have a very good tutor, great professional. And I feel very much accompanied by my classmates. There is a very good atmosphere at CREAF. We talk about what we are researching, and we learn from each other constantly. It's fantastic.

-You are studying thanks to the FAS scholarship. How did you get to her?

I did my internship at CREAF-UAB for the master's degree I studied at the University of Lleida, two years ago. And the tutor I had here at CREAF, Sandra Mas, is the one who commented to me that there were FAS scholarships, I was informed, I applied and I was selected. I am very happy and grateful.

-You are preparing a very interesting activity on campus now, right?

Yes. We are preparing a talk for the end of March or April. We are four UAB students, three Syrians and one Kurdish, who will organize a conference on the role of women in the prevention of extreme violence, and each will talk about their research work. We’ll talk about terrorism and extreme violence. Not only that, but we will explain how violence affects women and how women can help prevent it. We will present different case studies.