|
|
 |
|
27.9%ANMag Issue 27 Global Awareness
Restoration and Conservation of Sensitive Forest Areas in Lebanon Project
Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC)
and WWF
Beirut, Lebanon, April 04, 2008 – Under the title “Every Tree Has A Story to Tell”, the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC) held a closing ceremony to highlight the main accomplishments of the “Restoration and Conservation of Sensitive Forest Areas in South Lebanon” project which it implemented in collaboration with WWF Italy and with the financial support of the ROSS Emergency Program of the Italian Cooperation. The ceremony was held on Friday, April 4 at Le Meridien Hotel, Hamra, Beirut.
The results of the project that started in 2007 were presented in a filmed presentation. The total 9 villages that benefited directly from the project are Aramta, Rihan, Aytouleh, Aishiyeh, Hibarieh, Rashaya El Fokhar, Kfarshouba, Laouzieh and Fardis all located in the South.
The presentation included the main project outputs, including the restoration of 50 hectares of land with olive and pine trees as well as other fruitful trees in five villages in the Arqoub and four villages in Jezzine.
Moreover, AFDC conducted a series of training workshops that included more than 225 participants, including forest fire guards, civil defense personnel and AFDC volunteers. The training workshops focused on forest fire fighting techniques and management and included practical simulations. Moreover AFDC conducted capacity building workshops on GPS/GIS technologies for early detection and intervention in forest fire fighting.
In parallel to the above actions AFDC purchased equipment for early intervention in forest fire fighting which included 2 brand new four wheel drive fire trucks fully equipped with the best tools for forest fire fighting. The trucks will be presented to Rihan and Kfarshouba villages and will serve the entire region.
The equipment also included 60 GPS units and 30 computers that will be used by the forest guards to produce accurate maps of the forests that will be updated periodically and used for early detection and intervention in forest fire fighting.
Moreover AFDC purchased and allocated 120 forest fire fighting uniforms and manual tool kits to the concerned units for intervention on forest fires.
Another important project outcome was the signature of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministries of Agriculture and Interior to improve coordination and cooperation with Forest Guards and Civil Defense in preventing and fighting forest fires.
Within the framework of the project, AFDC also developed and published the “State of the Lebanese Forests (2007)” report which was also funded by the Italian Cooperation ROSS program in partnership with WWF-Italy. The report was reviewed and sponsored by IUCN, UNDP, and Hanns Seidel Foundation, Grey Worldwide advertising agency and Voyager paper.
The report offers a comprehensive perspective on the local forestry sector, including its environmental, economic, socio-cultural and religious aspects. Volunteer students from several Lebanese universities were involved in collecting substantial relevant data. The report synthesizes the most current available information and includes an analytical section comprising up-to-date analyses and interpretations of recently acquired data from satellite images. The report comprises the National Fire Risk Map 2007, forest fires of October 2007 map, and burned area mapping 2006-2007.
The recommendations of this study focus on inter-governmental coordination to develop a draft mechanism for the immediate establishment of the National Forest Authority that will monitor and maintain forests in Lebanon.
AFDC trusts that readers of various backgrounds will find it stimulating, informative and user friendly, and plans to publish a yearly issue of this publication.
With the goal of supporting the local community while sustaining the environment, AFDC also launched the second phase of the project, entitled the “Management and Sustainable Development of Forest Areas in Andket, Akkar- North of Lebanon” that will be implemented in collaboration with WWF Italy and with the financial support of the Italian Cooperation ROSS II project.
The project includes the establishment of a multi-purpose forest center in Andket to be used for eco-tourism and training. The center consists of several conference rooms, bedrooms for visitors, a kitchen offering Lebanese eco-friendly cuisine, etc. The project also includes training of forest guards, civil defense and AFDC volunteers on forest fire fighting and equipping them with the necessary tools.
An additional vital project component consists of establishing forest fire breaks, and a fire pond that will also serve for eco-tourism activities.