World Environment Magazine, Issue 1

OF LIFE

IN

WORLD

BURMA:

PROBLEM

OF AL-HIMA - A WAY

THE

MASDAR CITY: THE FIRST ECO

THE OIL SPILL CATASTROPHE

THE

MUNICIPALITIES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LEBANON

CITY

DEFORESTATION

SUSTAINABLE

UN BANGKOK CLIMATE CHANGE

NUMBER 1 MAY 2008

M AGA Z I N E

SPECIAL

LEBANON

CONTENTS

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LAND OF THE CEDARS | by Mark William Lowe

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UN BANGKOK CLIMATE CHANGE

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CLIMATE ACTION: PUTTING EUROPE’S NEW ENERGY POLICY INTO PRACTICE

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THE ARAB WORLD IN THE POST-KYOTO REGIME | by Wael Hmaidan

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BURMA: THE PROBLEM OF DEFORESTATION | by Stefano Torselli

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WWW.CLIMATETRACKERS.NET - CLIMATE CHANGE DESCRIBED BY ANIMALS

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THE PLANET IS THIRSTY. EVERY DROP MATTERS | by Benedetta Pasero

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DISASTER AT GIBRALTAR COAST | by Maria Elena Wise

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MASDAR CITY: THE FIRST ECO SUSTAINABLE CITY IN THE WORLD | by Veronica Voto

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SWEDEN: PETROL INDEPENDENCE A STRATEGIC GOAL | by Fabiana Agrò

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JATROPHA CURCAS GOLD OF TOMMORROW | by Maria Elena Wise

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TREE DAY IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA | by Marta Langiu

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MARSCRUISERONE: EXPLORING EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS | by Maddalena Dalla Mura

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GOING NORTH: GLOBAL WARMING ESCAPE ROUTES

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PLANET EARTH | by Francesca Bertani

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WHY IS ECO-FASHION SO HOT? | by Maria Elena Wise

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SPECIAL LEBANON

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YOUTH DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

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THE OIL SPILL CATASTROPHE

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OIL SLICK ON LEBANESE SHORES: A UN REPORT

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WAR IMPACT ON FORESTS AND OLIVE GROVES ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH LEBANON

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GERMAN MONEY WILL HELP LEBANON’S ENVIRONMENT | by Sarah Mansour

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STATISTICAL ANALYSIS FOR FIRES IN LEBANON FOR THE YEARS FROM 2004 TILL 2007

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MED-ENEC PILOT PROJECT ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN LEBANON | by Klaus Wenzel

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SOUK EL TAYEB: FARMERS’ MARKET, AWARENESS AND ACTION | by Kamal Mozawak

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FIRST HUNTER SURVEY IN LEBANON

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

LAND OF THE

CEDARS

by MARK WILLIAM LOWE As a child growing up in Scotland my bedroom window faced a vast area of mixed woodland.

Amongst the beeches, oaks, and pines one species stood out in particular; the tall, majestic, blue-green Cedars. Many years later, while working as a consultant to the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, I would learn that this was no ordinary tree; indeed in respect for its place in history the Cedar was considered so important as to be chosen as the Lebanese national emblem. The Cedar represents Lebanon and Lebanese people very well; dignified and

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resistant over the centuries the Cedar has played an important role in the development of the Mediterranean region.

The ancient Phoenicians used the wood for the construction of commercial and military ships as well as for building houses and temples. Cedar wood was also traded throughout the Mediterranean, in fact it is said that King Solomon insisted that wood from Lebanese cedars be used in the construction of his palace as well as his temple in Jerusalem. The Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all prized and used the wood of the Lebanese Cedars. Unfortunately so important and prestigious was the scented wood from the Cedars that deforestation has been a problem throughout history. Today very few mature trees survive. Fortunately over the years serious efforts have been made not only to protect what is left of the ancient forests but to replant and replenish the diminishing stocks. This important and ongoing effort to conserve an internationally renowned natural treasure is one of the environmental issues

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featured in this debut edition of World Environment Magazine.

World Environment Magazine’s choice of dedicating special coverage to the Lebanon in its debut edition and launching the magazine at a special event in Beirut is far from casual; it was a proposal made and immediately approved by the editorial team while sitting around a table in Rome discussing their personal experiences in the Lebanon. Personal opinions aside we then had to examine the proposal in an objective fashion. We considered the fact that environmental issues are strongly felt in the ‘Land of the Cedars’ and that the Lebanon has always had a well developed and influential media sector; at that point there was no turning back, the debut edition would feature the Lebanon and the official launch would take place in Beirut. There was an additional consideration that as a team we deemed of particular relevance; World Environment Magazine is an ambitious media project linked to a highly innovative web television channel, World Environment TV. We felt that if there is anywhere in

the world a place where ambitious goals are to be understood and appreciated it is in the Lebanon.

The ongoing process of rebuilding the Lebanon following many long years of conflict presents a number of examples of the determination and drive of the Lebanese – in particular amongst the young. Despite the fact that the ‘Land of the Cedars’ has more than its fair share of environmental problems there is a considerable number of initiatives in the fields of sustainable development and eco-tourism – the majority are projects devised and implemented by the younger generations. World Environment Magazine features some of them in this edition and it is our intention to continue doing so in the future.

Both the magazine and World Environment TV are committed to delivering balanced, well sourced and researched content. It is our objective to supply our readers and viewers

with informative material that can assist them whatever their professional role or personal interest may be. To this end we are proud to be able to launch the first edition of World Environment Magazine featuring a series of important and topical issues regarding the current situation in the ‘Land of the Cedars’.

A special relationship with Italy In addition to our own reasons for featuring the Lebanon in this issue of World Environment Magazine there is also the fact that ties between Italy and the Lebanon have always been strong. This special relationship was demonstrated recently when, on the request of the Lebanese Government, the Italian Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Services (APAT) began its contribu-

tion to the environmental mission in Lebanon immediately after the Israeli bombings on th th the 13 and 15 of July 2006.

The Agency sent a taskforce to Lebanon on the 21st of August to evaluate the situation.

After an initial appraisal the Bahar mission began on September the 12th. The principal objective was to clean the coastline following the disastrous oilspill. Italy was the first country to come to Lebanon’s aid and, for this, received great appreciation from the Government.

In January 2007, to document the damage caused and to thank the volunteers for their hard work, APAT published a volume entitled Libano: una missione ambientale (Lebanon: an environmental mission).

World Environment Magazine wishes to thank the photographer Paolo Orlandi and the Apat Extraordinary Commissioner Giancarlo Viglione, for the images used in this Lebanon Special.

MAY 2008

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UN BANGKOK

CLIMATE CHANGE At the Bangkok meeting, delegates from 162 countries began fleshing out the “Road Map” agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali last year, which launched negotiations on a long-term international agreement, along with strengthening ongoing work under the UNFCCC.

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hree months after the landmark agreement on a road map towards strengthened international action on climate change reached in Bali, Indonesia, another meeting “post Kyoto” took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The talks occurred between 31 March to 4 April 2008 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

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Parties agreed at Bali to formally launch negotiations on enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention. These negotiations need to conclude in an agreed outcome by the end of 2009.

U.N. climate experts were looking for the new pact to impose curbs on all countries, although there is wide disagreement about how to share the burden between rich nations led by the United States and developing countries, such as China and India, to agree to any measures that might curb their rapid industrialization.

Developing countries hold that the industrialized countries should continue to take on the main responsibility for climate change mitigation by being committed to further cut on GHG during the next phrase for Kyoto Protocol. One suggestion is that the rich group cut GHG emissions by at least 25 percent to 40 percent from the level of 1990 in the next commitment period of 10 to 15 years.

The UN Bangkok Climate Change Talks ended with agreement on a work programme that structures negotiations on a long-term international climate change agreement, set to be concluded in Copenhagen by the end of 2009.

The Bangkok meeting also sent a clear signal that the use of market-based mechanisms, such as the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism, should be continued and improved as a way for developed countries to meet emission reduction targets and contribute towards

sustainable development. “The train to Copenhagen has left the station.” said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “Not only do we have the certainty that critical issues will be addressed this year, we now have the bite-sized chunks which will allow us to negotiate in an effective manner.”

This agreement is to be clinched in Copenhagen in 2009. The main elements of the stronger climate change deal include a shared long-term vision and enhanced action on mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance. “Delegates brought their hopes and aspirations to Bangkok. You need a good beginning to get to a good end. We now have that good beginning,” said the UN’s top climate change official. “It is now crucial to create a better common understand-

ing of key issues before Parties can move into the phase of discussing concrete text proposals for the envisaged agreement,” he added. Whilst agreement was reached on an overall work programme for 2008 under the Convention, the process established under the Kyoto Protocol initiated work on the analysis of tools for developed countries to reach emission reduction targets after 2012, when the first commitment period of the protocol expires. The group also discussed ways to enhance the effectiveness of these tools and their contribution to sustainable development. One of the main outcomes of their discussion was an agreement that the use of emissions trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation should be continued.

For further information: http://unfccc.int/2860.php MAY 2008

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CLIMATE ACTION: PUTTING EUROPE’S NEW ENERGY

POLICY INTO PRACTICE O

n Wednesday 23 January 2008, the European Commission proposed a number of measures making up the EU’s new energy and climate package. The aim is to fight climate change more effectively while boosting Europe’s energy security and competitiveness. The package includes extensive measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a 20% reduction of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and a 30% cut if other developed countries agree to do the same. This, in particular, includes the obligation of obtaining 20% of its energy from renewable sources by the same date.

The Bali Conference, last December, demonstrated that a global agreement on climate change is feasible. Today, the European Commission’s new energy and climate package aims to slash the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020, and by 30% if other industrialised countries agree to do the same.

Various sectors like agriculture, transport and construction and all Member States will have to play their role and contribute to Europe’s targets

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according to their respective financial capacities. For energy-intensive sectors, such as steel and chemicals, the Commission proposes to strengthen the EU’s Emissions Trading System to help reach the 20% objective Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require an increased use of renewable energies, which also implies a more diversified energy supply for Europe.

Bali, ensuring a successor to Kyoto In December 2007, a decade after the advent of the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Conference built a bridge of hope for the over 190 countries that are signatories to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.

The delegations agreed on a roadmap creating a framework for negotiation of an ambitious new climate change agreement, the successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

The roadmap states that negotiation of the action to be taken after the first Kyoto Protocol commitments expire in 2012, must begin “not later

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than April 2008” and be completed in 2009.

It notes the “urgency” of international action to address climate change although it does not establish a guideline range for the efforts needed, referring simply to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Two scenarios are mentioned.

The first calls for the industrialised nations to reduce emissions 10 to 30% (compared to 1990) by 2020, with “marginal” efforts by the developing countries.

The second - more ambitious - scenario recommends a 25 to 40% reduction by 2020 for the developed countries and 50% for all countries by 2050. It also launches a comprehensive “process” which for the first time groups the industrialised and the developing countries, all of which are asked to reduce their polluting emissions. The developed countries are asked to agree appropriate “commitments or actions”, which avoids the concept of constraint for the United States, while the developing countries are urged to take “verifiable and measurable actions”, likewise without constraints.

The agreement also promises to boost available financing and investment to support emissions mitigation actions.

The European Union played a key role in these negotiations, clearly expressing its determination to see the industrialised countries set a target of a 30% reduction of their emissions by 2020 compared to 1990.

DOCUMENTATION European Commission: Environment: Climate Change: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.html Slovenian Presidency of the Council: Environment: Climate Change: http://www.eu2008.si/en/Policy_Areas/Environment/ClimateChange.htm0l European Environment Agency (EEA): Themes: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate OECD: Environment Directorate: Climate Change, Energy and Transport: http://www.oecd.org/department/0,3355,en_2649_34359_1_1_1_1_1,00.html International Energy Agency (IEA): Climate Change: http://www.iea.org/Textbase/subjectqueries/keyresult.asp?KEYWORD_ID=4106

The Union’s new energy and climate policy On 23 January 2008, the European Union reiterated its international leadership in the drive to curb climate change.

The European Commission proposed a package of measures to implement a new and ambitious energy and climate change policy for Europe. The package maintains the continuity of the strategic vision on energy and climate unveiled in January 2007. One of the key objectives is a reduction of at least 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the Union from 1990 levels by 2020, and a 30% reduction if other industrialised countries agree to do the same.

The legislative package provides for strengthening and developing the European emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). The overall ceiling for emissions from energy-intensive industries such as electricity production, steel and chemicals, will be reduced by 21% between 2005 and 2020. In sectors not covered by the ETS,

such as agriculture, transport and housing, the European Commission calls for “solidarity”, proposing limited greenhouse gas emissions for each country.

The Commission outlines an effort shared on a differentiated basis according to each Member State’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP). The new Member States will be allowed to increase their greenhouse gas emissions, while the wealthier countries will have to reduce their emissions under the effort sharing plan.

This means that Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland will have to slash their CO2 emissions by 20%, while Bulgaria will be allowed to increase its emissions by the same amount. This system will result in a 20% reduction for the EU as a whole.

The package also provides for a 30% reduction if an international agreement is concluded.

The current proposals will also strengthen renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. Renewable energy today accounts for around 8.5% of the European Union’s

energy consumption. The aim is to raise that figure to 20% in 2020, and to increase the biofuel component in vehicle fuel to 10%.

The effort to achieve a 20% share of renewables will also be spread fairly among the Member States. The European Commission’s measures will encourage innovation and the creation of new jobs in new technologies while enhancing Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness.

The idea is also to create an internal market for energy.

Europe is has taken on the real challenge of climate change.

Without action, there is greater than 50% chance of seeing a global temperature increase of over 4°C this century. According to current projections, energy and transport policies would not lead to a decrease in EU emissions, but to an increase of around 5% by 2030.

If today’s trends and policies continue, EU dependence on energy imports will rise sharply by 2030, from 50% to 65% of total energy consumption in Europe.

MAY 2008

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THE ARAB WORLD

IN THE POST-KYOTO REGIME

by WAEL HMAIDAN*

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he UN conference on climate change was held in Bali, Indonesia from 3-15 December 2007. This conference resulted in a number of decisions, including finalizing the Adaptation Fund under the Protocol, a decision on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, and outcomes on technology transfer, the Kyoto Protocol’s flexible mechanisms, the adverse effects of combating climate change, and various administrative/methodological

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issues. However, the most important item of this COP/MOP was achieving a roadmap for the post-2012 regime, after the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period expires.

Agreeing on this “roadmap” in Bali was crucial if we wanted to avoid extreme climate change impacts. According to the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), extreme climate change impacts could be avoided if we keep global temperature rise below 2ºC (already we are experiencing 0.8ºC increase). This means we need to reduce glo-

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bal greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for climate change, between 60 to 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050. Furthermore, we need to stabilize greenhouse gases emission increase by 2015.

In a nutshell, what this means is that we only have around 10 years or less to seriously change the way our society functions. Otherwise we will not be able to avoid the horrific impacts of climate change. The problem is that there is still no global political commitment to follow the scientific findings, and to achieve that we need

a ratified new global treaty by 2012. Now knowing that the Kyoto protocol took 5 years to draft, and another 7 years to be ratified and still contains many loopholes, having a new airtight global treaty in 2 years (ie by 2009) to be ratified within another 3 years (ie by 2012) is a difficult task.

Nevertheless, in Bali, on the afternoon of December 15, 24 hours after the conference’s scheduled conclusion, ministers and other high-level officials agreed on the “Bali roadmap”. This roadmap provides guidance and direction for a series of meetings over the next two years to be concluded with a comprehensive framework for the post-2012 period at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.

The agreement on the “Bali Roadmap” did come at a cost. In order to secure everyone’s commitment to a post-2012 regime, especially the United States’,

several compromises have been made. One such compromise is not setting clear long-term targets within the roadmap. The EU proposed including the targets set by the IPCC in the text, but it was opposed by Canada, Russia and few developing countries. A roadmap without a clear destination can end anywhere. So in the coming two years of text negotiations for the new treaty it is crucial to make sure that it includes clear long-term targets in conjunction with the scientific findings of the IPCC. These two years of text negotiations should also include commitments for new countries not included in the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol so far commits only a group of major developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% compared to 1990 levels by 2012. Such a modest commitment will not be sufficient in the post-2012 commitment pe-

riod. The developed world on its own will not be able to tackle the impeccable task at hand to limit global temperature increase well below 2ºC. Other countries should bare part of the responsibility as well. Countries like Saudi Arabia, who have built their economies on the oil profits, should take direct responsibility for climate change.

Unfortunately, fossil-fuel rich countries have not only been neglecting their responsibility towards the issue, but some countries, like Saudi Arabia have been actively hindering concrete actions against climate change on regional and international levels. Since the start of the climate negotiations in the 90s, Saudi Arabia has played a key role in shaping international climate policy. This interference was mainly to insure that its oil trade is not affected. Many loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol were introduced

by Saudi Arabia and the lobby of the oil industry.

According to a study by WWF on the role of OPEC countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, in the Kyoto process, they have opposed greenhouse gas reductions, and disrupted whole negotiation process. This has created some resentment and frustration on the part of G77 delegates.

Saudi Arabia is not particularly well viewed by G77 delegates because of the tactics it has used in the negotiations.

The Islamic Kingdom has tried on several occasions to control the process and agenda MAY 2008

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items, and misrepresented the G77 positions in some forums.

These tactics have implications for all Parties, even OPEC member states. Saudi Arabia’s positions are not aligned with most OPEC countries interests to attract CDM projects, diversify their economies and reduce regulatory uncertainty. For many G77 groups such as the Least Developing Countries (LDCs), the African Group, Island States and other vulnerable developing countries the implications of such tactics are much more significant as issues that are important to them have not advanced because they were linked to OPEC issues such as response measures.

Saudi Arabia has also been controlling the position of the League of Arab States on this issue. Out of the 23 Arab countries, 11 are oil producing ones, and 4 of them are among the top 10 oil exporting countries in the World. This makes climate change and the reduction of fossil fuel use a very sensitive topic in the Arab League. At the moment, the Arab League has no policy on climate change,

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and no clear position for the post-2012 process. The only declaration related to the issue is the “Abu Dhabi Declaration on Environment and Energy” in 2003. This declaration in its first 3 decisions state that Arab countries have the right to develop their natural resources, particularly oil and gas; supply of oil and gas to international markets should be continuous and unobstructed; and that industrialised countries should not adopt policies leading to a reduction in demand for oil and gas and harm the revenues of producing countries and their development.

The declaration made sure that the position of Arab States is supportive of the oil industry and its trade. The few items related to climate change in the declaration were focused more on adapting to the impacts of climate change, rather than avoiding its impacts by reducing greenhouse gases.

Again, we have less than 2 years to draft a new text for a new treaty that can save us from horrific impacts of climate change. This small win-

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dow of action is being felt by governments, parties, organizations and individuals everywhere; everywhere except the Arab World. Nevertheless, this could be changed. In the past two International Demonstration Days on climate change there was no participation from the Arab public.

This year six Arab countries participated for the first time in the “International Day of Action against Climate Change” to demand Arab countries to take stronger action against this global problem. NGOs, governmental institutes and individuals from Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and UAE joined citizens from more than 80 countries who participated in this International event. In Beirut, and despite the tense political situation and bad weather, more than 2000 individuals went down to the streets to participate in a symbolic 3km walk against climate change. The number of participants is similar to having 150,000 individuals participating in the United States, if we take the size of the population into account.

Arab civil society is starting to see the threats of climate change more urgent than the different political problems plaguing the region. Because climate change amplifies the problems of poverty and water security, it is useless to work on them without tackling climate change first. For example, in the Arab region, the main climate change impact will be on our water resources and agri-

cultural land. Knowing that agriculture is the biggest economical sector in the region, and that we are already the most water scarce area in the world, we can not afford to ignore climate change any more.

Therefore, the Arab League should be leading the fight against climate change, and demanding a strong post-2012 regime with clear long-term targets. Saudi Arabia should not hinder the negotiations for the new treaty like it did for the Kyoto Protocol. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia has the chance to save the World by accepting its responsibility and the responsibility of all rich fossil-fuel producing states towards this issue. If a product in the market is harmful to the consumer, the producers usually carry the responsibility of their own products. So, why in the case of climate change, the oil and coal producing countries, especially OPEC who have been making billions and billions of dollars out of their oil are not taking any responsibility for climate change?

Tackling climate change does not mean that the oil rich countries in the region will lose all their resources. First, climate change threats might be more costly to our economy than the benefits of the oil. Egypt, for example, will lose more than 30% of its grain agriculture, 20% of the Nile Delta will be underwater if Mediterranean Sea level rises by 1 meter, and up to 75% of the Nile river water might disappear by the end of the century due to climate change. Knowing that Egypt’s economy and soci-

ety is based on the agricultural sector, the Nile Delta and Nile River, the benefits from the oil and gas resources will never be able to compensate.

Second, although the Arab World oil is a major contributor to climate change, the Arab World can actually solve the problem as well. Our region has the most renewable energy resources in the world. Renewable energy technology, which is the alternative to the use of oil and coal and the only solution to climate change, can be our future oil. If we use less than 5% of our deserts to build concentrated solar power plants, we can actually produce enough electricity satisfy the needs of the whole planet. We can again export energy to the world, but this time clean and non-exhaustible energy. This might sound like a dream, but there are actually a lot of people already working on it. Germany and other European countries have already conducted studies on how to get solar energy from North Africa to Europe. There are already projects under the development, but they are not

enough and require the support of our governments.

Third, solving the climate change problem does not mean that we need to stop using fossil fuels completely. We only need to reduce the use of oil and coal between 50% and 80% by 2050, and we will never stop needing oil. Oil is a finite resource and will end in the future. If the oil rich countries reduce the use of oil then they will prolong the life of their resources, and thus have a more stable economy on the long run.

We can only benefit from seriously tackling climate change as we have everything to lose if we do not do anything about it.

The Arab World needs to get its act together and start showing concern about climate change.

Hopefully, at the next International Demonstration Day for Climate Change in December, thousands of Arabs will hit the streets and voice that concern. * Previously, Greenpeace campaigner for the Arab World. Currently Executive Director of IndyACT and head of the “Arab Climate Campaign� (www. arabclimate.org)

MAY 2008

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BURMA: THE PROBLEM OF DEFORESTATION In many areas, the process of deforestation is accompanied by a mismanagement of territorial policies, often due to regimes which do not pay attention to the environment, but which are instead concerned about the satisfaction of particularistic interests. Burma is a shining example of this: deforestation is taking hold quickly, alongside the stability of Rangoon’s regime.

by STEFANO TORSELLI (EQUILIBRI.NET) Translation by Megan Ball

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he country has recently been under the spotlight of worldwide public opinion, due to the monk’s courageous protest against the military regime which has been raging on for almost 20 years. The repression of the peaceful revolt has lead to protest by the international community, but there are also other aspects of the Burmese dictatorship which are rarely spoken of. Practices, which are often ignored but which have devastating effects over the environment and the population’s living conditions, often go on here. The deforestation currently underway in Burma is one of the most serious phenomenon’s of environmental erosion and destruction in the

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world and strong political and economic interests mean that this practice is conducted almost without control, with disastrous consequences.

The incidence of agriculture and fish farming In Myanmar, of an overall 676,577 squared kilometres of surface area, about 340,000 are made up by forest land, rendering the country one of the richest ecosystems in the world, as well as one of the ultimate places for biodiversity on the Asian continent. It is estimated that more than 50% of forest land on the South-East Asian continent is concentrated in this country. One of the main causes of the incumbent deforestation currently underway in

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the area are the policies of agricultural invasion, which modify the characteristics of the soil in the long term. The country is one of the most important rice producers in the world, since the time of its British colonization, an important factor for the national economy. The military regime, above all in recent years, has been a concern due to the economic restrictions and sanctions in place, due to its dictatorial nature and constant violations of human rights. In a climate of ever more pressing isolation, the military Government is forced to exploit the available resources to the maximum.

Therefore, this results in continuous pressure being put on agriculture (a sector in the Burmese economy which is still prevailed over). The quantities of rice destined for exportation

are ever higher; this practice is connected to the labouring forced upon the indigenous population.

Cultivators are often forced to be up to three times more productive than normal; the over-farming of the soil leads to depletion, rendering it no longer arable. Added to this is the fact that the inhabitants of the villages of the Burmese forests and jungles often practice agriculture, rendering the possible long-term beneficial effects of policies aimed at re-forestation and other techniques of land management compatible with the environment, useless.

Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world, as an effect of its isolation and therefore, the local population is forced to provide for itself through the use of these means.

Another cause of the defo-

restation, carried out mainly in the mangrove forests present along the river-lined coastline in the South of the country, is the conversion to fish farming, and in particular, the farming of prawns. This is another product which Burma exports to the whole world in large quantities, but in order to sustain this production, vegetation is systematically destroyed. It is a strategic and vital interest for the country and the situation has been even more concerning since the beginning of the 1990’s, when the military Government declared the country open to foreign businesses, leading to their entrance into Burma and allowing them exploit its resources and establish farms for the production of prawns. Since then, the activity has undergone an allout boom, resulting in almost

160,000 acres of land being dedicated to this end. In order to produce ever-greater quantities in an intensive manner, artificial feeds are indiscriminately used, such as chemical additives and pesticides which, in the long run, lead to the destruction of the ecosystem, meaning that the traditional fishing areas, vital for the local economy, are vanishing.

As well as this, as an effect of the erosion of the protective barrier provided by these forests, the soil is progressively deprived of its cohesive capacity and protection, making the area more vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the tsunami at the end of 2004. It is not only this; through erosion, soil is deposited on the riverbed, causing sedimentation and having consequent impacts downstream; above all else this happens in MAY 2008

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mangrove forests. According to data concerning the Irrawaddy, the country’s largest river, it has the fifth largest rate of sedimentation in the world, after the Yellow River, the Ganges, the Amazon and the Mississippi.

Burmese gold: wood and opium

of deforestation is ever greater because in several areas, such as in the east, it is a practice involving illegal commerce which escapes governmental control.

As well as this, the legal commerce of teak is a source of wealth for the military regime, in the absence of other natural resources and a very weak currency. The exportation of teak constitutes more than 10%

As well as agricultural invasion and fish farming, the other major cause of Burma’s deforestation is the harvesting of trees for commerce and domestic use.

Teak is the primary variety, a much-desired wood, prized for is characteristics of being hard and resistant, but also thanks to the nature of its oil which makes it waterproof and therefore protects it from atmospheric conditions. Burma is the major worldwide source of procurement for this, if it is considered that 70% of teak forests are found there. The problem

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of the Government’s overall income, making this practice inescapable, in view of the country’s conditions.

However, wood is also a source of biomass energy, in a country in which inhabitants are not always able to use “classic” energy sources such as petroleum and natural gas, given the stellar prices reached by these prime materials on international markets. In Rangoon alone, it is calculated that more than half the population uses wood as a combustible for domestic energy, which contributes to the “thinning out” of many forests. Added to this, Burma is the only state with a surplus of wood, surrounded by countries with a strong deficit in the sector (such as China, India and Thailand), therefore exportation to bordering countries is natural.

Only about 10% of China’s demand for wood is satisfied and this comes from Burma, since when at the end of the 1990’s, Beijing’s Government legally banned the harvesting of trees

in the forests of 18 provinces (for environmental reasons), forcing the country to import supplies from neighbouring Burma. The data is very concerning and puts Burma in the first place in the world for deforestation, a practice which, according to the estimations of the FAO, increases by 1.4% annually.

To complete the picture of power and control involved in the exportation of wood as a currency for exchange (to obtain armament on one hand and political protection on the other), drug trafficking also occurs. In the East of the country, the so-called “triangle of gold” at the border with Laos and Thailand, one of the most important areas in the world for opium production is found.

Mainly in the years directly following its destabilization, Af-

ghanistan, opium producer of excellence, produced the drug to answer to the requirements of the world of heroin, in the area of Shan.

Trafficking took place due to the scarcity of central power in the territory, which was in past years, the theatre for clashes with the separatist rebels of Khun Sa, the “master of drugs”. Large-scale opium production was the means with which the army financed itself, thanks to 77,000 hectares of land designated to this end, contributing in an influential way to the process of deforestation. In several cases, tree trunks were harvested with the double purpose of bringing profit from their sale (clandestine) and by hiding drugs inside them during exportation, which allowed them to pass through undetected.

Conclusion Unfortunately, it is not possible to compile precise data about the deforestation underway, both due to the hefty incidence of the illegal trafficking of wood and because the Government doesn’t have available the resources necessary to monitor the territory. Most of all, this environmental situation signifies the need for a complete end to the military regime.

That which unfortunately seems certain, is that the phenomenon of deforestation is ever more serious and concentrated in fewer parts of the planet, if it is considered that 10 countries (Burma, Brazil, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Columbia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria and Thailand) contribute to 76% of worldwide deforestation.

MAY 2008

17

WWW.CLIMATETRACKERS.NET

CLIMATE CHANGE

DESCRIBED BY ANIMALS The WWF has launched the CLIMATE TRACKERS campaign to encourage European citizens to take action against global warming.

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WF-Belgium, with the support of the European Commission, has launched CLIMATE TRACKERS, a European campaign to combat climate change. Its originality lies in presenting global warming through the eyes of selected animals. The campaign’s objective is to encourage Europeans

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to get involved in combating global warming. 35 video clips describe the degree to which the species’ lives and habitats have already changed due to global warming. The animals speak directly to each of us, encouraging us to change our behaviour before it is too late.

According to reports from the IPCC, even a slight rise in temperatures can threaten the survival of a great many wildlife species. Disappearing habitats, changing migration conditions, the increasing scarcity or inaccessibility of the creatures on which they feed – all of these things are visible effects of global warming on the lives of animals and the functioning of the ecosystems in which they live.

Here are some of the examples that are used in the WWF Climate Trackers campaign: at the North Pole, the melting of the sea ice is threatening po-

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lar bears and forcing baby seals to enter the water before they are ready to meet its dangers; in both the Arctic and Antarctica, the food chain on which all polar wildlife depends is in turmoil. In the North Atlantic, ocean currents are shifting, taking away the small fish on which puffin chicks are fed.

All across the planet, the sea level is rising, destroying the sites where sea turtles lay their eggs and flooding the hunting grounds of the Bengal tiger.

Spring is coming earlier and earlier, so that insects emerge sooner and have disappeared by the time migratory birds arrive in the lands where they breed. The seas are becoming warmer and more acidic, destroying the coral and disrupting the development of molluscs. Rising temperatures in the nests of reptiles such as alligators and sea turtles are upsetting the balance between

male and female embryos, endangering the future reproduction of these species.

Global warming is causing many animal and plant species to migrate, as far as they are

able to, in order to find climatic conditions which are more suitable for them. Environment Commissioner Stavros DIMAS said: “Global warming is one of the most serious threats to our planet. Not only does it aggravate natural catastrophes such as floods and droughts, but as the CLIMATE TRACKERS campaign clearly shows, it also has a serious impact on the variety of species on Earth.”

The aim of the WWF’s CLIMATE TRACKERS campaign is to inform the ordinary people of Europe about the effects of climate change on biodiversity, and to encourage them to reduce their impact on the climate. In each of the campaign’s 35 clips, an animal bears wit-

ness to the effects of climate change which are already visible in its environment, and urges viewers to do something to reduce their CO2 emissions.

The www.climatetrackers. net is an interactive website which describes concrete actions that people can take to reduce their impact on the climate. Visitors can use a calculator on the website to measure their CO2 emissions. Everyone is invited to reply to the questions asked, and to pledge to reduce their individual impact on the climate. A count is kept on the website of all the pledges made.

For more information, visit the campaign website: www.climatetrackers.net.

MAY 2008

19

THE PLANET IS

THIRSTY. EVERY DROP MATTERS

by BENEDETTA PASERO Translation Marta Langiu

T

he planet is thirsty: the drought increases at a very high speed, the population grows, ground-water basins have never been at such a low level.

Every day three thousand and eight hundred children die because there is no water. And if there are 2 billion people living in countries where there is a short supply of this main life source today, in less than twenty years, two thirds of the worldwide population will be in the same situation.

These are just a few of the facts spread by the United Nations during the Word Water Day celebrated, lake every year, on March 22.

The UN Secretary-General, Jacques Diouf, reminded everyone that the water challenge is the biggest one of the twenty first century – “A global challenge, although it only seems to affect a few regions”. The water consumption throughout the world is increasing

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over twice as much in respect to the demographic growth rate, and drought is only one of the consequences to this problem. Water resources are exploited more and more everywhere due to the increasing needs of the agricultural and industrial sectors, and works for city infrastructures: cities grow, together with the population (which pollutes water basins) and so grows the need for energy and food. Water is consumed for eating also. For instance, it takes 2700 liters of water to produce a kg of rice, main food for East Asian countries, 2300 for a kg of soya, and 1500 for corn. For a kg of chicken it takes 2800 liters of water, 315 for an egg, 900 for a liter of milk, 5300 for a kg of cheese, and up to 15000 for a kg of cattle fed beef.

So, the water we drink represents only a small part of the amount we consume which, without considering wastes, is one thousand times more per person: about 20 liters is the amount of water the drainage consumes every time, in

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Southern countries, this same amount isn’t available to a family in a whole day. This amplifies the crisis their already living, especially concerning the hygienic and sanitary matters.

Prince Willem Alexander Orange, President of the Advisory Committee of the UN Secretary-General for water and sanitation, is fighting an important battle to clean water and improve the condition of millions of people. Especially children, who have to walk tens of km searching for clean water, when, they manage to stay alive. It’s impossible to think they could go to school and get an education, even in those cases where international charity initiatives built structures for this purpose.

This cannot be considered living, it’s a struggle for survival.

“We should harness rainfalls”, explained Maria Mutagamba, Minister for the Environment in Uganda, while telling us about the difficult situation of her country. In Africa, Drought is affecting even those areas that were rich in water basins, that

are still used, but only by who can afford it, to the detriment of everyone else. This iniquity comes from the lack of legislations, “the strongest one wins when water is concerned”.

Water, which lacks of causes malnutrition, poverty, diseases and now also wars. Which, also cause malnutrition, poverty, diseases,… and water pollution.

To stop this vicious circle and promote a culture of respect for the preservation of worldwide water resources, the UN funded the “UN-Water”, which helps all the states members to handle these resources in an efficient way, using and dividing them in responsible ways between urban projects, energy production, fishing and agriculture.

“We need to produce more food with less water” this was another one of Diouf’s advices: Middle East and North Africa, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa, but also a big part of China and India, where all of the soft/fresh water is used for irrigation, are the countries that suffer mostly. The paradox is that three fourths of the Earth’s surface is water, but only a small part of it is fresh/ soft, and about 70% of it is used for the agricultural production which, in some developing countries, goes up to 95%, with a continuously increasing need for water.

Demographic estimates foresee that the worldwide population will grow to over eight billion people by 2030, and obviously, so will the food needs, by 55% in respect to the

information gathered in 1998.

So, water needed to irrigate is estimated to increase by at least 14%, but it will be very hard to satisfy that requirement.

The productive capacity of agriculture is essential to reduce poverty and support the socioeconomic development of the population , even though, the price to pay in order to achieve it is, and has been, really high.

Over more, even if the 80% of the worldwide agricultural surface is based on rain contribution and only 20% by irrigation, this is precisely what generates over 40% of the total agricultural production. Since these uses have reduced surface and underground water resources, reducing natural vegetation and local fauna, the challenge the agricultural sector has to face immediately is finding a way to increment the production using less water and reducing potential environmental damages.

Intensive agriculture isn’t the only cause for the drought: climatic changes, that have recently damaged the Earth, have increased by 20%. Soon, the draught periods are estimated to increase, alternated with floods. Obviously, poor populations will pay the consequences, making them even poorer.

Even if in different ways, the situation concerning water also concerns Europe. Italians, for instance, consume 150 billion of cubic meters of water per year (about 2000 cubic meters per person). Paolo De Castro, the Ministry for the Agricul-

tural and Forest Policies had already given this information: Southern Italy only has half of what would be needed, while, in the North, there’s twice of the amount used. For now, because the rivers are considerably decreasing with a drop off on February 2007, between the 20 and 40% compared with the previous year.

Solutions do exist, experts assure that with some efforts it will be possible to improve the situation. Many international institutions are already moving in this direction: the FAO first of all, but the ONU and the EU. European Environmental Ministers, during the last Summit, said: “We will help developing countries without allowing them to make the same mistake we made: too many times the economic development prevailed on water resource. That’s what happened to China. Finally, we have the knowledge to help them have a different development, that involves a rational and efficient use of this type of resources”. The foundation instituted by Rita Levi Montalcino, instead, aims at the African women’s institution. The Nobel Prize believes in these women’s capacity and “high intellectual level to solve a big part of worldwide problems”.

So, the potential to guarantee water to everyone exists, but we all need to work together. The Minister Mutagamba urged Western countries to help African countries: “Please, don’t give us frozen fish. Show us how to make a fishing rod and teach us how to fish”.

MAY 2008

21

DISASTER

AT GIBRALTAR COAST At risk the eco-system of the Mediterranean coast.

by MARIA ELENA WISE

“B

ulk carrier New Flame lies partially submerged in waters off Gibraltar February 11, 2008. Spain clashed with Britain on Monday after a ship wrecked off Gibraltar sunk deeper into the Mediterranean and Spanish beaches were polluted by an oil spill.”

This press note, by REUTERS/

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Anton Meres (SPAIN), describes the consequences of an accident occurred six months earlier: M/V New Flame a Panamanian bulk-carrier cargo ship collided with an oil tanker off Europe Point, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar on 12 August 2007, and ended up partially submerged. The vessel broke into two in December 2007 amid numerous unsuc-

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cessful recovery efforts and remains grounded to date. Following the crew’s rescue, the captain was arrested for having departed without authorisation and later released on bail pending an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

Six months later the vessel is almost totally submerged and its cargo almost impossible to recuperate. The conflict

between Gibraltar and Spain is well known, although the Spanish government doesn’t recognise the Rock to have any territorial waters, the New Flame sunk at 0.42 nm (nautical miles) from Europe Point, so under the Gibraltar jurisdiction.

The local authorities organised all the salvage procedures.

In an interview with Spanish national radio, Peter Caruana, chief minister of Gibraltar, said every effort would be made to salvage the ship and “although we regret there has been an incident affecting Spain’s coast, everything possible is being done”, he said.

There have been repeated concerns raised that incidents in the area are commonplace; this was the second incident of the year, with local politicians on both Gibraltarian and Spanish sides calling for a review of procedures. The traffic in that area is incredibly high and dangerous. Lots of petrol tankers not always legal double hulled, refuel in the bay and little spill of fuel travels directly to the beaches.

From August 2007 the vol-

unteers have collected more than 824 tons of fuel waste on the Algeciras beaches, quote from the Andaluisan authorities. The question is what are the local authorities doing to solve these problems? On both sides, the claim is a more effective cooperation between the Rock authorities and the Spanish ones. Meanwhile the beaches are polluted and the ecosystem of this area is seriously damaged.

Professor Joan Benach of Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona made a study on Public Health in small areas community in Spain. His research pointed out a worrying growth of cancer affections in Andalusia and more specifically in the Bay of Algeciras area. All the local and national environmental association, Greenpeace, Ecologistas en Accion, is asking to the governments a more specific research of the phenomenon.

This situation has also affected the seabed, where protected species are in danger, such as: sea turtles and seahorses, or sea grass such as the Posidonia Oceanica, an endemic plant

of the Mediterranean Sea, considered as a bio indicator of the sea coast water’s health.

The Spanish Government wants to invest resources and energy to increase the cooperation with Gibraltar and with Great Britain. The Spanish executive is preparing a proposal of agreement for the three governments.

Local Authorities of Andalusia are not very happy with the Gibraltar ones and they reproach them not to care about the damage to the environment of their control policy on the ships traffic of the bay.

“Verdemar Ecologistas en Accion, Campo Gibraltar”,

local environment association, is worried of motion less policy form both sides. Antonio Muñoz, the association spokesman, declared to Ambiente. tv: “We do not understand the authorities attitude in front of a continuous environment disaster, the New Flame caused th the 50 fuel spill in two years.

Personally I think all this “salvage” business must move a lot of money and everybody wants a piece of the cake, they do not think about the real price we all pay for!”

MAY 2008

23

MASDAR CITY: THE FIRST ECO SUSTAINABLE CITY IN THE WORLD

by VERONICA VOTO translated by MARTA LANGIU

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bu Dhabi a small fishermen’s village until 50 years ago, became in the past decade, a modern and very rich urban center. It is now ready for a further leap forward and plans to build Masdar city: the first city in the world with no CO2 emissions at all, which are the main cause of greenhouse effect. The construction has already started and should be completed by 2012. The cost will amount to 15 billion dollars.

This project is part of the so-called “Masdar Initiative”, that aims at promoting and developing alternative energies, launched by the Abu Dhabi government and run by the ADFEC (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company). In the idealistic project, that will be realized by the British architect Norman Foster, the city is meant to become a development and trade center of alternative technologies for the energy production, and will take up 6 millions square meters of surface.

Masdar, just like ancient Medi-

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eval cities, will be surrounded by a wall. In this case, the enemy isn’t an invader, but the hot winds and the noise of the near Abu Dhabi airport. Houses will be built close together and placed to receive a perfect balance between light and dark. Streets will not be over 70 meters long, to create an anti-humidity microclimate.

In the city there will be an Innovation Center for the promotion, marketing and use of sustainable technologies, a new university to offer a high level of alternative energies education, a “Special Economic Zone” to welcome companies interested in investing on the renewable energies production field, and the ADFEC office.

To make it possible, first, a big photovoltaic plant will have to be realized, and only afterwards, it will possible to take care of the urban development.

The goal is to create a city completely self-sufficient, from an energetic point of view, thanks to the combined use of different renewable energetic sources. Wastes will be recycled or will be an energy source. New streets and railways will be made to connect Masdar to near urban areas, the center of Abu Dhabi and the airport.

It will be a pedestrian city: with a quick public transportation system, a maximum distance of 200 meters from the closest stops and a pedestrian street net so that residents as well as tourists will be led to walk everywhere. The use of recycled, biodegradable materials will be encouraged and

the packaging will be reduced at the minimum. The architecture will be ecological and will respect the culture and local values. There will be bio food retail dealers and a supportive fair trade. Water consumption will be reduced by 50% and water wastes will be reused.

The WWF believes in this project very much, Abu Dhabi started a trip to become the global capital of the renewable energy revolution - said Jean Paul Jeanrenaud, director of the WWF project “One Living Initiative”.

At the moment we are not given to know if there will be a “selection” for the people who will live in the city. What we may hope is that Masdar city never becomes a sort of “Truman Show”, but the living proof that, if there is a political and entrepreneurial plan, a more sustainable lifestyle is truely possible.

A new business opportunity for Italian companies at Abu Dhabi th rd From the 20 until the 23 of April 2008, Reed Exhibitions will organize Building Futures Gulf, a four vertical trade show event, with the Batimat brand, the most important building showroom in the world held in Paris. Reed Exhibition, worldwide leader in organizing fairs, involved in the new initiative its most important Italian manifestation: MCE, Expocomfort Exhibition Congress. The aim is to incentivate the business relationships trade between the Arab Emirates and the international solution produc-

ers concerning heat, cold and water. The scheduled meetings with architects, designers, house-builders, land owners and all sector operators of the field working in the Middle East will be particularly important. The organization of Building Futures Gulf is part of the supporting and promoting activities developed by Reed Exhibitions and Expocomfort

Exhibition Congress not only to incentivate the participation of foreign companies, but also to promote Italian brands on more promising foreign markets developing new meeting opportunities between exhibitors and sector operators, and promoting new interesting ideas and events.

For any further information visit: www.mcexpocomfort.it, www.buildingfuturesgulf.com.

MAY 2008

25

SPECIAL LEBANON

SWEDEN: PETROL INDEPENDENCE A STRATEGIC GOAL Sweden seems to be the perfect European model of a social democracy, able to reconcile a liberal economy with a strict and generous social security system. Yet, the Swedes’ model economy has been recently and increasingly wobbling. Nonetheless, and thanks to the exploration of renewable energy sources, the country looks to the future unabated as it seeks to free itself from reliance on petrol as a source of energy.

Should the project succeed, Sweden could once again be at the vanguard of economic policy.

by FABIANA AGRÒ

Pros and cons in the Swedish system Swedish social and economic policy seem to be continuously hinged on two fronts: economic stability and social equality, with the consequent efforts to reduce income gaps and steer the fight against poverty.

More specifically, and according to data from EUROSTAT, the country’s outlook is more than positive. Per capita GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP)

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in 2004 was 16% greater than average in the Europe 25.

In economic terms, Sweden remains an example to be followed. As such, every year the country receives foreign delegations who wish to import the Swedish model to their borders.

Yet, a closer look does not fail to demonstrate a Swedish system where even a few “imperfections” come out.

Behind extensive social security expenditures lies a pervasive public sector with high taxation and strict regulations.

As for taxes in particular, Sweden ranks first among

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European countries. And as taxpayers seek to escape the system, those who can, abandon social security offered by the state in favour of private care (hospitals, schools, etc).

As a result, a new system, currently in continuous growth, is born alongside the public structure.

Thus, the informal labour market also emerges as a way out of public obligations. An increasing number of Swedes are now turning to the informal job market as it is more flexible and exempt from taxes, without actually realising that the informal economy is in fact

at the origin of the Swedish economy’s recent woes. As informal jobs proliferate, the number of taxpayers goes down, hampering the state’s ability to balance public finances and thus pushing it to increase taxes in a vicious cycle that only contributes towards expanding the informal labour market.

The formal economy is then subject to disloyal and destructive competition, which is, in turn, a further obstacle to productivity, whereby working no longer compensates from a financial perspective.

Swift economic policy Currently, the country is slowly recovering from the effects of an economic slowing from the 2000-2003 period, thanks to slight improvements in the country’s main economic indices.

In 2006, the country continued to go through an economic recovery, catapulted in 2004, followed by strong export sales and an increase in internal demand that has been favoured by private consumption and heavy sums of fixed capital investments. The global economic boom also contributed to the recovery, as did the increase in employment, a government budget surplus and a reduction in the national debt.

GDP growth reached 4.4% in 2006, thanks to a substantial increase in exports (up 11.8%) and internal demand

(3.5%). Internal demand was further propelled by private consumption (up 2.9%), whilst net fixed investments went up 8.5% from 2005. In addition, public consumption went up by 1.5% in 2006.

The low inflation rate, at 1.2% in 2006, was essentially due to modest wage increases, low energy costs and strong productivity, causing a reduction in labour demand whilst heightening pressures on wages.

The only flaw in the recent recovery, and the Swedish economy’s main weakness, has been the issue of employment.

Unemployment has been constantly on the rise since 2002, owed in part to a decline in productivity, down from 6.3% in 2004 to 5.7% in 2006.

The new Swedish government, in power since November 2006, has already put forward several proposals to tackle unemployment. The government budget this past spring forecasted a series of interventions in loosening fiscal policy in favour of employment, even if in synchrony with plans to reduce public spending towards social security. The first round of interventions should help the creation of 148,000 new job posts in the 2007-2008 period.

Public finances should remain healthy whilst the state’s attitude towards the national debt is loosened.

Expectations for the last quarter of 2007 thus remain positive. GDP growth is to suffer a slight decrease from last

year, reaching 3.9%, whilst inflation remains at 1.2%, in spite of greater private consumption, which is, in turn, expected to go up by 3.9% whilst net fixed investments go down 6.3%.

Private consumption should remain at 1,5%, whilst industrial production keeps stable at 3.8%. Thanks to the interventions announced by the government, unemployment should go down to 4.8%.

As the government focuses its efforts on improving economic policy, the country is capable of steering itself out of the crisis previously slowing it at the turn of the new millennium.

Living without petrol... fact or fiction By 2020, Sweden would like to free itself from petrol dependence, relying instead on renewable energy sources. The project has been welcomed with enthusiasm by industrial, agricultural and scientific leaders. The country is the first among industrialised countries to pursue such goals, including the absence of a nuclear energy shift in the transition of energy supply.

The project is expected to replace fossil fuels with renewable energies before the onset of climate change leads to a global economic crisis and petrol prices, fuelled by resource scarcity, spiral upwards uncontrollably.

As the lack of a common MAY 2008

27

energy policy continues to persist in the European Community, countries are able to follow their own choices independently with regards to energy supply and investments in the sector. Sweden should now hold an upper hand in comparison to other countries, as it has, for years, made reference to renewable sources and the nuclear alternative in producing energy internally. As such, the country possesses an energy supply that is sufficiently diversified to leave aside the use of petrol.

Long-term objectives should be implemented through a number of measures, such as: fiscal incentives for a conversion to renewable energies in private homes; encouraging the use of renewable “green” fuels for transport; the rapid increase of resources for research purposes in sectors linked to renewable source development; investments in communal heating at the local level.

Of course, the ideas are seen as a main starting point, from where actions will be implemented later on.

Conclusions Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for Sustainable Development, admits that, although the project may seem daunting, Sweden’s lack of need for fossil fuels would give it a great advantage, not only with respect to cutting back on pollution in the country and the world, but also with regards to giving the country “an oppor-

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tunity to become an international model as well as export its technologies in the world’s alternative energy market”.

In other words, the Swedish government is thinking of alternative energies not only

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in terms of its social and environmental impact but also in terms of business and future investment opportunities. Certainly, the world’s thirst for energy is only likely to become greater as petrol supply decrea-

ses, making the renewable energy industry subject to a strong boom. As such, the country aims to get a head start as the world leader in the field.

According to specialists, 15 years are not nearly enou-

gh to make the country fully renewable, although many experts remain confident about their country’s future in such respects. Indeed, Sweden is home to a strong and unanimous ecological awareness

spanning as far as automobile manufacturers. If the current mindset continues, the country could be looking at achieving what many consider the “impossible�, in a not-so-distant future.

MAY 2008

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JATROPHA CURCAS

GOLD OF TOMMORROW

by MARIA ELENA WISE

J

atropha Curacas and its derivates including Jatropha biodiesel have been under the spotlight due to their potential to solve the world’s energy crisis. There is more than enough reason to be enthusiastic about Jatropha’s potential as a biodiesel feedstock. Jatropha is largely being perceived as one of the solutions to poverty problems. JC is an inedible, drought-resistant crop which can grow on marginal land. This means that it can be planted on large areas without the need to displace food crops. With increasing international interest in this plant, the possibilities are exciting. Jatropha oil and Jatropha biodiesel can be used for rural electrification, transport, and stationary engines for shaft power (like multi-functional platforms). Jatropha cultivation is said to be able to protect the environment, as it protects and upgrades degraded soils.

In addition to this, the net carbon dioxide emissions from the Jatropha cycle are reportedly zero. Jatropha is now touted as a motor for economic development in rural areas and a tool to alleviate rural poverty by governments and Non-Governmental Organizations alike.

Viridesco (www.viridesco.

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com) is a UK - based company focused on the production of pure plant oil as a diesel substitute in the developing world.

Elsbett is a company pioneer of vegetable oil technology, which has been converting Diesel engines for vegetable oil (SVO/ PPO) operations for more than 20 years now. With the conversion kits, they offer competitive, perfected solutions to run the engine on SVO - be it for a wide range of cars, trucks, or other utility vehicles. (www.elsbett. com). These two companies joined together to demonstrate the use of the JC Oil with no need to transform it in biodiesel by transesterification. They have converted a passenger car, a pegeaut 408, in the only vehicle running on pure Jatropha oil in Europe. James Scraby, director of Viridesco and owner of the car, drove it from London to Barcelona and back in Sep-

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tember 2007 to participate to the Brent and Trading Jatropha Conference. The journey was 3.150 km and it took 190 litres of fuel.

Extensive research has been carried out on seed oils as alternative fuel for diesel engines.

During the past 3 years tests were made with CDI Mercedes cars in India using Jatropha curcas methyl ester in its need form with great success. Nevertheless, the use of Jatropha curcas oil or methylester, as a new energy source, is in the very early stage. The next appointment for JC will be JATROPHAWORLD 2008, Miami 10, 11 of June.

JATROPHAWORLD 2008 brings together on a single platform, the best expertise to discuss and analyze the present and future dynamics of JATROPHA from a technological and socio-economic angle.

TREE DAY

IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

by MARTA LANGIU An ambitious project recently came out from Macedonia: ‘Tree day – Plant for your future’.

Independent from Yugoslavia only since 1995, still trying to build a solid organization structure, Macedonia is still a developing country that surely doesn’t lack in determination.

‘Tree day’, such a big project for such a small state was born from the need to improve a situation caused by the over 500 catastrophic fires, that raged across Macedonia last year destroying 9,000 hectares of forest, and due to the bad condition of the forest fund.

This initiative for afforestation had no specific national, political nor religious affiliation.

It was organized and realized by citizens from Macedonia and other European countries and consisted of planting more than 2 million tree seedlings. The amount of seedlings to plant on March 12 wasn’t casual, it corresponds to the population of Macedonia.

For the purpose of this action an Initiative Board was created. Among the members of this board there were about one hundred renown citizens, distinguished members of society,

representatives of the scientific milieu, artists and music stars.

Relevant institutions whose support was requested gave it unconditionally, including the European Union, and in order to provide the necessary financial means the Board submitted applications to several local and foreign ones. For instance, necessary tree seedlings and logistic support was provided by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

To promote this initiative and in order to reach the desired number of citizens involved a series of actions were taken.

The support of electronic and printed media was asked and meetings with mayors, citizens, representatives of municipal councils and education institutions were scheduled.

The beginning of the action was officially announced by the planting of 200 cypress trees at the Breznica site, near Katlanovo, and was led by the prominent opera singer Boris Trajanov.

He was particularly involved, and at the press conference he said: “We wish to show that good events may also take place on the Balkans and we will not allow for this noble idea to be overshadowed by the current political turbulences. We wish

for the campaign to become a traditional one and for Macedonia- the greenest country on the Balkans”. At the same conference there were writers, actors, businessmen and other famous musicians with whom, for this project, Trajanov recorded a song and filmed a video. The representative of EU’s Ambassador to Macedonia and honorary member of the campaign’s Initiative Board, Dejan Gorsoski, was also present, and said: “We have not heard that such campaign has been launched so far in some EU country. Finally Macedonia will be able to affirm in Europe by such positive initiative”.

The action also aimed at confronting the reduction of wood stocks, contribute to bio-diversity, raise of environmental awareness and help remembering that forests and trees provide a home to several species and are part of a natural equilibrium.

Hopefully, this important step will show the strength of this developing country in the continuous rising as well as enhancing the importance of taking care of what surrounds us. Khalil Gibran wrote ‘Trees are poems that Earth writes upon the sky.

We fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness’.

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MARSCRUISERONE:

EXPLORING EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL

ENVIRONMENTS

by MADDALENA DALLA MURA

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buzz word of our new millennium-sustainability-takes on a new dimension once we leave our home planet. Wherever humans live, they need the basic provisions of air, water, food-resources our planet not only provides, but also constantly renews, powered only by our sun-the ultimate sustainable system. In a spaceship, a similar system of recycling and renewal can be provided only by means of technology, thus mimicking

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the ecosystem of our planet.

Ongoing research for Advanced Life Support systems (ALS) is crucial for future human space missions.

«As we stand at the threshold of becoming a spacefaring society, we are re-evaluating our place in the universe and facing the complexity of space missions. We begin to appreciate how relatively easy life on our home planet is and which “services” our “Spaceship Earth” is providing us,» point out Arturo Vittori and Andreas Vogler, founders of the architecture

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and design studio Architecture and Vision (AV; www.architectureandvision.com). In fact, no other planet in our solar system has such favorable conditions for life. Even the Moon, our satellite and nearest neighbor presents incredibly extreme environmental conditions. All resources have to be brought from the Earth to allow human survival there. For longer expeditions such as going to Mars-a two-year mission-the challenges become even greater.

«There is no such thing as a municipal infrastructure in a

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space-habitat or rover. The concept of waste will be completely redundant on future long-duration space missions: just like in nature, there will be resources in different states of processing.

Everything will have to be reused, by means of devices powered by solar energy.»

With a specific experience gained in the field of aerospace design, AV has come to recognize resources and energy to support human life as a key issue, developing a resourcedriven approach that is the also the guideline for the team’s terrestrial projects, as exemplified in the “EcoUnit” (2003) mobile sanitation station or the extreme environment tent “DesertSeal” (2004).

The recent aerospace research project, “MarsCruiserOne” (2007) has been informed by this philosophy as well.

Conceived in light of the NASA and ESA Mars mission planned for 2032, “MarsCruiserOne” (MCO) is the result of a number of different development phases, begun with a concept

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by EADS Space Transportation and culminating with key contributions from AV working in conjunction with the German company Stephen Ransom Consultancy, and the Italian companies G-Engineering, Explora and Self Group.

The pressurized rover MCO is much more than a vehicle. It is a mobile laboratory, which will be able to transport a crew of up to 3 astronauts for two-week-long mission before it needs to resup-

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ply at a base station. One of the most innovative solutions developed by AV is the design of the omni-directional hubless wheels. The fixed-rim wheels allow an individual adjustment of the height and adaptation to the ground conditions, while their large diameter allows optimum usage of the interior space and

efficient use of the limited space available in the rocket used for transport.

The interior has been developed to ensure maximum functionality and comfort for the crew. A main challenge is to organize in a small volume diverse and even conflicting functions like kitchen, toilet, shower, working and sleeping zones. To save weight the rover relies on the recycling systems of the main habitat.

Thus the systems can be kept very light and consume less energy. Liquid and solid waste are separated at the source. A resource compactor condenses renewable resources for processing in the main habitat.

Managing the transport and processing of resources will be a major part of an astronaut’s day, along with keeping the life support systems running.

What we can infer, then, is that future spacefaring will quite forcefully remind us of our co-existence with and within a closed-loop ecosystem, where nothing is lost and we will finally acknowledge that the main source for energy is our sun.

The concept for MCO has been presented at professional aerospace conferences and public lectures in Europe and the United States, and scale models have been exhibited at numerous venues, including Air de Paris at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; 2057, a special event celebrating 50 years of space travel at Cité de l’espace in Toulouse; and as part of the landing site of the “MoonBaseTwo” model commission for the collection of Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

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GOING NORTH: GLOBAL WARMING ESCAPE ROUTES

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n March 11th at Palazzo Turati in Milan Ambiente Tv previewed this documentary’s trailer at the opening of the Energetica conference, the annual meeting Repubblica and Somedia devote entirely to energy issues.

Focus Documentaries, www. focusdocumenaries.com a leader in Italian and International documentary distribution, is currently presenting the latest masterpiece by well-known director and pro-

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ducer Eugenio Manghi: “GOING NORTH: global warming escape routes”.

For which is currently holding the exclusive international distribution.

The only high-definition documentary made in Italy about climate changes and the “green highways”, the escape routes Nature has found to offset global warming effects.

GOING NORTH is the very first movie produced in Italy with

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climate emissions compensation: all greenhouse emissions caused by shooting the movie (travel, helicopters, DVD, electric energy, supplies and waste) were calculated, certified and compensated for as per the FILIERA CO2 criteria, i.e. taking care of green areas and public reserves.

Entirely shot in Italy, Norway, Northern Europe and Canada, it was sponsored by many prestigious institutions, including the Norwegian Embassy, CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Italy’s National Research Council), the Università di Pavia, Antenna Media, Regione Autonome Valle d’Aosta, Svizzera Turismo and some of the most important parks in Italy such as the Ticino.

Global warming is creating serious problems for Earth, and scientific studies of ancient climate, climate on other planets and climate models give us better understanding of what is currently going on.

The exit from global warming might coincide with a long hot period but alternative hypotheses

raise the specter of a quick leap towards a new glaciation which would transform “our” world into the remote one of the Inuit (the indigenous Artic people).

In order for wild species to survive, and to safeguard biodiversity, Mother Nature shows us a possible solution though green highways: the biological corridors.

Along these habitats – true natural passageways within the segmented and densely populated world – animals and plants have started “heading north” (towards the northern hemisphere) or in any case towards more liveable and cooler climates.

Many species find in these biological corridors the only alternative to their extinction. In the mountains, “north” is the peak and the biologic corridor rises from the valley floor to the alpine meadows and snowy desert.

Glaciers are melting but this is not the only phenomenon making us worry about a water crisis and the safety of alpine species.

In a hopeful finale, Going North gives humans the chance to intervene positively in protecting the green highways, thus guaranteeing a future for biodiversity.

The promotional trailer for this fascinating journey along the biological corridors will be aired in upcoming weeks on the Ambiente TV Entertainment channel.

Eugenio Manghi – White Fox Communications director and producer, he won the 2006 Golden Dragon at the Bejing International Scientific Film Festival with the documentary “The

predators of the blue river”, coproduced by Paolo Fioratti Srl (publisher of Itinerari e Luoghi) and also internationally distributed by Focus Documentaries.

Eugenio Manghi’s creativity ranges from journalism working with most prestigious nature magazines - to nature photography and anthropology, interspersed with the publication of prestigious books, professional cooperation with Italian and international institutions, the ideation and creation of extraordinary documentaries conceived while travelling the world, and work with national broadcasting companies in editing reports and surveys of naturalistic, environmental and scientific interest. All with just one common denominator: knowing nature’s assets in order to preserve them.

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PLANET EARTH Nature and its relationship with Man, which transforms, misses, praises and spoils her.

This is the main subject of the exhibition cycle organized between January and June by the Nina Lumer Gallery of Milan, founded by Nina Lumer and Ludovica Colantoni.

by FRANCESCA BERTANI Translation by Marta Langiu

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he occasion is the International Year of Planet Earth, proclaimed by the United Nations for the year 2008 in collaboration with UNESCO and IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences). An initiative born within the Planet Earth Triennium, organized by the Onu for 2007, 2008 and 2009, with the aim of awakening citizens and institutions to a sustainable development culture.

In this perspective fits the proposal made by the gallerists from Milan: an exhibition sponsored by the Italian Committee for the International Year of Planet Earth, completely dedicated to contemporary Russian art. The choice surely wasn’t casual, as Nina explained: First of all, it’s an important country for the production of energy resources, it’s enough to think about the extension it has, gas and oil pipelines, besides from bordering on various seas. Overmore, we liked very

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much the idea of dealing with this subject of the Earth rising from our Russian artists. There are three masters, very different from one another, chosen to relate our planet. In May Andrei Molodkin will exhibit his extravagant “oil sculptu-

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res”: Objects – Ludovica tells me – made with a special resin he found and studied, filled with oil. The nervous system, brain and internal organs completely filled with oil, intended as the blood of the worldwide economic system. Dmitri Gutov, a

mud virtuoso, will expose next: Recreates the lines, he is fascinated by landscapes with mud furrowed by chariots or cars. He works a lot with the soil, also intended metaphorically as Mother Russia, the truth.

The exhibition was inauguth rated on the January the 24 2008 with a solo show entitled “Point of view” by the Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev. To make an identikit of the abovementioned artist, it isn’t enough to say he is one of the most esteemed contemporary Russian ones, constantly on the job between Moscow and Paris (I do not know how to rest! To me working isn’t working and holydays aren’t holydays!); that his artworks are exposed all over the world, from Singapore to Los Angeles; that at the Venice Biennale 2007 his installations almost took up the whole Russian pavilion. He really deserves to be met, this curly-headed marine wolf with a passion for submarines and terrified of pictures (Please, make sure I came out well if you put my picture in the cover! My mother always tel-

ls me: “What kind of pictures do they take of you! What is that hair style, you look like a fool!”.

But I reply: “if I take pictures looking too normal I won’t even look like an artist anymore”). A modern Leonardo, who reads Verne and Vernadsky, sketches on navigation charts everything that strikes him. Naval engineer, ex sailor of the Soviet fleet and then Officer of the mercantile navy, Ponomarev spent his life wondering about in the oceans searching for inspiration. Which he always found, precisely from the sea, from the water, a constant element of all his artistic production.

He makes inventions, dynamic and visionary, a little like a mad scientist says Nina laughing. Installations, canvases, videos (and open sea actions!) in which imagination and technology merge together creating new and unforeseen perspectives. It is the case for the first “abstract Topographies”, geographic maps of island, archipelago and imaginary territories that reveal his passion for discovering new places (Sasha

travels a lot on scientific research ships, around the North and South Pole. There is where he gives life to his projects. In the mean time he works among the crew!). Not to speak about the real submarine that Ponomarev borrowed from a Vice Admiral of the Russian fleet, to transform the camouflage war machine into a colourful carnival work.

The installation Point of view, is somehow a novelty: Ponomarev for the first time uses the most organic and visceral material of the earth. In the centre of the hall two uprooted periscope-trees stand out, with immense roots that come out from the floor and the trunk that seem to hole the ceiling in a high vertical push. Like a piece of forest outside time and space, where the earth meets the sky and everything becomes possible. Even that two puppetsailors real size hang suspended in the air (only driven by a light breeze), lost in the contemplation of invisible horizons, free from boundaries. Beyond physics logics and common sense.

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WHY IS ECO-FASHION SO HOT?

by MARIA ELENA WISE

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he term eco fashion refers to stylized clothing that uses environmentally sensitive fabrics and responsible production techniques.

The Sustainable Technology Education Project (www.step. org) defines eco-fashion as clothes “that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the work conditions of people in the fashion industry”.

Clothes and accessories that meet such criteria are usually made using organic raw materials, such as cotton grown without pesticides, or re-used materials such as recycled plastic from old soda bottles, and are made by people earning fair wages in healthy working conditions.

Designers have been playing around with organic and

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natural fibres for years, but the so called “eco-fashion” had its coming out party at New York City’s famed Fashion Week in February 2005, when the no

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profit Earth Pledge (www. earthpledge.org) teamed up with upscale clothing retailer Berneys to sponsor a special runway event called Future-

Fashion. One of the highlights of Future-Fashion was a stunning pink and yellow skirt made from corn fibre by ubercool Heartherette designer

Richie Rich.

The party moved to the West Coast in June 2005, when San Francisco culminated its World Environment Day celebration with “Catwalk on the Wild Side”, an eco-chic fashion show sponsored by no profit Wildlife Works (www. wildlifeworks.com) featuring top models and designs from the likes of EcoGanik, Loomstate, Fabuloid and others.

In Europe the movement has been a bit slower but is now going really fast. There are many example of Eco–Fashion in our continent. England and Denmark are the pioneers in this matter without any doubt.

Denmark especially is in the process of becoming one of the main centres of fashion.

Danish designers and enterprises are busy specialising in a very particular niche: environmentally-friendly clothing. Pesticide-free cotton, bio-

degradable dyes, production process with a low environmental impact… In order to establish this position, these Danish firms refer to the only Europe-wide “green” guarantee: the eco-label.

The European eco-label is an environmentally friendly certificate of European dimension. It guarantees that the product bearing it has been made under the best possible conditions for the environment and that its use has minimal impact on the natural world. These criteria are drawn up at European level, within the European Union Committee for the Eco-label (EUCEL), which brings together representatives of the European Commission, national bodies, environmental NGOs, consumer associations, trade unions, SMEs and distributors. The criteria then undergo a process of approval by the Member States and the Commission.

Our research on bio-fashion European firms brought us to take two brands as example of what eco-fashion could mean: Amana (www.amana-collection.com), an UK company and Nathù (www.nathu.it), an Italian one. Amana means literally “deliver in trust”, in Moroccan Arabic, and the philosophy of this firm is to create clothes that marry beautiful designs with ethical production practices. The goal is to produce fabrics that have minimal negative impact on the environment, such as organic cotton and organic silk. All the MAY 2008

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clothes garnements are made by women artisans in Ain Leuh, an enchanting village perched high in the Middle Atlas Mountains, in Morocco.

Amana works on a fair-trade basis, with their artisans developing long term partnership. The collection you can see on the web, and actually buy, right now, is fresh, very feminine and the collaboration with the print designer Jemma Ooi brought a precious orchid collection of printed silk dresses, camisoles and blouses. The collection is compose by pleated skirts from a luxurious hemp and Tencel blend fabric, crisp organic cotton jackets and a selection of beautiful cut organic cotton trousers.

Nathù Italian Biocouture was inspired by an idea of Marta Pietribiasi, to propose a new mentality of luxury in the sustainable production of a beautiful collection made with organic textiles from fibres carefully selected all over the world and coloured with organic certified dyes. It’s a fully “Made in Italy” production and a sensual style, rich in glamour and with an exclusive personality, embellished by antique artisans details, for a sophisticated and conscious female public. The collection that you can appreciate on their web has an astonishing good taste as only Italians can do, and a freshness due to the quality of the fabrics used to compose this collection which breaks with the ancient image of the natu-

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ral cotton kind of clothes. The inspiration is clearly Nature, with that touch of glamour and a comfortable use of volumes.

Not to mention the accessories such as the Nathu bags made with the same materials used for the clothes, to complete a look total eco-chic.

Two different but convincing examples that fashion and ecosystem respect can go together.

Freitag - Friday You see a big truck passing by and you will never think:

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“that truck is going to be my bag”. But a few years ago this bizarre thought has been made, by the Freitag Brothers). The F-Factory, in downtown Zurich, was found by two brothers who discovered a way to recycle the used truck tarps, car seat belts, air bags and bicycle inner tubes. The main message was, of course, the chance to be able to recycle but also to create a super original accessory. No Freitag bag is like another! Swissies Markus, Daniel Freitag started designing it in ‘93. Since then, the production has increased

with crazy numbers!

The process is very simple, they buy used materials from the trucking companies when they update their fleet, next, the whales of traps are cut to a manageable size. Then, the pieces are washed in XXXL washing machines, washed and groomed, the taprs are cut by hand using transparent stencils. The individual fronts, sides, back and bottoms are arranged, sometimes rearranged and clipped together.

They are now ready to become a bag.

The Freitag bag is in our days the icon of the urban fashion that cities like Barcelona are promoting and spreading all over the world.

It’s amazing to observe how from a truck tarps could come out something so environmental friendly. The collated pieces are sent to selected Freitag sewing stations and this step of the process takes place in

Switzerland, France, Portugal and Tunisia in factories specializing in sewing heavy-duty materials. Really durable, easily repairable and even waterproof. Some are expandable.

You can even build your own bag online! You choose what your bag will look like by placing a pattern over a unique tarp (virtually).

This is the story of a company that is holding on to its Swiss roots while growing globally, but at a sustainable pace. It’s no surprise that tourists from around the world know about Freitag. In fact, its flagship store in Zurich figures prominently in lots of guidebooks. Not only the selection of unique bags lure customers in, but also the store itself, which is a 26-meter tower made of old shipping containers. Not only eco-fashion, but also bio architecture.

The Freitag brothers are probably the pioneers of this sector, but all over Europe there is a real movement that believes in fashion as a vehicle to transmit important messages. We researched new brands and found an Italian

urban fashion brand with an important environmental message: “Relight-up”. The idea was born with the intention to approach the renewable energy world in a different way and to transmit the message to as many people as possible.

The collection has sixty pieces, each in a limited edition.

The inspiration of this number comes from the EU objectives to avoid the planet heating: 20% of energy production has to come from renewable sources, 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020.

So, 20+20+20, 60 becomes a sort of magic number for the “Relight-up” project. Every t-shirt represents a different message to promote the renewable sources of energy among the public opinion.

Maize, soya, seaweed and bio-cotton are the ingredients of this first collection of ecosustainable t-shirts realized by two young designers, Giovanni Dario Laudicina and Agostino Fiume.

This fabulous collection is available on: www.relight-up.it MAY 2008

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The Web Tv totally dedicated to the environment

UPDATED WORLDWIDE NEWS EVERY DAY FOR A BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT

a simple click: www.worldenvironment.tv on line 24 hours a day

WE Live for what We believe

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YOUTH DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES W

e, a group of the Lebanese youth, representing all universities in Lebanon from all regions, confessions and political backgrounds who participated in the “Youth Declaration on Environmental Policies” have convened together for several months in a constructive dialogue to present with unanimous consensus the first “Youth Declaration on Environmental 1 Policies” .

This declaration comes in a time Lebanon is facing a political impasse. However, we the Lebanese youth have tried to agree on issues that concern the public. Hence, we have joined our efforts to tackle environmental issues because ‘environment unites us’ and it crosses all political, regional or sectarian boundaries. Given that, the Lebanese people bare the same economic, social and health 1 Project implemented by the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC) following an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), within the framework of the World Bank’s Lebanon Development Marketplace 2006 “Youth and Governance”.

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impacts due to mismanagement of the environment that have reached very alarming levels and force us to immediately take action. Consequently, we believe that it is time to have a better understanding of our environment and more particularly to work together with all those concerned on reducing the risks leading to environmental degradation and the associated costs that will threaten Lebanon’s future.

We will closely follow up and make every effort so that the declaration recommendations would be fully integrated within the environmental public policies. And since a sound environment is a basic human right that must not be violated, we have agreed on the following: . National legislations: Pursuit to enforce, implement and update environmental laws and develop new legislations in line with national and international considerations that help dealing with emerging environmental

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issues at large while involving the youth and environmental civil society in the process.

For instance, the competent ministries should issue the required application decrees as stated in the various related environmental laws. . International Conventions: Comply with regional and international environmental conventions and treaties and follow up compliance through developing needed legislations, decisions and regulatory decrees. . Integrate environment and the various concepts of sustainable development in the core of the various public policies and a different public management levels due to the positive impacts of this integration that will help ensuring the wellbeing of future generations. . Pursuit the integration of environmental issues within the various political groups and parties’agendas and the

development of needed institutional setups to accommodate them. . Work hard to raise awareness so that environmental conservation becomes a culture and a way of living for each citizen that will eventually lead to good citizenship. . Urge politicians, societies and the public at large to recognize the special importance of environment that is shaped by the different economic, social and political concepts. . Protect environmental issues from political disputes and influence. There is a need not to use environmental issues for political ends but rather use political means for sound

environmental management. . Increase the budget allocation of the Ministry of Environment and other concerned governmental institutions and support the environmental civil society. . Regularly conduct needed research on the state of the environment and ensure the full right of the public to information access. . Work towards establishing or developing environmental majors and curricula in all universities and academic institutions in Lebanon. . Ensure that the mandates of the Ministry of Environment are enhanced to fol-

low up the implementation of its own decisions through updating the law of the ministry establishment and its amendments.

Youth’s position on environmental policies concerning the issues that were selected by the participants: AIR POLLUTION . Issue needed decrees concerning the transportation sector, more specifically those decrees related to the implementation of laws number 341 and 444. . Control the chaos in the transportation sector and disable political coverage for those violating the law. . Work on promoting the use MAY 2008

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of alternative energy such as solar energy and improving the efficiency of energy consuming systems following the concepts of sustainable development.

WASTE . Call for the adoption of a comprehensive strategy for waste management in Lebanon to be supervised by an independent entity composed from all concerned institutions. . Rehabilitate old dumps espe-

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cially those of Tripoli, Tyre and Beirut with the identification of new land filling and treatment sites that satisfy standards and requirements of public safety considering that finding appropriate sites’ selection constitutes the main issue in resolving the solid wastes problem.

WATER AND SEWAGE . Urge the water establishments to launch campaign to reduce water consumption and to activate the subscrib-

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ers’ services’ offices to ensure the access of safe and reliable water supply to all subscribers that meets international standards for drinking water quality. . Call the water establishments to work on reducing the amount of the unaccounted-for-water to reach levels accepted internationally.

LAND MANAGEMENT . Stop immediately issuing of “administrative grace” permits for quarrying such as for

ronmental friendly resources such as fluorescent lights, hybrid cars etc. . Increase the green areas, through planting plants and flowers on balconies and support national reforestation campaigns and help protecting the planted trees.

stock removal or something similar and adopt a master quarrying plan that comply with environmental safety requirements. . Adopt a protected and science based monitoring system to follow up sand, rocks and gravel production as per given permits.

We, therefore, commit ourselves to the implementation of the following practical measures concerning the chosen declaration issues: AIR POLLUTION . Promote and make use of existing public transport means especially among university students, while making the buses transit times more accurate. . Request from the owners of factories and power generators to install filters that reduces air pollution. . Encourage the use of envi-

WASTE . Promote awareness campaigns and exchange of successful experiences as well as taking personal initiatives and get involved in environmental NGOs to encourage reducing waste through sorting, composting and recycling of waste.

WATER AND SEWAGE . Promote awareness for a more rational use of all natural resources especially water and electricity especially within universities in line with the existing UNDP initiatives in energy efficiency.

LAND MANAGEMENT . Promote rural development programs and organize eco and rural tourism trips for university students. . Call upon the Lebanese youth to get actively involved in volunteering for forest firefighting and environmental conservation.

Hence, we, the participating Lebanese youth, have agreed on the following steps: . Ensure that the declaration reaches all the decision makers and the proper follow up of needed measures before it

is too late. The decision makers include among others the President, Parliament, Government, Ministers, Deputies, Municipalities, Political movements and parties, Media, NGOs Universities, Schools, etc. . Promote the declaration at the local and national levels such as in universities, media, and municipalities etc. For instance, a promotional activity shall take place in each of the universities during the upcoming academic year. . Present the declaration to the Environment Parliamentarian Commission and call upon the Parliament to adopt it. . Encourage municipalities and local communities to adopt the declaration and implement its articles as a pilot initiative in different specific areas and within a specific timeframe.

We hereby adopt and commit ourselves to the implementation and the serious follow up of the declaration recommendations hoping that the declaration be adopted and implemented by the different decision makers and the Lebanese Youth.

The participating Lebanese youth will set a one year timeline to follow up the progress of the declaration implementation.

Project implemented by the Associations for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC), United Nations (UNDP), within the frameworl of the World Bank’s Lebanon Development Marketplace 2006 “YOUTH AND GOVERNANCE�.

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THE OIL SPILL CATASTROPHE

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“Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection.

Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path for they draw only corrupt blood.”

Gibran Khalil Gibran “The Visit of Windows”

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n 13 July at around 4:23 a.m. a storage tank in Jieh Power station (30 km South of Beirut) was directly bombed by Israel which caused a fire outbreak and led to the spillage of some fuel as well.

The fire fighting team of the management of the power station and the Civil Defence was able to put out this fire. But, on July 15th, 2006 the Jieh Power Station storage tanks were bombed again. This led to a new outbreak of fire that could not be contained because of lack of sufficient resources due to the air, land and sea barricade enforced on Lebanon. The power plant was re -threatened because the largest tank still containing around 25,000 tonnes of fuel was under thre1 This article has been compiled from official press releases and publications of the Ministry of Environment/Lebanon

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at of explosion or spillage. The Ministry of Environment in coordination with “Electricité Du Liban” and the Lebanese Army and the Civil Defense was able to protect the plant from the explosion of the largest tank on one hand and prevent additional spillage of heavy fuel oil into the Mediterranean Sea on the other hand.

These 2 attacks caused the oil spill crisis where approximately 12,000 to 15,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled into the East coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Its effect was felt on more than 70 sites (along 150 km of the coast of Lebanon) whether they were public or private, rocky, sandy, or pebble beaches, including cultural, historical and touristic resorts and harbours and fishermen’s wharfs. This was due to South West winds and water currents, which carried the pollution Northwards along the co-

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ast of Lebanon even, reaching the coast of the Syrian Arab Republic.

The Ministry of Environment requested assistance from no less than 31 countries via their embassies in Lebanon as well as the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (RMPEC), as well as contacting around 71 national and international organizations and 80 national NGO’s.

To manage this crisis, the Ministry of Environment prioritized the work that needed to be done and divided it into two main phases: . PHASE I From August 2006 until March 2007 covered 70 sites.

The priorities of intervention for this phase were decided based on criteria set by the Ministry of Environment

Š PAOLO ORLANDI (APAT)

The environmental damage along the Lebanese coast.

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in order to make best use of the resources made available for Lebanon to alleviate the adverse effects of the oil spill and they were based on a complete shoreline survey and are as follows: . To capture and remove free floating mobile oil that can remobilize and pollute new sites. . To follow the South to North sea water and wind currents. . To prioritize where there is direct human contact with the oil. . To prioritize where the oil spill hampers economic activities such as fisheries, tourism etc. . To prioritize where there is a direct threat to environmentally sensitive ecosystems or culturally important sites. . PHASE II From April 2007 to date covers 30 sites that require higher level of cleanliness and involves the removal of remaining fuel oil off rocks and structures using High Pressure pumps.

After completion of Phase I work in March 2007 and to identify priority sites for Phase II work, a comprehensive survey of all polluted sites was carried out over the months of April and May 2007 and a map of these sites was produced and circulated to all potential partners.

An underwater survey was also carried out to check the status of the intertidal zone all along the coast from Jadra (just south of Jiyeh Power

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The marine invertebrates living on the beaches and the rochy shores in the tidal zone were heavily affected by the effects of the “black tide”.

Plant) until Abdeh (Akkar – the Northern Border of Lebanon). The preliminary results were that there was presence of some submerged heavy fuel oil in only two sandy stretches under water which are: . in a semi-enclosed site in the South (site off Jieh), and . off a sandy beach facing high rocks in the North (site off Byblos) The priorities of intervention for this phase were decided based on the answers per site to the following questions: . Does the site have any economical, environmental, cultural or social importance? . Is there any visible fuel on the site? . Are there potential new threats from the fuel seen onsite? . Can the site be used in its normal capacity? . If present, what is the level of pollution remaining on the site? . Is the site not easily accessible and has no environmen-

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tal, social, economical or cultural importance and does not need work in Phase II? The 30 sites identified where then plotted on the map as shown in the figure.

Other major issues that need to be considered are: . Oil Spill Waste Management . Oil Spill Costs, and . The latest developments.

With regards Oil Spill Waste Management: Oil Spill Cleanup Operations generate Oil Spill waste, which is either liquid waste (collected fuel) or semi-solid and solid (polluted sand, pebbles, equipment and debris). The quantity of waste collected to date and safely stored in secure storage sites was estimated in March 2008 to be around 2000 m3.

Based on the nature of the waste which is categorized as hazardous waste (as per the

Basel Convention for the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and Disposal), the Ministry of Environment, as explained in its booklet published in 2007 on the memorial of the passing of one year on the oil spill, is studying the following methods of disposal: . Treatment of the waste in one of the major world oil refineries as this waste is similar to what is generated by the refinery itself . Treatment of this waste in developed countries with the available technologies – in the framework of the Basel Convention for the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste . Use of this waste in electricity generating power plants of Lebanon, starting with Electricité Du Liban . Use of part of this waste in the maintenance/laying of roads and pavements The Ministry of Environment is continuing to look into the most feasible and environmentally sound Oil Spill Waste Management solutions for Lebanon.

Oil Spill Costs The World Bank, in its report titled “Economic Assessment of Environmental Degradation Due to the July 2006 Hostilities” estimated that the cost of damage and cleanup relating to the Oil Spill Crisis on average to be around 203 million USD. To date, less than 10 % of required funds have been provided.

Latest Developments Finally, so that we “shall not forget”, two major developments have occurred which needed to be highlighted.

The first was the issuance of resolutions 61/194 and 62/188 by the United Nations General Assembly that assign blame to Israel and express appreciation for the efforts of the Government of Lebanon in the initiation of clean-up and rehabilitation operations on the polluted shores.

The second was the produc-

tion of an award winning documentary titled “The Oil Spill in Lebanon” which was funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the IUCN and produced by Mr. Hady Zakkak) to imprint upon Lebanon’s and the world’s collective memories the size of the crisis and the preliminary interventions to 2 mitigate its consequences .

More information on the Oil Spill Crisis can be found on the Ministry of Environment Website on www.moe.gov.lb.

2 This video can be seen on www.worldenvironment.tv in the Lebanon section.

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OIL SLICK

ON LEBANESE SHORES: A UN REPORT This

report

includes an assessment of the impact of the oil spill

on human health, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism,

Beirut is a city in continuous reconstruction.

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Š PAOLO ORLANDI (APAT)

and implications for livelihoods and the economy of Lebanon.

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report, entitled “Oil Slick on Lebanese Shores”, has been prepared by a United Nations inter-agency team, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 61/194, entitled “Oil slick on Lebanese shores”. In the fifth paragraph of the resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution at its sixtysecond session under the item entitled “Sustainable development”. The report includes an assessment of the impact of the oil spill on human health, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism, and implications for livelihoods and the economy of Lebanon; progress made in approaching the Government of Israel in assuming responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon; and an overview of the financial and technical assistance in support of the efforts to clean up the polluted shores and sea of Lebanon with a view to preserving its ecosystem.

The impact mainly consists on the release of about 15,000 tons of fuel oil into the Mediterranean Sea, leading to the contamination of 150 km of coastline in Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. The resolution refer to “the adverse implications of the destruction by the Israeli Air Force of the oil storage tanks in the direct vicinity of the Lebanese El-Jiyeh electric power plant for the achievement of sustainable development in Lebanon”, and the Assembly “considers that the oil

slick has heavily polluted the shores of Lebanon and consequently has serious implications for human health, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism, all four of which in turn have serious implications for livelihoods and economy of Lebanon”.

Several United Nations and other international agencies have been involved in assessing the implications This coverage permits a sustainable development approach to documenting adverse impacts, under the triple headings of) Social (public health and safety); Economic (clean-up and monitoring, lost economic opportunities); Environmental (ecological and physico-chemical impacts) (for example the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank). Taken together with the reports by the Government of Lebanon and UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan/Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the reports provided a prompt and reasonably comprehensive account of immediate impacts and response.

In October 2006, UNEP conducted a post-conflict environmental assessment of Lebanon. It should be noted that the UNEP report focused on assessment of environmental conditions (water, sediment, biota) in the near-shore zone, rather

than the littoral zone where oiling was heaviest and clean-up was ongoing at the time of the surveys (in October 2006).

Summarized, the UNEP findings, released in January 2007,1 along with the recent United Nations inter-agency findings during the mission in October 2007, on the adverse impacts on the coastal and marine environment, consist on the oil spill resulting from the bombings of the El-Jiyeh power plant on 13 and 15 July 2006 which caused significant contamination of the Lebanese coastline and affected the El-Jiyeh seabed.

A proportion of the oil spilled covered the seabed over an area of a few hundred metres.

The oil that did not sink either evaporated or was caught in the northbound current. Harbours, coves, caves and small natural bays were particularly affected, as the oil tended to get trapped there. The flora and fauna on rocks and sandy beaches that were directly exposed to the oil were also affected. Significant mortality, as result of toxicity smothering, most probably occurred among littoral invertebrates such as gastropods, polychaetes, crustaceans and algae. The full recovery of these habitats is likely to take some years. Focused monitoring on a routine and long-term basis at different sites may be used to assess the remaining impacts of the oil spill in terms of status, trends and recovery. Oysters and fish were found to be similar to those in areas under anthropogenic influence for the eastern part of the Mediterranean. The MAY 2008

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from oil spill (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years) and impact on marine biodiversity (long-term, or 10 to 50 years). The criticalsignificant concerns air pollution from El-Jiyeh fire (shortterm, or less than one year),4 marine sediment impact from sunken oil (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years) and soil pollution from deposited contaminants of fuel burning at El-Jiyeh (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years).

Critical but non-significant is the impact on seawater quality from oil spill (short-term, or less than one year) and soil impact at El-Jiyeh site (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years). A marginal impact regards the effects on plants and the ecosystem from fuel burning in ElJiyeh (short-term, or less than one year). There also is a Negligible impact on coastal aquifers from oil spill (short-term, or less than one year).

The UNDP report also addressed the impact of the oil spill on cultural heritage, for instance, the basement stones of two medieval towers and some other ancient ruins were covered by a fuel layer. Due to the air and marine blockade enforced by the Israeli army as well as the lack of human, material and financial resources.

Clean-up operations could not start until a few weeks after the ceasefire.

The World Conservation Union task force and assessment team arrived on 15 August 2006. Main findings resulted that The impact included significant mortality and impairment of the ecosystem. The organ-

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The avifauna particularly suffered the consequences of the environmental disaster occurered in Lebanon following the bombing of July 13th and 15th 2006.

Š PAOLO ORLANDI (APAT)

analysis of marine waters sampled three months after the spill detected traces of oil dispersed and dissolved in the water only in the affected areas. The bombing of the El-Jiyeh power plant, a civilian utility serving the general population, occurred close to the beginning of the conflict.

Hostilities were therefore ongoing during the critical early days of the oil spill, and security conditions severely hampered access to the coastline, as well as any potential large-scale oil clean-up response operations. Remobilization by natural wave action of the oil coatings on rock and man-made surfaces and of oil mixed with sediments back into the water is still possible, and may lead to temporary increases in oil concentrations in the shallow nearshore and littoral zones.

Currently Lebanon has no environmentally acceptable disposal facilities for these waste streams. Conditions of temporary storage at some clean-up sites are not ideal and evidence of some commingling of other wastes was seen in October 2007 at some sites. The El-Jiyeh power station is well on its way to full reconstruction. Mobilization of international technical assistance and donor support to create an environmentally acceptable disposal solution is still needed.

In August 2006, UNDP initiated a rapid environmental assessment and identified 46 environmental impacts, of which 9 are marine oil-spill related. The severe impact consists of the littoral pollution

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Š PAOLO ORLANDI (APAT)

SPECIAL LEBANON

The volunteers engaged in the area of Byblos, tired out at the sunset, after a hard working day.

isms have been diminished and since they are prey for fish and could thus reduce fish stocks.

In September 2006, FAO conducted a damage assessment in the agriculture and fisheries sec-

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tors. And the report was released in November. The conclusions reached in respect of conflict impacts on the marine fisheries sector are set out below.

From the outbreak of the

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conflict on 12 July 2006 to the lifting of the sea blockade by Israel on 9 September 2006, no fishing was possible and, accordingly, no income was generated. Future actions are required to ensure sustainable development and improvement of the livelihoods of the fishing communities.

The World Bank carried out an economic assessment of environmental degradation resulting from the July 2006 hostilities. The overall cost was estimated at between $527 million and $931 million.

The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a factfinding mission and published a report. The WHO assessment looked at the health-care institutions in districts that were primarily affected. Together with other international agencies, WHO supported the country in its recovery efforts and concentrated its efforts on maintaining the provision of priority medical and quality health interventions on essential drugs, medical supplies and chlorine for water disinfection (distributed through the Ministry of Public Health); rehabilitation of health centres and re-establishment of health services; surveillance and control of communicable diseases; immunization campaign against measles and polio; safety of drinking water.

Researchers of the National Council for Scientific Research and the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea found that the tissues of mussels in affected areas were heavily contaminated with a concen-

© PAOLO ORLANDI (APAT)

The fire affected the Jieh power plant for some days, even because of the lack of materials and equipments due to Israil’s blockade.

The heat developed caused also the collapse of a third tank of the capacity of an additional 15.000 m3.

tration well above the relevant WHO guideline values. WHO is encouraged to continue supporting the recovery efforts of Lebanon, including environmental epidemiological studies to look into the potential longterm adverse health impacts on exposed populations.

The General Assembly called upon the Government of Israel to “assume responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon for the costs of repairing the environmental damage caused by the destruction, including the restoration of the marine environment”. All littoral states of the Eastern Mediterranean are signatory to the only oil-spill response convention. The International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Coopera-

tion (1990) entered into force in 1995 to facilitate international cooperation.

Israel, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic should be strongly encouraged to take a leadership role in a thorough post-spill review of Conventionrelated activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, hosted

by Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea. The Secretary-General commends the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese Government to address the impacts of the oil spill and urges the Government of Israel to take the necessary actions towards assuming responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon. The Secretary-General also commends the efforts of the United

Nations system to respond to the emergency and the requests of the Government. While the response of the international donor community has been both generous and timely in this matter, and given the particularity of the cause and the prevailing circumstances of the Lebanese oil spill case at the time of the incident and beyond. The Secretary-General urges Member States, international organizations, international and regional financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to continue their support for Lebanon in this matter and in its broader reconstruction efforts. This international effort should be intensified, since Lebanon is still engaged in oil removal, treatment of wastes and monitoring of recovery. It should also be recognized that this oil spill is not covered by any of the international oil-spill compensation funds and thus merits special consideration.

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WAR IMPACT

ON FORESTS AND OLIVE GROVES ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH LEBANON

T

he Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC), a Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization, was established in 1993 to achieve sustainable conservation of natural resources, raise awareness and build capacities to contribute to the national efforts for better environmental management. Fundamental to AFDC’s mission is the pursuit of community-based conservation for the sustainable livelihoods of people. This comes from the idea that conservation will fail if local communities do not benefit from it. AFDC’s objectives include: . Developing local communities while maintaining conservation and the sustainable management of forests and natural resources. . Capacity building and public awareness in fields and issues related to the environment and sustainable development. . Conducting and disseminating studies and research related to different environmental and sustainable development issues. . Lobbying for changes in environmental and sustain-

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able development policies. . Encouraging youth involvement and participation in development practices including working towards the establishment of youth centers and hostels.

AFDC works at the national level in more than 15 different locations in North, South and Mount Lebanon through volunteers units from the local communities that involve up to date more than 500 volunteers. Through the units AFDC implements its various programs that aim at achieving its mission. The AFDC has 4 major programs, namely, the Nature and Conservation Program, the Outreach and Communication Program, the Research and Project Development Program, and the Advocacy Program. Through these programs AFDC has worked in projects related to forest fire fighting,

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

Reforestation, Rural Development, Eco-tourism, Environmental Education, Capacity Building, Media, Environmental Monitoring, Project Development, Internships, Environmental policies, Faith and Conservation, Relief.

During the year 2006, from July 12th till August 14th, Israel waged a full-scale war on Lebanon in which more than one thousand civilians were killed during the thirty-four days of the hostilities, while some hundred thousand housing units were partially or totally destructed, the majority of which were in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the South of Lebanon.

Besides the significant losses in civilian lives, houses and infrastructure, the Lebanese social, economic and environmental sectors were significantly affected during this war, especially in the Southern villages where the attacks were mostly concentrated.

AFDC in collaboration with the Society for Austro-Arab Relations (SAAR) found it necessary to initiate a postwar assessment on forests and olive groves in the South of Lebanon. The objectives of

this study were to determine and assess war damages on the green areas by locating the affected lands and evaluating the economic losses.

The conducted post war assessment on forests and olive groves revealed that the majority (94%) of the war damage to the green cover in most of the studied villages occurred because of direct bombing, especially during the last days of the war. Despite the constant threat of bombing, locals attempted to extinguish fires in more than 50% of the targeted villages.

A total damaged area due to the direct effects of this war in the south of Lebanon was estimated to be around 1022 ha.

Of the damaged lands, 713 ha were of natural forests mostly mixed and oak trees and 309 of olive groves. The largest affected green area due to the war was located in the “Caza� of Sour, followed by Nabatiyeh and Bint Jbeil.

Moreover, the Lebanese National Demining Office (LNDO) estimated the existence of 2.8 millions cluster bombs. Until recently, only 60 % were exploded. As a result, most of these unexploded bombs still represent an obstacle between the local population and the surrounded forest and rangeland areas. The average life of such bombs varies between 25 and 40 years making them an existing threat for the new coming generations of the local population. The number of victims resulting from cluster bombs

and unexploded objects from 14th August 2006 (the date of cease fire) until 23rd July 2007 has reached 31 killed and 217 injuries. In addition to the direct risks of these cluster bombs there are negative economical, sociological and environmental impacts. People are restricted to access their agricultural lands and forests and therefore they are obliged to move away from their villages.

Based on the statistics provided by the LNDO there are 10 killed from 23 killed civilians (34.5%) because of agricultural, herding and wood cutting works. Moreover, there are 72 injuries from 204 civilian injuries because foot walk, playing outdoors, wood cutting in forest, agricultural and herding works.

The significant damage that occurred in the green cover and natural forests of the country during the July 2006 war was not only devastating due to its ecological and environmental impact but also for the resulting economic losses. More specifically, the study came out with a total cumulative economic loss of $140,336,000 due to damage in natural forests and olive groves. $ 94,150,000 loss resulted from the damage of 152 ha of pine trees, $ 2,961,000 resulted from the damage of 444 ha of oak trees, and $ 43,225,000 resulted from the damage of 308.8 ha of olive groves. These losses are cumulative for a period of 25, since all forest tree species and olives take several years

to become productive. These estimations exclude losses resulting from damage to the apiculture and other forest utilizing sectors.

Following the finding of this preliminary study, AFDC has started in collaboration with WWF-Italia and Ross Program of the Italian Cooperation, a project aiming at restoring more than 50 ha of land in the regions of Jezzine and Arkoub. The project is designed to assist local communities affected by the war restoring their forested areas by developing and implementing restoration plans, while at the same time empowering the concerned public and local entities to be able to reduce the impact of forest fires by providing 120 AFDC volunteers with the required equipment for early intervention in forest fires in cooperation with the Civil Defense and the Forest Guards Centers. However, it will take several years and millions of dollars to only restore what was damaged and destroyed from forests and agricultural lands in few days.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

ASSOCIATION FOR FORESTS, DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION (AFDC) Marinian Center, 8th floor, near AUH Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon Tel/fax: + 961 1 752670 /+961 1 752671 E-mail:afdc@afdc.org.lb Web site:www.afdc.org.lb MAY 2008

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GERMAN MONEY WILL HELP LEBANON’S ENVIRONMENT Grant aims to deal with damage from 2006 war.

by SARAH MANSOUR

B

eirut: Lebanon has received a 4.5 million euro ($6.7 million) grant from the German government to fund environmental projects in response to the damage wrought on flora and fauna by the 2006 war with Israel. The grant, entitled the “Project of the Environmental Fund in Lebanon,” will fund projects proposed for the environmental reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country while keeping in mind the economic revival of its productive sectors.

The fund comes through the German Technical Cooperation and is open to public and private establishments. It aims to help remedy the damage caused by the 2006 war and encourage the adoption of environmental measures from which institutions can benefit

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economically.

In the private sector, many initiatives are taking place that aim to facilitate the adoption of energy-efficient measures to alleviate production costs, such as using less water and resources.

“With limited resources, many in Lebanon have proven that environmental action is feasible and effective,” said professor Lamia Mansour, project team leader at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), which is coordinating the project along with the Environment Ministry.

“The fund comes to support this action and showcase the magnitude of the efforts compared to the modesty of the resources ... This is the snowball effect.”

The vision of the Environment Ministry, as stated in a statement released at the project’s February 7 launch, is that “we should all work

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

together to safeguard the environment for a better quality of life and for a better world.”

Attempts to alleviate environmental degradation in most advanced countries are revealed through changes in policies, plans and applications regarding the environment. “In Lebanon, we have achieved an important step toward the integration of the concept of environmental management and cleaner production,” Samar Malek, a specialist in international law at the Environment Ministry, told The Daily Star.

With the lasting impact of the war still in view, Lebanese institutions require resources and immediate action to improve environmental conditions in war-affected areas.

The World Bank calculates that the overall cost of environmental damage from the 34-day war in 2006 - $729 million - exceeded the cost of

environmental degradation for the entire year of 2000.

In addition to financial costs of the war are the environmental costs which range from oil spills from the Israeli air strike on the Jiyyeh power plant to the destruction of buildings which resulted in up to 3.5 million cubic meters of waste. Cleanup of the oils spill has resulted in waste that Lebanese facilities are not equipped to dispose of in an environmentally acceptable manner.

Some interventions have been under way since the war’s end, most prominently those which addressed the ecosystems affected by the oil spill and forest areas affected by fires. Fishermen reliant on the Palm Islands Nature Reserve were recruited to clean up oil with funding from the Swiss government and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

“Taking into account ecosystem characteristics and their services in the disaster response phase can assist people securing their livelihoods over the long term,” states the IUCN on its Web site.

The project at the reserve provided farmers with an alternate source of income and is re-establishing their means of livelihood through restoration. The reserve is undergoing rehabilitation to regain its eco-tourism infrastructure and measures are being set to avoid similar future disasters from occurring.

“Interventions are also taking into account the concepts

of preventive action and sustainability of environmental resources,” Malek said. Such measures follow growing interest in environmental sustainability, particularly when considering Lebanon’s volatile environmental and political framework.

A response from the Environment Ministry regarding environmental sustainability is “to establish plans and strategies for supporting feasible environmental investments taking into account the concepts of preventive action, the “Polluter Pays Principle,” sustainability of environmental resources, cooperation, participation and economic incentives,” Malek said. The “Project for the Environmental Fund in Lebanon” is applicable to proposals following those incentives.

“This vital project will provide the needed technical and financial support for leading developmental projects having environmental, economic, and social benefit throughout Lebanese regions,” said Nabil Jisr, head of the CDR. The fund is open to all institutions, from small and medium enterprises, nongovernmental organizations, to governmental agencies, municipalities, and academic institutes established in Lebanon for at least three years.

Grants, between 25,000 euros and 200,000 euros, will fund no more than 80 percent of the total costs of each intervention. Proposed areas of intervention range from coastal

pollution remediation, clearance of environmentally sensitive sites from polluted media and demolition wastes in waraffected areas, rehabilitation of degraded land, to implementation of environmental measures at reconstruction sites of war-affected areas.

The interventions are to follow a timeframe of 18 months.

The fund is equally concerned with environmental investments that economically benefit private enterprises.

Proposed project interventions address the implementation of cleaner production and energy-efficient assessments and options.

“We are aware of the importance of developing and promoting the productive sectors, especially those which were damaged during the war in Lebanon, as this would also lead to a national economic benefit,” Malek said. “Finding a middle ground between development policies and environmental protection can ensure the attainment of sustainable development and will reflect positively on environmental, social and economic situations.”

As coordinator, the CDR offers training services to help applicants in writing proposals.

“We wish for this project to attain its goal and be the start of a series of projects working on developing the productive sector in Lebanon and achieving the participation of all concerned parties to reach a better environment,” Malek said.

“This project ... should be MAY 2008

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able to bring about a good momentum for supporting much needed answers for the environmental problems in Lebanon,” Malek added.

The ministry plans to establish a national fund for environmental initiatives and “The Project for the Environment Fund” intends to support them in reaching this goal.

Applications are available through the CDR at its Web site: www.efl.cdr.gov.lb

Environmental priorities

Source: World Bank, 2007. Republic of Lebanon, Economic Assessment of Environmental Degradation Due to July 2006 Hostilities.

as perceived by representatives from the civil society, academia

The project will finance

and private sector in Lebanon (Source: UNDP/MoE)

a wide range of initiatives

The cost of environmental degradation from the war . The overall cost of environmental degradation resulting from the July 2006 hostilities was estimated at around $729 million, or about 3.6% of Lebanon’s gross domestic product in 2006 . In comparison, the annual costs of environmental degradation in 2000 were estimated at about $565 million or 3.4% of GDP. This implies that the damages caused by the 34-day hostilities exceed those caused throughout a whole year in times of peace.

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responding to environmental

Facts ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION FROM SMES Environmental Priorities in Lebanon

damages of the July 2006 war and to pollution from Small

and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The following facts illustrate some environmental impacts related to SMEs in Lebanon and provide examples of the issues which the Fund

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will address.

Several initiatives provide guidance towards defining environmental priorities in Lebanon. The most recent analysis of environmental priorities conducted in 2005 by the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Land Use Planning Project, which was implemented by the Ministry of Environment, showed that the top environmental priorities are solid waste and wastewater management.

The cost of environmental degradation in Lebanon is very high, as reflected through the following key facts: . The annual cost of environmental degradation in Lebanon was estimated in the year 2000 at about $565

Sources: MoE,1999. Status of the Ministry of Environment and its action plan for 1999.

MoE/ECODIT, 2001. State of the Environment Report.

MoE/MSC-IPP, 2006. National Environnemental Action Plan.

MoE/UNDP, 2005. Strategic Environmental Assessment and Land Use Planning Project.

Sarraf, M., Larsen, B., and Owaygen, M., 2004. Cost of Environmental Degradation: the case of Lebanon and Tunisia. Environment Department Paper No. 97. TheWorld Bank, Washington, D.C.

industrial liquid, solid and hazardous wastes annually. . Industries generate about 12% of the total (domestic and industrial) wastewater stream in Lebanon. . In 1994, industries in Mount Lebanon generated over 20% of the industrial wastewater effluents, while in 2020, it is expected that around 22% of the industrial wastewater effluents will be generated in the Bekaa area.

Project interventions to address pollution from SMEs

Photo: Wastewater from marble

Photo: Disposal of waste from

tile factories flowing into storm

asphalt and cement plants

water channels and a river bed.

into a flowing river. (Source:

(Source: Envirotech)

Envirotech)

Sources: MoE/Dar Al Handasah, 1996. The Preparation and Development of a National Industrial Waste Management Plan.

MoE/Tebodin, 1998. Industrial and Hazardous Waste Management Strategy for Lebanon. World Bank and NIDO.

Industrial wastewater may contain a wide variety of pollutants depending on the activity from which it originates. It is often highly contaminated with heavy

million, which is equivalent to 3.4% of total GDP . The direct costs of the health impacts of water pollution and treatment cost of illness are about US$100 million per year . The direct costs of the health impacts of urban air pollution are also US$100 million per year.

metals, toxic substances, and waste oils, that pose a risk to the environment, living creatures, and public health.

Environmental pollution from SMEs . Lebanese industries generate about 188,850 tonnes of

The lack of treatment of industrial wastes is an important technical constraint to the much needed solid waste and wastewater management in Lebanon. The Fund will directly contribute to addressing this major environmental priority in the country, by introducing effective and enforceable pollution prevention and control measures at the level of SMEs. Such measures will also have economic benefits for the private sector.

Three levels of interventions can be directly funded through the Fund: . Pre-requisite cleaner production/energy efficiency assessments . Implementation of Cleaner Production and Energy Efficiency options . Installation of preliminary treatment for liquid effluents and where possible, management/treatment options for solid wastes and air emissions.

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STATISTICAL

ANALYSIS FOR FIRES IN LEBANON FOR THE YEARS

FROM 2004 TILL 2007

T

his article summarizes a statistical analysis study conducted by the Ministry of Environment for the forest fires that happened between 2004 and 2007.

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Fires are the most important natural threat for forest and wooded areas of the Mediterranean basin. It destroys many more trees than all other natural calamities parasite attacks,

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insects, etc. (D.alexandrian et all, 1999). Lebanese forests have suffered from the continuous uncontrolled human intervention that destroyed valuable areas in the country.

Moreover, the Lebanese topography is characterized by a steep sloping terrain, which might accelerates and increases soil erosion and makes fire fighting more difficult.

During the period from 2004 till 2006, 390 fires occurred in the Lebanese territory. They burnt an area of more than 1900 ha. In 2004, 129 fires occurred with a burnt area of 585.63 ha, data for burnt area is available for 73% of fires.

In 2005, the number of fires decreased by 9.3% to record 117 fires. 2006 was a catastrophic year compared to 2004 and 2005.

2007 was a catastrophic and disastrous year on forests.

Internal Security forces, ISF, recorded a total of 323 fires for the whole year. These fires happened in different types of land such as forests, cultivated lands and other wooded and non wooded lands. 133 fires consumed 2,284 ha of “Forests”, 56 fires consumed 309 ha of “Cultivated Lands” while the rest, 95 fires consumed 1410 ha of “Mixed Lands” and “Other Lands”, taking into consideration that data for burnt land classification is available for 77% of the recorded fires.

Total burnt area in 2007 is 4,197 ha, an increase of 380% compared to the previous year.

As usual, Mount and North Lebanon Mohafaza contained the majority of fires, 63.6% of total fires. Mount Lebanon contained 41.2% versus 22.4% for North Lebanon. Nabatieh, South Lebanon and Bekaa accounted for 14%, 15.2% and

7.1% respectively.

Most catastrophic fires occurred in the months of September and October. Plants in these two months are in a state of extreme drought; this fact helps in the rapid spread of fires and generates difficulty in surrounding, controlling and putting down fires. Average of burnt area per fire in the months of September and October is 12 ha and 25 ha respectively. While the average of burnt area for July and August is 5 ha and 5.8 ha respectively.

Alley, Byblos, Akkar and Shouf Caza were the most affected caza in 2007. Fires burnt an area of 676.13 ha in Alley Caza, 16% of total burnt area. As for Byblos, Akkar and Shouf Caza, they represented 24.5%, 5.1% and 14.6% of total burnt area.

“Private Property” constituted 94.6% of burnt properties in 2007, an increase of 30% compared to 2006. Many questions can be raised here about

if the fires are accidental or incendiary.

Civil Defense is the major partner in firefighting; it participated in firefighting 95.3% of fires in 2007. Lebanese Army, ISF and Civil Community participated in 13.7%, 3% and 3% respectively.

32 fires classified as “Catastrophic” forming 14% of the total number of fires burnt 82.4% of the total burnt area in 2007, 3461ha. Although their number is relatively small compared to “Considerable” and “Limited” fires, but they have a disastrous effect on the vegetation cover.

In conclusion we can say that Forest area is reduced year after year and thus there should be a fast and effective reaction and a prevention plan for the preservation of forest ecosystems wellness and biodiversity.

More information is available on MoE website: www.moe.gov.lb MAY 2008

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SAVING ENERGY REDUCING GREENHOUSES GASES IN LEBANON

The LCECP is a project between the United Nations De-

energy audit for the Order of Engineers premises. The

velopment Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of En-

energy audit highlighted the areas of energy waste

ergy and Water in Lebanon (MEW). This project was fi-

and appropriate solutions to save energy. In their turn,

nanced By the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and

the Order of Engineers committed to implement the

MEW, managed by UNDP and executed by MEW.

suggested solutions and promote the results of the

Its aim is to reduce greenhouse gases, which are a

energy audit among subscribed engineers.

major contributor to global climate change, by targeting the improvement of the demand side management

Energy Use in the Industrial Sector of Lebanon

and energy conservation. The project was started in

During a conference held on January 19, 2007, LCECP

April 2002 and the Centre ensures the sustainability

and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI)

of the project’s outcomes. It will be the official body

launched the findings of the survey conducted to

of the Lebanese Government handling all the national

study the energy situation in the Lebanese industrial

energy efficiency and renewable energy matters and

sector. The survey covered 627 members of ALI and

coordinating with the relevant national stakeholders,

the respondents amounted to 293. The main findings

international organizations and donors.

of the study revealed the following:

LCECP undertook a multitude of partnerships with both the public and the private sectors, namely with

. 40% of the surveyed industries are not working at

“Electricité du Liban” (EDL), whereby LCECP prepared

full capacity; 7% are working at less than 25% of

a series of simple tips related to energy conservation

their capacities.

in the household, wrapped in the form of a brochure which was distributed along with the electricity bill to 800,000 households all over Lebanon. EDL handled

. 72% of the Lebanese industries have export activities while 28% rely solely on the local market.

both the printing and distribution of the brochures.

Another similar partnership was established with

. The energy consumption of a major part of the in-

“Electricité de Aley” (EDA), whereby the latter pub-

dustrial sector in Lebanon (represented by indus-

lished the energy saving press ad on the back of their

tries members of ALI) represents 9% to 14% of the

electricity bills. This activity had a very positive feed-

total EDL production (2001-2004).

back among the Aley residents. On another front, LCECP signed a partnership with Libanpost, which

. 64,000 lighting fixtures are installed in 198 indus-

printed three sets of energy saving tips stickers

tries. Out of these fixtures, 54,000 units (85.4%) are

amounting to 90,000 stickers on their outgoing mail,

standard fluorescent lamps and only 339 (0.1%) are

and sent the energy saving tips brochure to 22,000

compact fluorescent lamps.

P.O. Box subscribers; in exchange, LCECP supervised and co-financed an energy audit for Libanpost head-

Knowing that a standard fluorescent lamp replaced

quarters. A Memorandum of Understanding was also

with a compact fluorescent one is energy efficient,

signed between LCECP and the Order of Engineers and

considerable savings up to 80% per lamp can be

Architects in Beirut whereby LCECP has supervised an

achieved.

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73

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) and the Unit-

and strategies in a meaningful and comprehensive

ed Nations Development Program in Lebanon (UNDP)

manner. With power cuts and electricity rationing still

launched through the Lebanese Center for Energy

a reality, the Government is turning its attention to the

Conservation Project (LCECP) an awareness campaign

need to address the demand aspect of the electricity

on the benefits of solar energy for water heating, and

sector and the need to rationalise electric demand to-

its positive impact on both the economy and the en-

wards quantified conservation targets. LCECP is as-

vironment.

sisting the Government of Lebanon, represented by the MEW, in promoting Solar Thermal Water Heaters

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The campaign focused on the significance of solar en-

in Lebanon on various levels: technical, awareness,

ergy as an alternative source to gas oil and liquefied

marketing, financial, policies and regulations. As per

gas vis-a-vis the soaring price of international oil. Ide-

the project’s objectives, solar thermal systems will

ally, the State and its citizens would be able to save

provide savings in the electrical energy consumption

large sums of money should oil importation bills be re-

utilized for water heating, especially in the residen-

duced. This, in turn, would ensure a cleaner environ-

tial sector. It is estimated that the city of Beirut re-

ment due to lower gas emissions, and would allow the

ceives around 950 w/m2 for a clear day and there are

Lebanese to play a role in helping to minimize the ef-

more than 300 clear days per year. If such thermal so-

fects of global warming currently threatening our plan-

lar energy is utilized for water heating applications, it

et. The awareness campaign targeted public opinion in

can lead to a high reduction in both, energy bill and,

order to encourage individual, collective and govern-

consequently, CO2 emissions. The actual area of so-

ment initiatives that seek to help achieve economic

lar water heating systems installations in Lebanon is

growth. Such growth would translate into improved

still very limited despite the humble increase in the

living conditions and a better future for everyone.

installation of solar water heating systems during the

End-use energy conservation is emerging as a widely

past decade. It is worth noting that the area of the thermal solar rate in Lebanon is less than 4m2 per

accepted viable alternative to supply side expansion.

1,000 habitants. Such low rate indicates that there

Lebanon finds itself today without the proper frame-

will be a potential demand for thermal solar systems

work to address end-use energy conservation issues

in the Lebanese market especially due to the prevail-

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

ing high energy prices.

month for the electricity company, and 44,000 LBP per month for the generator which justifies the fact that

. The survey also revealed that the Lebanese solar

three quarter of the sample perceives the overall ener-

market faces several obstacles to its development

gy bill as very expensive and they are open to sugges-

and these are:

tions of saving energy but do not know exactly what

a) lack of awareness about solar thermal systems; b)

actions to undertake.

lack of financial incentives for solar thermal installations; c) technical problems related to manufacturing and installations; d) lack of Government support for the solar thermal systems.

LCECP TAKES ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO THE CLASSROOMS

LCECP is working closely with various stake holders to promote solar thermal systems through the develop-

The Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation Project

ment of solar penetration programmes in the Lebanese market. The proposed solar water heaters installation

(LCECP), launched the Energy Efficiency School Promotion campaign on February 5th at the Grand Serail un-

project is in line with the LCECP and UNDP’s initiatives,

der the auspices and in the presence of Prime Minister

which aim at promoting the adoption of energy efficien-

Fouad Siniora, the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms.

cy technologies and practices in building construction

Marta Ruedas, the Minister of Energy and Water, the

and renovation. UNDP had assigned LCECP as the tech-

Minister of Higher Education and the Secretary Gener-

nical party supervising the overall implementation of

al of the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO.

the proposed solar water heater installations.

Also present were UN agency representatives, the media, and various school representatives.

LCECP is in the process of preparing standards and

With the World’s Energy Efficiency Day falling on Feb-

labels as well as financial and legal schemes for five

ruary 1st, 2008, the timing for the launch couldn’t have

household appliances with the objective of under-

been more ideal.

standing the Lebanese market and encouraging the

In Lebanon, and over the past couple of years, the UN-

purchase of energy efficient household appliances by

DP has focused mainly on Energy and Environment,

creating adequate solutions and incentives.

with an emphasis on raising awareness on energy con-

The appliances are: Refrigerators, water heaters, A/

servation as a means to reduce CO2 emissions which

Cs, light bulbs and heaters.

are responsible for climate change, encouraging energy audits on various facilities and buildings, and ad-

LCECP has as well conducted in collaboration with

vising the use of renewable energy, specifically solar

STAT Ipsos a retail audit to assess the availability in

energy, as an alternative way to heat water.

the Lebanese market of the above mentioned house-

With the Energy School Promotion campaign, LCECP

hold appliances, as well as energy efficiency.

aims to raise awareness among Lebanese students on the benefits of energy efficiency, namely as a fight

SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH:

against global warming. A joint collaboration between The Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation

LCECP has conducted a socioeconomic research with

Project (LCECP), The Lebanese National Commission

the objective of getting a complete

for UNESCO and the Ministry of Higher Education, the

perspective on the Lebanese consumers’ attitude to-

campaign will also focus on simple steps so that, stu-

wards energy consumption, purchase and usage hab-

dents and other Lebanese can incorporate into their

its of electrical appliances, and the energy efficiency

daily lives that can contribute to saving energy, hence

concept. The research was done by STAT Ipsos in the

reducing the global warming effects. Already, the cur-

form of face-to-face interviews with the decision mak-

rent and above-mentioned campaigning by UNDP and

ers of 565 households throughout the Lebanese terri-

MEW through the Lebanese Centre for Energy Con-

tory. The main results revealed that 72% of the Leba-

servation Project (LCECP) has garnered results. With

nese households are subscribed to a power generator.

impressive numbers of citizens willing to adopt ener-

They pay two energy bills, on average 58,000 LBP per

gy-saving tips, this upcoming campaign promises to

MAY 2008

75

yield an interesting outcome, as well. A documentary

ing costs. Though the window’s orientation plays a

showcasing LCECP’s works in Lebanon over the past

major role, in many cases, annual savings reach 60

three years was put together as a follow-up for both

kWh/m2, which is equivalent to around 6 USD/m2 for

mass viewing and future reference.

a given cost of 0.1 USD/kWh. In addition, replacing a

Including the screening of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient

CRT computer monitor with an equivalent LCD compu-

Truth” and the energy-conscious cartoons “Albert

ter monitor provides around 50% reduction of energy

Says” to secondary and elementary classes across the

consumption. As for the power management software

country, the Energy School Promotion campaign will

programs, it is evident that it easily cuts 100 to 300

follow-up with the distribution of school posters and

kWh of annual energy use from every PC in an organi-

flyers detailing energy-efficiency and what students

zation, meaning an average of 30 USD cost savings for

can do to help reduce global warming. In addition, the

each one, every year.

LCECP will coordinate with the Ministry of Education

Energy Audit Program: Latest Studies and Results

to include the energy-efficiency subject in students’

LCECP has supervised numerous energy audit studies

curriculum. But, it’s not just the students who are en-

in the different sectors of Lebanon.

couraged to actively participate. Every single individ-

The results have shown that the proposed energy con-

ual in the country can benefit from energy efficiency.

servation measures would result in savings ranging

It secures a better future for us all by helping stave off

from 9.12% to 18.74%.

the effects of past decades of CO2 emissions.

Most energy efficiency projects include the following

So it’s not just about a better quality of life; it’s about

solutions:

doing something good that pays off. On an individu-

power factor correction, addition of oil additives, light-

al level, the benefits are palpable, but if people were

ing retrofit, installation of PLC controllers, HVAC cor-

to unite in their efforts, the changes could mean we

rective actions, installation of motion detectors and

might hand over a world we’re proud of to the coming

others.

generations.

In an effort to sustain proper energy management and to motivate the industry staff to save energy, LCECP

SAVING ENERGY SAVES MONEY

designed and distributed 10,000 stickers to all energy audited sites, which serve

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During the summer of 2007, LCECP launched a target-

as a reminder to turn off the electricity switches when

ed campaign under the slogan “Economy is not just

not in use.

an option, get an energy audit and save money” to

So far, 32 energy audits have been completed (includ-

encourage the Lebanese institutions, both public and

ing hospitals, schools,

private to conduct free of charge, an energy audit and

commercial centres, hotels, and public institutions).

reduce their energy bill.

In addition to that, LCECP will be launching the ener-

Effective energy management can lead to significant

gy audit studies which will include a number of indus-

cost and energy savings as well as increased comfort,

tries selected in close collaboration with the Associa-

lower maintenance costs and extended equipment

tion of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI).

life. An energy audit evaluates the efficiency of all

Based on LCECP energy audit strategy, the Boiler

building and process systems that use energy streams

Energy Efficiency Enhancement Program has been

and quantify them into discrete functions, evaluates

launched with the purpose of investigating the poten-

the efficiency of each of those functions and identifies

tial energy savings on the installed boilers in Leba-

energy and cost savings.

non. The program includes a free of-charge testing of

The savings as a result of an energy audit can be im-

boilers in around 50 industrial and commercial sites.

pressive. For instance, in lighting, replacing magnet-

The first phase of the program ended in April, 2007

ic ballasts with electronic ballasts of the fluorescent

and covered 30 sites with a total of 61 boilers. Results

lamps provides a minimum of 25% energy saving and

show that many tested boilers can be better tuned to

a bulb’s life span increases by 15%.

increase their efficiency by an average of 3%.

On the other hand, the installation of window sun

The savings that would result from the implementa-

control films result in savings on cooling and heat-

tion would amount to 320,000 USD per year.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

SAVE ENERGY,

USE SOLAR HEATERS

TECHNICORP S.A.L. CORNICHE DORA

PINK BLDG 61

Tel: +961 1 873311

STREET 75 +961 1 891023

DORA SECTOR 4

P.O. BOX 90-140

Fax: +961 1 884815

BEIRUT - LEBANON

info@technicorp.net

SPECIAL LEBANON

MED-ENEC PILOT PROJECT ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN LEBANON A hospital in Zgharta, Lebanon, saves 55,000 Euros yearly of energy costs with the support of MED-ENEC, the European Union financed regional project for energy efficiency in buildings.

by KLAUS WENZEL

The Lebanese Success Story The Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHN) is a private hospital with 140 beds, located in Zgharta - North Lebanon. Due to frequent power cuts, 75% of the hospital’s electrical ener-

gy demand has to be produced by generators. The total energy bill was over 270,000 Euros in 2006. The CHN decided to conduct an energy audit that came out with the following recommendations: . Improved maintenance of AC equipment . Energy efficient lighting . Thermal insulation of the roof . Demand management system (software for peak shaving and control/monitoring).

Results and potential for dissemination After implementing the above measures in 2007, the hospital saves now 20% of its overall energy consumption. This corresponds to a annual sav-

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

Demand management system.

ing of 55,000 Euros and a yearly reduction of CO2 emissions of 410 tons.

The needed investment of less than 60,000 Euros was subsidized partly by the MEDENEC project. The pay-back time being estimated at slightly above one year only, the used technologies are replicable in most hospitals and similar buildings in Lebanon and in other countries in the region, even without any external financial assistance. CHN has already decided to use the positive experiences of the Pilot Project for a new hospital building that is being constructed in Jounieh, a coastal city north of Beirut.

Energy in Lebanon Lebanon is extremely dependent on energy imports, about 97% of all energy had to be imported in 2005. Buildings are the second biggest consumer of energy with a share of about 30%, transport being on the first and industry on the third place. With the sharp increase in world market prices for energy, and with energy prices subsidized in Lebanon, the National Electricity Company EDL alone absorbed 21% of

the whole state budget in January 2008 (L’Orient Le Jour, 11/03/08). Moreover, people suffer from frequent power cuts due to insufficient and obsolete power plants and distribution lines and have to bear significant additional costs for private generators.

At the same time, a large potential for energy efficiency and for the use of renewable energies stays untapped in Lebanon. The building stock and particularly new buildings usually do not integrate technologies such as thermal insulation of the building envelope, energy efficient lighting or solar water heaters. The MED-ENEC Pilot Projects have shown in Lebanon and in the whole region, that with additional investments of 10-20%, energy consumption can be reduced dramatically by up to 60%.

MED-ENEC MED-ENEC aims at boosting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in buildings in 10 countries south and east of the Mediterranean.

MED-ENEC has an integrated project approach, combining activities for the improvement of framework conditions such as laws, standards and incentive programs with demonstra-

Thermal Insulation of roof.

tion projects, capacity building and the promotion of business cooperation and technology transfer.

The Lebanese Pilot Project has been implemented by the Lebanese Association for Energy Saving & for Environment, ALMEE. FOR FURTHER MED-ENEC PROJECT INFORMATION AND CONTACT: MED-ENEC Phone: 00216-71-860 472, Fax: 00216-71-860 719 E-mail: med-enec@gnet.tn www.med-enec.com Information in Lebanon: Lebanese Association for Energy Saving & for Environment (ALMEE) Mr. Said Chehab, President, almee@dm.net.lb www.almee.org Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation Project (LCECP) Mr. Anwar Ali, Project Manager, anwar.ali@lcecp.org.lb www.lcecp.org.lb/ MAY 2008

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SPECIAL LEBANON

SOUK EL TAYEB:

FARMERS’ MARKET, AWARENESS AND ACTION

by KAMAL MOZAWAK

I

n a country of diversity and differences (that often lead to war and conflicts) like Lebanon, what can bring people together better than food? If not religion, confession, origin, politics at least tabouleh, kebbeh, labneh and man’oucheh are what Lebanese unanimously share!

Food is not just a commodity, an ingredient to prepare three meals a day ... rather, an ingredient to make a difference, a proof of belonging to a land, a history and a tradition. And good food has the best address today at farmers market.

“Once upon a time”, oriental souks were places of trade and commerce, with stalls full of spices, food, vegetables, fabrics, jewelry ... A world of smells, colors and flavors...A world of merchants and artisans, not of producers… Thus, making the souks of yesterday a version of today’s malls. Access to fresh food was through one’s own garden, parent or relative living in the village.

Since garden bounties times and souk days, supermarkets (and their suppliers as multinational food empires) rule now-

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adays as the one and only food supplier.

Nevertheless, the birth of farmer’s market comes as a reaction to the supermarket supremacy and sometimes as a way of perpetuating old traditions: it is mainly about linking producers and consumers, in a “producers-only” market like Souk el Tayeb. A fair deal and a human dimension : Food is not anymore a commodity product on a supermarket shelf, but the product of the hands, the life and the know-how of a farmer or a food producer. It is not just a loaf of bread, but the bread of Rima, the lettuce of Tony, the kebbeh of Suzanne ...

At a producers-only market, we bring back a major dimen-

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

sion to food: its human dimension. Fifty or a hundred years ago, we were producers of all, or at least part of our food.

Today’s food production is mainly industrial: It is industrial farming, industrial agriculture, and industrial food processing ... machines producing “cookie cut” food, consistent in mediocrity! If we are not all able to go back to the fields, let us at least have a direct contact with the producer, and the people at the origin of our food. Farmers markets must be “producers-only” markets, where the producer sells directly to the consumer. No middle men or trader are allowed.

IT IS NOT ABOUT TRADE, BUT ABOUT EXCHANGE! And so, food gets a face, a soul, a belonging, and consumption gets linked again to production: farmers and producers get a recognition. They receive better and fair pays (as all the pay goes to the producer) and above all they build a “family” relation with the consumer. The lattest, as an aware foodie, gets his “goods” with an extra dimension of: tradition

(not any cheese, but darfyieh or serdeleh),regionalism (not any olives, but those of Hasbaya, Aakkar...), sustainable production (organic agriculture) and mainly of humanity in linking the producer and the consumer and getting the first from his nearly outcast position of farmer, “fellah”, to a recognition we all owe him. Thus, the respect of our environment, air, land starts by treating our farmers and producers, as human beings.

A MEETING PLACE And so a farmers market is not anymore a simple place to buy and sell, but a meeting place, a space to bring the rural to the urban, to provide economic opportunities to small scale farmers and producers, to bring awareness about healthy eating and living ... in a word to be a positive, constructive and productive public space. Every city in the world wants to have its farmers market. Thus one finds thousands of markets on all continents. From North and South America, to Europe, Africa and the Middle East; every city, every square has its farmer’s market: “Souk el Tayeb” in Beirut, “Souk el Dai’a” in Lataquieh and “Souk el Ardd” in Jordan.

The “marché bio du boulevard Raspail” on Sunday mornings in Paris. The London’s farmers market, everyday in more than one address, or even the Green market in New York City, sixty times a week in Manhattan only! Nowadays, Farmers’ markets have become a main attraction, a way of life not only for

local inhabitants but for tourists as well.

GREEN INITIATIVES To create a stir and have an impact, a farmers market should not be only about selling cucumbers and tomatoes, but must have an extra dimension of setting a life choice not to say a lifestyle. When one cares about the quality of what he eats, he would do the same about every act in his life.

In this perspective, Souk el Tayeb developed projects like “Souk @school” (school and universities awareness campaigns), “food & feast” (food and tradition festivals in different Lebanese regions), “CHT” (communal homes of tradition, centers of tradition in different Lebanese regions, a project in partnership with the ILO international labor organization) and many other initiatives directly linked to the environment, such as waste management, and recycling.

“Events @ Souk el Tayeb”, brings on a continuous basis awareness on specific subjects, through workshops with the producers followed by events at the souk. Those were: The “Recycle” event in July 2007, and the “Alternative Energy” event in January 2008 followed by the first plastic bag ban in Lebanon, the “BALA NYLON MANIFESTO” that took place in Souk el Tayeb (Beirut) as of end of March 2008. This campaign will continue to spread latter through initiatives in schools, universities and municipalities around the country.

ECO MARKET Another green initiative, is “Souk el Tayeb Eco Market”, a project developed with Souk el Tayeb team and a group of environmental engineers and industrial designers such as Ziad Abi Chaker and Karim Chaya. The Eco Market will be the first of its kind as a ZERO waste project built from waste. In other words, it will be a fixed barn-style structure that will contain a space for the famers market, a coop shop, and a coop restaurant.

The structure will be built form re-used material, like old wooden telephone poles, or locally recycled material (glass panels from waste glass bottles, plastic boards from waste plastic). The project will be a showcase for recycling initiatives, for waste management (water management, organic compost) and for alternative energy (solar or wind).

So in the end SOUK EL TAYEB is not just about buying cucumbers and tomatoes, but rather about bringing a certain understanding of life, through care and awareness. It is going a step further to real action.

MAY 2008

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SPECIAL LEBANON

FIRST HUNTER

SURVEY IN LEBANON Building capacity for sustainable hunting of migratory birds in mediterranean third countries.

B

ird hunting is of increasing interest and concern to millions of people who realized that it has become one of the most ardently current debated issues. Today, bird hunting advanced to kill more birds and became one of the widest extensions of the 20th century activities practiced worldwide, and the global area of hunting increased massively. The potential impacts of bird hunting on the environment, economy and society are complex issues that people developed different attitudes towards bird hunting and consequently brought about controversies that pointed in different directions without providing any resolving solutions to the problem. On one side, there are those who argued in favor of bird hunting claiming that

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it presented some benefits to the environment and fed large numbers of starving people.

On the other hand, there are those who argued against hunting revealing their concern to accompanied risks, environmental impacts and ethical issues including animal welfare especially that horizons widened with a greater interest and increased awareness to this problem.

Above all, there should be an awakening to the fact that to shoot birds people need to take responsibility for its consequences because professionals are starting to fear the very real dangers of the upsurge of bird hunting. In addition, bird hunting is practiced by people with no concern to humans and their environment, neither to ethical and moral con-

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

siderations, reflecting their need for education and awareness on the hunting issue.

In order to determine the prevailing attitudes of people towards bird hunting, a survey on bird hunting designed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) was conducted on citizens of different regions of Lebanon during the period of June 2005 to February 2006. This survey was prepared through the Sustainable Hunting Project which aims at managing bird hunting through reducing excessive indiscriminate shooting of birds, and promoting more sustainable practices in compliance with rules and regulations regarding the conservation of birds. The survey was a collaborative cross-sectional

study based on fieldwork, and the sampling method applied was random sampling technique, which was adopted in favor of easiness and time efficiency. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was chosen for the implementation of the survey.

The data analyzed were collected on a study population composed of a total of 2000 respondents with ages ranging between 10 and 75 years of age. The graphs below represent distribution of respond-

ents, who covered almost all regions of Lebanon, by gender and level of education.

Speaking of the major find-

ings of the study, the most salient findings show that the majority of the respondents are currently or have previously MAY 2008

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

been involved in bird hunting, which reveals its vast incorporation into the daily activities as a hobby, fun sport or way to pass time.

On the other hand, a significant percentage of the respondents do not perceive bird hunting as valuable, and this requires focus as it challenges the opinions of the vast majority of people.

Another important finding

is the high percentage of respondents giving importance to laws and the role of government in managing the excessive and indiscriminate hunting practices. These responses were addressed in terms of regulations and conventions that involve approval and ethical concerns organizing bird hunting practices. Finally, being an important aspect, bird hunting and its main features

must be further studied and developed.

It should be noted that at the stage of data analysis, concerns were alleviated due to lack of awareness and education clearly demonstrated in participants’ responses, not to deny the fact that findings as such were not up to the expectations and requires embracing efforts so that hunting nongame birds comes to an end.

In conclusion, the results of the questionnaire show that there is much work to be done to provoke sustainable hunting. Some changes are relatively easy to accomplish and should be implemented as soon as possible. However, other modifications might provoke resistance from hunters as they might limit their freedom while hunting. This will require immediate regulatory or legislative action, and some will require additional consideration, evaluation or input from the community that is looking forward to the prospects for future improvements, especially that the high levels of hunting, coupled with the lack of capacity and resources for the development of economically feasible alternatives and the security situation, deter international tourists and discourage foreign visitors from coming to the country; thus blocking economic benefits and undermining the development of ecotourism. * This project is funded by the European Union Project Ref: LIFE 04 TCY/INT/000054

MAY 2008

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SPECIAL LEBANON

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION

OF NATURE IN LEBANON IS ORGANIZING

A CONCERT TO LAUNCH

A “GREEN” MESSAGE “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

Aristotle

by JAQUELINE SALLOUM

T

he Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon, SPNL, is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was established in 1986. As a national partner of Bird Life International, SPNL focuses on the conservation of nature and natural resources, birds and biodiversity in Lebanon.

SPNL also strives to spread education and awareness targeting the promotion of sustainable development and the provision of better living conditions for the present and future, through calling for the conservation of different areas of Lebanon, involving the local community in order to economically empower them and encourage them to find alternatives to environmental damaging activities.

The concert, organized by the SPNL, will take place on th the 6 of June this coming summer.

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It will be a concert featuring young talents aged between nine to sixteen. Each will be proposing a “green” message for a healthier environment and singing a pop track. it draws upon pop songs performed by young people. This event addresses social issues and is dedicated to building understanding of the support for the ideals of the environmental cause and vital work of SPNL. As well as entertaining the public with the performance, we are planning to base the theme of this event on commitment to environment protection, particularly through carrying out awareness campaigns addressed to the children, to help them apply environment friendly practices and live in a healthy environment. SPNL thought of simple messages as such because environmental issues are a way of life and could be easily revealed through the innocent laughter of children.

The messages will be:

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

. Don’t pluck and give each other flowers; enjoy their beauty in the wilderness instead! . Thriving between walls of brick and walking on asphalt pavements? No! I’d rather wander on natural footpaths. . Take care of the tree and it will take care of you. . Take nothing pictures of the magnificence of mountains. . After a visit to the beach, leave nothing but footprints. . All animals better alive than dead. . The rose has thorns only for those who would gather it. . With tooting, howling, screeching, crashing, screaming, whistling, booming and grinding, self serenity became the past and frustration came into present and future. . Never doubt that a group of young committed children can heal the world and make it a better place for you, for me and the entire hu-

man race. . People have the right to clean air that they and their children can breath without fear. . Indoor air pollution is a health risk that you can do something about. . If you want endless prosperity, plant trees. . Don’t overuse electricity because it’s so energy wasteful. . Stopping tree choppers is the fastest, easiest and cheapest solution to climate change. . Parks are the home of nature’s beauty and fountains of human life. . Recycling waste is a good thing. It makes people feel good to do it and solves trash problems. . The sea and the river are restful … and not sewers. . The urban sprawl is spreading so fast that people are losing touch with nature. . Water and air have become

garbage cans. . Zoos are a distorted image of how animals once were in their natural habitat.

Thus, the concert will help make a global impact starting at the local level, educating the future generations on green behavior and the preservation of wild life in Lebanon and for the world.

Particularly that environmental protection is a universal responsibility of all of us; the participation of parents will be as well a way of informing and educating the mature crowd of ways to go green and preserving the planet earth.

At a wider perspective, this public concert is an innovative approach that engages children in the promotion of global knowledge and a reflection of current world issues, especially those that are closely linked with maintaining balance in nature and cherishing its value.

Thus, through classical music,

the performers and attendees will help strengthen environmental values, enhance awareness of community concerns and needs, and foster responsibility and a lifelong relationship with nature. It is a simulation of a serious issue whereby children chant songs in a way that promotes, within the highest standards, a setting for mutual exchange. This is because we live in an advanced age, and the public is not satisfied with pure entertainment anymore. They want to attend a realistic event with a strong social message, which they like to recognize themselves.

After all, we will be making an important gesture to the world in demonstrating our global concern, while at the same time; we will be contributing on a small but significant scale, to the environmental cause. With no other ambition than to entertain, the concert could achieve its purpose beautifully. The thousands of people who will be there could simply share the importance of environment protection through daring young children. A huge undertaking! Making a difference in one’s community is what we all want to do, and if you can entertain people and help the environmental conservation cause at the same time, this can be one of the most rewarding moments in a lifetime!

JAQUELINE SALLOUM Member of SPNL Committee www.spnlb.org jaquelinebond@hotmail.com

MAY 2008

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SPECIAL LEBANON

MUNICIPALITIES

AND WASTE

MANAGEMENT IN LEBANON The environment experts of the Italian Cooperation Office in Beirut conducted a full market analysis of recyclables.

Lack of funds, weak technical know-how, absence of sufficient sanitary landfills and a weak tax system have caused most municipalities to pay only minimal attention to this issue.

by JACOPO MONZINI

I

n Lebanon, responsibility for waste management is assigned to municipalities. However, lack of funds, weak technical know-how, absence of sufficient sanitary landfills and a weak tax system have caused most municipalities to pay only minimal attention to this issue, leading to a widespread environmental problem that will only worsen with time. As a result more than 700 illegal and unsafe dump sites have been registered troughout the country and some of the largest ones are becoming a major problem for Lebanon both in environmental and economical terms.

Only few municipalities are equipped with sorting facilities and only few of them are still

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working. Authorities and communities consider solid waste management as one of the first priorities to be addressed and are thus constantly searching for funds and assistance. In rural areas, 61% of the municipalities surveyed rely on private companies to collect and dispose of urban solid waste, but it appears that 9% of the municipalities do not know or do not want to reveal the destination of their waste. 83% of the rural

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

municipalities dispose of their waste in dumps without undertaking any other activities.

The rest, 9% has sorting and recycling units for urban solid waste but due to management constrains only a few of them is actually working. Around 40% of the municipalities dispose of the waste on public properties, 39% use private land, while 21% do not know or do not want to provide information relative to the characteristics of the dumpsite.

Of the existing separation units only one is associated with a landfill that, although no match for a modern and secure landfill, allows nonetheless for a more secure waste management. At present, with the exception of a few cases, most landfills are not built following effective and efficient criteria to

protect the environmental components, particularly the soil, water and human health. In most cases, rather than speaking of landfills we should speak of “garbage piles.�

Alongside the survey of municipal waste management systems, the Environment experts of the Italian Cooperation Office

in Beirut conducted a full market analysis of recyclables. The recyclable market in Lebanon is extremely vivid and interesting and is in fact characterized by a high demand. What is interesting is that despite the high production of waste, its availability in the market remains low.

Waste is dispersed due the ab-

sence of specialized waste management systems in the municipalities and appropriate market strategies. Waste and recyclables are collected and disposed of in the following ways: . They are placed in dumps . They are recovered in a separation unit.

In the first case, informal collectors dig out the waste using rudimental instruments. The recyclables they recover in this way, however, are less valuable for a number of factors such as organic composition, impurity and stocking procedures.

In the second case, the waste is collected and transported to the separation unit that is managed by the municipality or by a private entity (always in collaboration with the municipality).

Whereas in the first case waste management is only a cost to MAY 2008

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the municipality, in the second case the municipality can profit from the sale of recyclable material. Nevertheless the absence of proper planning and management largely reduces the rentability of recycling for municipalities. This weak management leads to a high demand by recyclers for metal, car batteries, plastic and paper which are nonetheless low in availability. In fact when recyclables are sold unclean and not well separated, the product is of secondary quality and is sold at a lower price leading to reduced income (or even losses) for the municipality. This can be drastically diminished when separating waste at source.

For this reason, The ROSS Program (Emergency Initiative for rehabilitation employment services and development) of the Italian Cooperation decided to invest in the development of a sound solid waste management strategy in Lebanon and started a few pilot initiatives aimed at addressing the Solid Waste issue from production to disposal, in collaboration with

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Italian the NGOs COSV-CISP and UCODEP. The Italian Cooperation funded a pilot project in four locations of Sothern Lebanon (Kherbet Selim, Bent Jbail, Kfar Sir, Aytaroun) that aims at addressing some of the core problems of waste management, thereby creating a sustainable system that will benefit the local communities, the municipalities and the environment.

The rehabilitation and strengthening of existing Selection-Sorting-Disposal (SSD) Units through provision of specialized equipment will be coupled with a wide “sorting-at-thesource� awareness campaign for the local populations and used as pilot in order to demonstrate that SW has to be sorted and managed as a resource, for the benefit of all involved.

Following the color scheme laid out by the Ministry of Environment, different colored bins will be distributed in the three towns to stimulate effective sorting of organic and non-organic waste. The thussorted waste will then be chan-

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neled into the rehabilitated SSD units where the non-organic waste will be further separated in plastic, glass, metal, fabric and batteries, whereas organic waste will be transformed into compost that will be constantly analyzed, monitored and certified. This aspect will allow a considerable reduction of dumped wastes and thus of voluntary or non-voluntary incineration. Municipalities will be capable of managing their recycling sites as productive units reducing overall management cost and thus allowing them to devote more money for the general well-being of their communities.

The key aspect of the Italian Cooperation’s strategy is therefore the search for profitability and reduction in management costs so that this improved system may last in time and the municipality will have a genuine interest in maintaining it. With this in mind, part of the compost will be used locally while the remaining compost and the recyclables will be sold (through a bidding procedure) to various users and recyclers in Lebanon.

Waste management languishes without a sincere and dedicated effort by all the members of a community, and this project aims to stimulate and encourage this effort. Once the local population realizes the advantages of a functional system it will become its main promoter, demanding a quality service and spreading the enthusiasm to neighboring towns and villages.

AVERDA GROUP: PIONEER IN THE CITY CLEANING

Averda Group is a pioneer in the city cleaning, municipal solid waste management, and manufacturing sectors through its affiliates Sukleen, Sukomi and Leeds International.

Sukleen is specialized in city cleaning services. Having originally started in Beirut, the company now covers the Greater Beirut area and most of Mount Lebanon, servicing more than 2,000,000 citizens.

Sukleen’s activities are handled by two main departments: The City Cleaning Operations for the municipal solid waste collection, street sweeping, recyclable material handling, in addition to special operations, and the Vehicle Maintenance & Repair. Both departments operate with the common objective of providing the best quality services for the community, in conformance with the ISO 9001 quality standards.

We work closely with many public and private environmental and social associations and institutions to support recycling initiatives in the Lebanese community.We also perform

Sukomi handles the treatment and sanitary disposal of mu-

school and university visits and welcome more than 1200

nicipal solid waste, encompassing three divisions: Sukomi

students yearly to enhance their environmental awareness

Waste Treatment for the sorting and composting opera-

and promote recycling benefits.

As part of environmental awareness, Sukleen has launcheda door-to-door collection of recyclable materials collected at source, by using the source separated color coded bins distributed free of charge by the Company to various participating institutions. Today, Sukleen is proud to have over 700 participants from the public and the private sectors in Lebanon.

Sukleen has built a strong partnership with the community it serves. It has allocated 24-hour hotlines to answer the citizens’ queries in the best way possible. Moreover, Sukleen welcomes school and university students’ visits to its camps to introduce them to the company’s scope of work, city cleaning activities and recycling benefits.

tions, Sukomi Landfill Projects for sanitary land filling, and the

as former landfill sites. In fact, a significant portion of the

Center for Environmental Research and Testing (CERT).

cells has been capped at the Naameh Landfill Site with hy-

Sukomi’s commitment towards high quality services and

dro seeding vegetation

environmentally sound practices is exemplified through

custom developed to re-harmonize the landfill with the

conformance to the ISO 9001 & 14001 quality and environ-

original flora type and colors.

mental standards.

For smooth operations in all Sukomi sites, the maintenance

Sukomi treats around 50% of the waste stream produced

Department is dedicated to providing a high-level service

in Lebanon. The treatment process starts by combination

through immediate response time, minimal down time, reli-

of manual and mechanical sorting of the waste components

able quality services, data analysis and effective decisions.

for beneficial use: recyclable, organic, rejects and bulky ma-

Leeds International is a thriving company in industrial de-

terials.

sign, fabrication, and recycling.

The sorted recyclable materials (glass, PET, HDPE, LDPE, wood, Aluminum, tin and metallic components, paper and cardboard) are sent to the recycling industry where they are used as regenerated material.

As to organic material, it is processed into compost, an ex-

Leeds international includes three main departments: De-

cellent soil enhancer. Compost is distributed to the farm-

sign for conceptualization and drawings, Fabrication for

ers in Lebanon and has demonstrated exceptional results in

process engineering and installation of steel structures, and

enhancing soil amendment and fertilization.

Recycling of post-consumer plastic waste.

The final disposal of waste rejects and bulky items takes

All operations are carried out by a skilled team of special-

place at the Naameh and Bsalim sanitary landfills, operated

ists at Leeds international state-of-the-art facilities, as per

and managed by Sukomi as per international norms related

the SO 9001 international quality standards.

to quality, safety, environmental monitoring and risk management.

Both Landfills were designed, constructed, operated, managed and controlled according to the European waste management standards and codes of practice, to accommodate the waste deposits of the city of Beirut and parts of Mount Lebanon. All factors resulting from or affecting the landfill, such as gases, leachate, surface and ground water, have been carefully studied, managed and treated at source to provide a safe and clean environment.

THE GROUP ALSO BELIEVES THAT EXCELLENCE CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND

Once the landfill sites are completed, they will be capped, vegetated and restored, and will no longer be recognizable

OUR ULTIMATE TARGET IS THE COMMUNITY AND HOW TO BEST CONTRIBUTE TO ITS WELFARE, WHILST INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS. AVERDA’S ETHICS RELY ON CARRYING OUT THE BUSINESS WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF INTEGRITY AND PROVIDING THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF SERVICES TO ITS CLIENTS.

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THE HIGHER CHOUF Environment and tourism assessment.

by ROGER G. ASHI*

T

he Chouf region encompasses the largest natural reserve in the country “The Chouf Cedar Reserve” , which surround and is part of the following villages of the Higher Shouf region: Bater, Niha, Jebaa, Mrousti, Khreibi, Maaser el Chouf, Moukhtara, Baadarane, Aamatour, Haret Jandal, Ain Qani, Butmeh, Barouk & Ain Zhalta.

Due to the common problems and concerns, the above municipalities decided to join in a federation known as “ The Federation of Municipalities of the Higher Chouf”.

One of the aspects of common concerns is the environment issue on which there is a consensus among all concerned parties. They have decided unanimously to actively collaborate in protecting nature and develop and promote eco-tourism, which best suits our area, through sharing the below advantages, in this sector: . The Chouf Cedar Reserve covers about 5% of Lebanon’s territory and is home to more than 250 bird and endangered animal species. It has been declared a Protected Area by the Government of Leb-

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anon and declared part of the natural heritage of the nation. In addition, it includes the largest forest in Lebanon of the World known ancient Cedar trees of Lebanon. During the last 20 years, full-time experts and supervisors have safeguarded the protection of this unique forest. . The availability of a unified vision in the community that the tourism product will be nature-based and to build on the cultural and historical assets in the region. All municipalities and the management of the “Chouf Cedar Reserve” work very closely together and meet on a regular basis to assess rural, economic, tourist and environmental in-

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itiatives. . Natural environment and local villages were much better preserved than many parts of Lebanon. Illegal construction had been limited if not forbidden as the local authorities decided to spare the region from the random, illegal and uncompleted structures the plaque the rest of the countryside. The above was topped by an intensive effort in the reforestation and tree planting activities. . The Chouf in general and the Higher Chouf in particular, contains some of the most unspoiled, natural landscapes in Lebanon, untouched by industrial/commercial development or the

civil war. The snow-capped peaks of its cedar forests offer dramatic views unrivalled in other regions.

Much of the forests in the region are considered virgin territory, untouched and unspoiled by human activity.

They provide vast unexplored territory to a variety of tourists and recreation seekers who appreciate natural beauty, a restful environment, an interesting terrain and wildlife. In addition to its nature and beauty, the Higher Chouf also benefits from several well known destinations that attract a potential number of tourists among which, castles, palaces, grottos and sites of religious, historical and archeological significance.

By taking into consideration what has been stated above, tourism in the region has been slowly reviving in recent years.

The natural advantages of the region are becoming an asset to the people, and as such the natural environment could become and is being consid-

ered as an income-generating source, whereby people are considering commercial activities related to the environment.

However, visitors are mostly day-trippers who do not spend much time exploring the villages, the mountains and the countryside, due to the lack of proper infrastructure projects and mainly the inexistence of B&B facilities in the region.

But the Higher Chouf beautiful and natural environment was in peril due to the lack of a proper wastewater and solid waste management strategy/plan, which was threatening health and environment.

Water quality could rapidly deteriorate because of inadequate residential treatment facility and the inexistence of sewage pipe network and treatment plants. Beside the negative impact on nature, such polluting element will on the long term affect as well the economical situation of this already poor and rural region.

The central government wastewater master plan divides Lebanon into two regions: Greater Beirut. Outside Greater Beirut, large-scale wastewater plants have been identified in 35 regions. Unfortunately, upon reviewing the master plan at the CDR and the MEW, we were deeply concerned and disappointed by the fact that the Higher Chouf region is not included in the master plan for Lebanon, due to the fact, that the land nature is difficult, as we were told.

Based on the above, it has become a must to adjust the actual situation and put a longterm strategy that will take into consideration the below: . Build on the actual and abundant advantages that nature offers in a way to establish a MAY 2008

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sustainable environment that will be the foundation of a viable economic growth. Environmental preservation and careful management of resources are particularly important for our region and should be extended beyond natural resources to the social impact on society, mainly in segments such as eco-based or naturebased or agri-based tourism.

Such tourism activities benefit the local community in a healthy and sustainable way. . Establishing a common plan and joining efforts and work for implementing in every concerned village a sewage pipe network and a treatment plant, in order to stop polluting nature and limit the bad consequences that this might cause to the community, in health, economic and environment aspects.

Unfortunately the Central Government is not providing enough financial assistance to local municipalities, enabling them to implement necessary projects to fulfil above needs in both environment and in the tourism promotion or development. Also, local municipalities lack resources to implement such projects by their own and are constantly searching (through the Federation) for a reliable source or partner, that could partly finance such needed projects, based on a partnership between local community and donor agencies.

The partnership was lately established with the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) who

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showed a great interest in implementing a project of building 8 sewage treatment plants and 12 Km of sewage pipe network to cover the initial needs of all concerned villages at a cost of 3,5 million Dollars.

Therefore, 8 sewage treatment plants has been built in the following villages: . THE MAASER EL CHOUF STATION: With a capacity to serve 3000 residents, built on a tiercery treatment stages following the conditions and specifications of the Ministry of Environment, due to its existence in the higher part of the Chouf region. Electrical power needs is 64 KVA. . THE KREIBI STATION: Same as above specifications. . THE MROUSTI STATION: Same as above specifications, but serving 1500 residents.

Electrical power needs is 38 Kva. . THE JEEBA STATION: Same as the Mrousti station specifications. . THE AAMATOUR STATION: With a capacity to serve 6000 residents, built on secondary treatment stages following the conditions and specifications of the Ministry of Environment, due to its existence in the lower part of the Higher Chouf region. The water could be used for irrigation purposes. Electrical power nedds is 61 KVA and it serves 4 villages. . THE BATER STATION: Same as the Aamatour Station specifications and it serves 3 villages. . THE BAADARANE STATION: Same as the abovestation but it

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serves 3000 residents. Electrical power needs is 40 KVA and it serves 2 villages. . THE MOUKHTARA STATION: Same as the Baadarane station specifications.

Also it is good to mention that all treatment plants has introduced for the first time in Lebanon, the trickling filter concept which naturally reduces the BOD to half without the need for any electrical power consumption. Therefore electricity bills will be reduced to half.

In parallel, a 32 Km of sewage pipe networks has been implemented by another donation of 2,4 million Dollars by the CDR, to complement the local networks executed by the local municipalities, thus covering about 70% of all residential areas and there is still a need to build about 30 Km of additional networks to cover the rest of the region.

Only by completing such vital and important infrastructure projects, the Higher Chouf who has clear advantages so far of having preserved its nature better than in most part of Lebanon, could turn environment into a sustainable issue. Its natural beauty, its preserved, protected and pollution free environment could be the key selling point for a nature oriented tourism that could trigger and generate wide economic opportunities for the local community. * President of the Federation of Municipalities of the Higher Chouf (F.M.H.C).

Moukhtara, January 23rd , 2007.

SPECIAL LEBANON

INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR THE

OLIVE OIL

PRESSING INDUSTRIES Olive oil production in Lebanon Agriculture contributes to 5.8% of GDP in Lebanon (MOET, 2002) and employs about 6.7% of the total labor force (Casparian, 2003), 57% of which are olive growers. Olive trees cover 57.6 thousand hectares of the Lebanese territory producing 83.2 thousand tons of olives per year (MoAg, 2003). The olive cultivated area is sustaining a growth rate of 3% annually (SRI, 2004).

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that around 70% of the total olive production is transformed into olive oil.

Olive oil production represents a common and traditional business that is mostly run by families in rural areas.

The average yearly per capita consumption of olive oil in

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Lebanon is about 2.5 kg (3.12 liters) and the total yearly consumption of olive oil reaches 9,500 tons. During low production years, the local market demand for olive oil exceeds local production and Lebanon reverts to olive oil import.

During high production years Lebanon becomes a small net exporter of olive oil. For example, in 2002 (a high production year), Lebanon only exported about 3% of its total olive oil production (SRI, 2004).

Following international market trends, the FAO forecasts that local demand for olive oil in Lebanon will increase by a pace of 1.5% per year so that local demand should reach 19,000 tons by 2010.

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Olive oil production is a polluting industry generating two types of wastes: vegetable water (liquid waste) and spent olives or pomace (solid waste). The improper disposal of these wastes causes negative environmental impacts to soil, water and air.

Olive Mills’ Distribution & Status The IMOOPW project conducted a survey for olive mills and their complementary industries. The results of the survey showed that Lebanon has 492 olive mills and around 36 complementary industries including soap, coal, packaging and composting. The majority of the olive mills (45.73%) are located in North Lebanon, followed by Mount Lebanon

OLIVE OIL EXTRACTION Reception

Milling

Malaxation/ Mixing

Oil extraction

Centrifugation

Storage

Traditional

Continuous

(17.48%), South Lebanon (16.67%), Nabatieh (15.45%) and Bekaa (4.67 %). Complementary industries are more densely distributed in North Lebanon (40.38%) and South Lebanon (36.54%). 87% of olive mills use the traditional oil extraction method, while 10% use 3-phase decanters and 3% use 2-phase decanters. 80% of mills are owned by individuals while only 5% are owned by cooperatives.

The average maximum production capacity of olive oil mills is 657 kg/hr. Around 48% of olive mills do not have a license. In a high season, around 120,000 l. of vegetable water is being produced annually and is being disposed of improperly and around 79,000 tons of pomace are produced and mainly used for heating and coal production.

Olive Oil Extraction Methods There are mainly 2 methods for oil extraction: the traditional system and the continu-

ous system.

The traditional system is a discontinuous system consisting of pressing the paste by means of hydraulic presses.

The continuous 3-phase system uses horizontal centrifugation (decanter) to separate the oil from the mass. The result of the process is the oil, vegetable water and spent olives.

The continuous 2-phase system uses a decanter that separates the oil and mixes the spent olives and the vegetable water in one phase called humid olive kernel or moist spent olives. The table below shows the different steps in the 2 extraction methods.

Olive Mill Wastewater: A Blessing or a Curse?

The demand of olive oil is highly increasing worldwide, and environmental pollution caused by olive mill wastes (OMW) is increasing especially in the Mediterranean region.

OMW contain high amounts of

“...OMW may also be regarded as an economic resource such as the use of OMW as soil conditioner, biomass fuel, compost, or as starting material to obtain valuable products such as antioxidants, enzymes and biogas fuel�.

organic materials and polyphenols. Olive mills are usually associated with emissions of odorous volatile compounds.

OMW cause deterioration of water bodies reflected as reflected by coloring, appearMAY 2008

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Hasbani river, South Lebanon, becomes black during the olive pressing season because of OMW discharge.

ance of an oily shine, and increased oxygen demand.

They also affect the soil quality, are toxic to plant life, and create odor nuisance when disposed into the soil.

The main problem regarding the disposal of OMW is to find an environmentally friendly and economically viable solution. Due to the presence of toxic organics these wastes are toxic to bacteria and direct biological treatment is not possible. In addition, these wastes are mostly generated from small enterprises having limited financial resources and usually distant, which creates difficulty in establishing central treatment and disposal facilities.

On the other hand, there are studies indicating that OMW may also be regarded as an economic resource such as the use of OMW as soil conditioner, biomass fuel, compost, or as starting material to obtain valuable products such as antioxidants, enzymes and biogas fuel.

In order to avoid the economic and social chaos lead-

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ing to potential crisis in olive production due to the requirements of very expensive OMW treatment investments, several provisory legislation and ministerial decrees were promulgated and strategic plans were applied in some countries. One of them has foreseen spreading of wastewaters on land, such as in Italy. Spain, for example, almost totally changed the production techniques from press and three-phase (oil-waterpaste) continuous systems to two-phase systems to produce less waste. Extensive field studies and research indicating the high fertilizing and soil conditioning value of OMW were carried out in Spain and Italy.

(Azbar, N., 2004).

Health Effects of Polyphenols in Olive Oil

Internal Medicine volume 145, issue 5, September 2006, studied the effect of the phenolic content in olive oil on plasma lipid levels and lipid oxidative damage. In a crossover study, participants were randomly assigned to 3 sequences of daily administration of 25 ml of 3 olive oils. Olive oils had low (2.7 mg/kg of olive oil), medium (164 mg/ kg), or high (366 mg/kg) phenolic content but were otherwise similar.

Intervention periods were 3 weeks preceded by 2-week washout periods. The results showed that the higher the phenol content of the oil, the higher the HDL “good” cholesterol and the higher the level of antioxidants in the blood.

The antioxidants prevent damage to LDL . Olive oil’s phenolic content can also provide benefits for plasma lipid levels and oxidative damage.

An article by Covas, M. I. et al. published in the Annals of

Which Olive Oils have higher polyphenols?

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“When competent companies adopt the principle of eco-efficiency they turn out important innovations. . .

It will not just be about technology and economics but also about framing the market and about creating new partnerships across the traditional boundaries of business and politics.”

Claude Fussler , WBCSD, 2002.

Phenol content in olives depends on several factors: . Variety: Specific types of olives, such as the Tuscan varieties (Frantoio, Coratina, Lucca, Pendolino), will have higher polyphenol values.

Time of picking: Most olives picked earlier in the year will have more polyphenols.

Polyphenol concentrations increase with fruit growth until the olives begin to turn purple then begins to decrease. . Processing method: Mixing the olive paste in the presence of the oxygen in air will lower the polyphenols.

Refined oil is low in polyphenols. . Storage: As oil sits in storage tanks or the bottle, the polyphenols will slowly be oxidized and used up. This process speeds up when the oil is heated or exposed to light.

OMW: From Environmental Problem to Source of Wellness Lachifarma, a pharmaceutical industry in Lecce, Italy has developed a new technology that allows the treatment and valorization of olive mill wastewaters. The technology consists of using a series of membrane filtration starting by microfiltration, followed by ultra-filtration, nano-filtration and ending by reverse osmosis.

The treatment generates valu-

able by-products as follows: Out of 100 L. of OMW: . 68% water suitable for agricultural uses. . 26% of low molecular weight products that can be used for animal feed. . 6% of hydroxytyrosol, a powerful antioxidant used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

The company holds an international patent on this clean-up process of OMW and production of Hydroxytyrosol and other phenolic compounds (Pat. No. EP1623960A1).

Olive Pomace in a fight against HIV The Bionat team, from the University of Granada, headed by Prof. AndrĂŠs GarcĂ­a Granados, senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry, have been working on the extraction of maslinic acid from dry pomace produced in olive oil mills. Maslinic acid inhibits serin-protease, an enzyme used

by HIV, to release itself from the infected cell into the extracel-

Pomace produced in a traditional olive mill.

lular environment and, consequently, to spread the infection into the whole body. These scientists from Granada determined that the use of olivepomace can slow down AIDS spread in the body by 80%.

Maslinic or crataegolic acid is a pentacyclic terpene with antioxidant and anticancer effects found in olive skin, alongside oleanolic acid. Maslinic acid innovative properties stem from its powerful protease-inhibition activity, it is also a very active compound in opportunistic parasitic infections seriously affecting HIV patients. (Medical News Today, 23 Dec. 2006, A Compound From Olivepomace Oil Gets 80% Slowing Down Of HIV Spread).

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Do Extraction Techniques Affect Olive Oil Quality?

Olive oil quality depends on several factors including olive variety, region of cultivation, climate, stage of maturation, storage conditions, etc‌ Several research projects were conducted worldwide to study the effect of olive oil extraction techniques on olive oil quality. Ben Miled et al. (2000) used two types of mills: a discontinuous system (pressing) and a continuous system (decanter) to extract oils from 2 olive varieties from Tunisia. Some parameters of olive oil quality and stability, acidity, polyphenol content, fatty acid composition and triacylglycerol molecular species were followed at different intervals.

Olive oil is the only vegetable oil which contains appreciable amounts of polyphenols acting as antioxidant substances and contributing to it a greater stability against oxidation during storage.

The study showed that oil from the continuous system contain higher levels of polyphenols, which confer to them a greater stability against

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oxidation for long -term conservation. In addition, a study

by Salvador M.D. et al (2002) analyzing the effect of the extraction system (pressure, 2-phase and 3-phase decanters) on olive oil quality showed that the total phenol content was greater in oil extracted by the continuous centrifuge system than in oil extracted by pressure and the mean concentration of total phenol was slightly lower in the oils extracted using 3-phase decanters than those from the 2-phase decanters. Higher water/paste ratios are used in 3-phase mills and therefore, more phenols are eliminated with wastewater.

Phenolic substances not only affect olive oil stability but also contribute to oil flavor and aroma, especially to the typical bitter taste of olive oil, which is a positive attribute in the sensory analysis of olive oil. The intensity of bitterness was statistically higher in 2-phase than in 3-phase mills.

Organoleptic Preferences of Oil in Lebanon IMOOPW project participated in HORECA 2007 (Yearly food and tourism event) where 3 oil samples each extracted using a different technique (pressure, 3-phase and 2-phase decanters) were presented for tasting. People were asked to determine the oil sample that they mostly liked and to iden-

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tify the sample extracted by pressure. 157 visitors participated in this tasting experience and the results came as follows: 56% of the participants were able to identify the sample extracted by pressure.

Although the positive attributes of olive oil sensory analysis (fruitiness, bitterness and pungency) are stronger in oils extracted by the continuous system, however, Lebanese consumers have a stronger preference to oils extracted by pressure.

Training Needs Assessment for the Olive Oil Production Sector The project team organized five focus group meetings in the different Lebanese regions clustered as follows: 1. Marjeyoun, Hasbaya, and Western Bekaa. 2. Nabatieh and the South. 3. Zgharta el Zawieh, Koura, and Batroun. 4.

Tripoli, Menieh, and Akkar.

5. Mount Lebanon. The focus group meetings aimed at assessing the training needs of olive mill owners and farmers to improve the olive oil sector. The following points were highlighted: . Irrespective of the milling technique, the quality of the oil primarily depends on the farming cultural practices and harvesting and post harvest handling of olives.

In this regard, mill owners still lack the access to or the

tools to disseminate simple yet essential functional knowledge to farmers; to include olive variety selection and compatibility. . The traditional milling system is still in demand and easily operated. However, this system tends to be hygienically poor and generally produces oil low in quality.

The mill owners also recognized the need to rehabilitate their mills with higher hygienic standards through cost-effective and energy efficient methods. . 3-phase mill owners realize the importance of their adopted technology, but are facing considerable technical and environmental issues that are affecting the efficiency of the production process. Based on this, the 3-phase mill owners expressed their interest to have access to knowledge for use and maintenance of their equipment as to where it minimizes the use of inputs and energy and maximizes the quality of the

Focus Group meeting held in the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Mount Lebanon & Beirut.

produced oil. . 2-phase mill owners are quite pleased with the technology when it comes to efficiency. But when it comes to calibration and maintenance, they feel that they lack knowledge that is affecting the profitability of their operations. Another limiting factor for them was the organoleptic characteristics of their oil are not acceptable by the local market. From their perspective, they need to have access to knowledge and skills as related to the operation of their equipment and most importantly, organoleptic training for them to be able to cater for the market demand .

From an Environmental Problem to an Economic Opportunity Olive cake is the waste byproduct of some 16,000 Moroccan small, traditional-olive mills.

Until now, these cakes have had little economic-value. Some are-burned in boilers or used toheat homes, but most of-them are dumped in the-environment, where they-may be contaminated by-fungi or release toxic compounds.-As a result, fungal-toxins or polyphenol compounds-that resist bacterial-degradation can leach out,posing a risk to human and-environmental health.-With funding from IDRC,-IAV Hassan II,

Plastic sheet solar greenhouse designed to facilitate fermentation.

Olive Pomace.

and other-institutions, Dr Isma誰li -Alaoui set out to help millowners transform olive-wastes into useful products.-Pomace is shoveled into a-small tractor powered-sheller, the pits are separated-from the moist mash,which is then placed in an-ordinary cement mixer. Water,-molasses, and a powdered-fungus starter are-added. Poured into plasticlined-trays, the resultingslurry is placed on shelves inthe fermenter. Within a day-or two, the protein content-can be boosted to close to-20%. In 72 hours, the mixture-is dry. This meal can-replace up to half of commercial-feeds in animal rations.-This simple technology-can turn an environmental-problem into a sustainableMAY 2008

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source of income-and employment in rural-areas.-As the researchers worked-on perfecting the animal-feed, they noticed that the-fungus used to ferment the-mixture produced large-quantities of enzymes(lipases and esterases) thatbreak down the fat in the-olive mixture. These enzymescan catalyze many-reactions to produce a-broad range of compounds-for the cosmetic,-food, and pharmaceutical-industries.

One of the most-interesting and potentially-marketable products-are natural aromas.The team succeeded in-synthesizing a number of-natural aromas, including-apple, banana, and pineapple.-Natural aromas of-this type sell for anywherebetween CAN$10 and-$340 a kilogram on the-world market.

The fungus-spores also have potential-as organic pesticidesagainst various plant pestsand diseases. (Ref: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev 30619 -201 1 DO_TOPIC.html-retrieved April 20, 2007).

Olive Cake as a Renewable Energy Source

An understanding of the business value to be gained from efficient use of natural resources is an important first step toward sustainability: toward building a world in which resources are managed to meet panies each carrying out separate activities. Secaderos de Biomasa, S.A. (SEDEBISA) is in charge of all processes for obtaining olive kernel oil.

This includes storing the pomace (crushed pits and flesh) in basins and obtaining two types of olive pomace oil: one from centrifugation and the other from a chemical extraction process.

Compañía Energética Pata de Mulo, S.A. (CEPALO) operates the olive waste treatment and reduction plant. For this function, a combinedcycle cogen-

Reactor for electricity production from Biomass (Olive waste).

In the town of Puente Genil (Córdoba), Valoriza Energía, a company in the Sac y r -Vallehermoso Group, developed and started up a state-of-theart waste-to-energy facility using biomass from the olive-oil industry, with the support of a high -efficiency cogeneration plant. This complex is operated by a consortium of three com-

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the needs of all people now and in the future.”

(J. Lash, President of the World Resources Institute)

eration plant, equipped with a 13-MW gas-turbine, a heatrecovery boiler and a 4.4- MW steam turbine, has been built.

The flue gas from the gas turbine is used in the pomace dryers, which also form part of the complex. Biomasas de Puente Genil, S.A. operates the biomass waste-to-energy plant which is fuelled with the remains of the olive pulp after the pomace oil has been obtained. This plant comprises basically a biomass boiler and a 9.6 MW steam turbine. The SEDEBISA project is part of the Pomace-Oil Production Modernisation Plan, an initiative of the Energy Development Agency of Andalusia and the National Pomace-Oil Extractors’ Association.

The project contemplated designing and building a facility capable of processing between 150,000 and 300,000 t per year of pomace

oil, including the necessary storage, kernel oil production equipment and the necessary facilities to meet the heat and electrical demands of the processes involved and produce additional electricity to be exported to the grid. The design contemplates using the flue gas from a gas turbine to feed a biomass boiler to produce steam to drive a steam turbine. (Ref: http:// infopower.es/infopower90/ 90reportajepag19eng.html retrieved April 19,2007)

Olive Waste Management: a potential for CDM Projects The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing industrialized countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment (so-called Annex 1 countries) to invest in emission reducing projects in developing countries as an alternative to what is generally considered more costly emission reductions in their own countries (UNFCC).

Some small scale CDM project activities categories comprise measures to recover methane from biogenic organic matter in wastewaters by means of several options among which: Introduction of anaerobic wastewater treatment with methane recovery and combustion, with or without anaero-

Olive cake produced by traditional olive mills in Lebanon.

Waste Management System designed by AquatechOlivia.

bic sludge treatment, to an untreated wastewater stream.

Anaerobic treatment of vegetables water with methane recovery and combustion could be a potential for a CDM project. Another potential project could be related to the reduction of CO2 emissions through using biomass fuels for energy and electricity genera-

tion. Opportunities are there, we just need to grab them!

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT Lazarieh Building P.O.Box: 11-2727 Beirut, Lebanon HTTP://OLIVEPRESS.MOE.GOV.LB Phone: +961 1 976555 Fax: +961 1 976530 E-mail: maasara@moe.gov.lb

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LEBANON MOUNTAIN TRAIL F

irst long-distance mountain trail in Lebanon: a combination of footpaths and agricultural dirt roads. Attractions include natural reserves, ancient monasteries and hermitages.

What is the Lebanon Mountain

cultural roads and irrigation canals that make up the trail have been in use for centuries.

Working closely with seasoned trekkers, tour operators, and local residents, ECODIT delineated and test-walked the trail to ensure that it is enjoyable and safe.

Trail? Can you describe the trail?

What will hikers see on the LMT?

The Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) is the first long-distance mountain trail in Lebanon. It extends 440 km from Qbaiyat in the north of Lebanon to Marjaayoun in the south, passing by more than 75 towns and villages. The trail is a combination of footpaths and agricultural dirt roads. It ranges in altitude from 600 to 2,000 meters and varies from moderate to difficult. The LMT is divided into 26 day-long sections, each between 10 and 20 km long. Hikers may walk the whole trail in one journey (about 1 month) or any of its sections and in any order they please.

Who delineated the trail?

Although the LMT is young, most of the footpaths, agri-

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Why is the trail so unique?

Hikers on the LMT will discover a land shaped by generations of Lebanese! The trail is rich in magnificent vistas overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, snow-capped mountains, and deep lush valleys. Other attractions include several nature reserves and a World Heritage Site, rock-cut monasteries and hermitages, Ottoman castles, Roman roads and temples, Byzantine churches, rock inscriptions by order of Roman Emperor Hadrian, old red-tiled roof villages, fascinating legends, palaces of the Emirs, and birthplaces of literary giants such as Gibran Khalil Gibran (author of The Prophet) and Mikhail Naimy (author of Mirdad). The attractions are almost countless!

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

Where can hikers sleep on the LMT?

The LMT transects several towns and villages that already offer lodging services including monasteries, eco-lodges, campsites and small hotels.

To provide lodging in other villages, the LMT established a dozen guesthouses along the trail; these guesthouses are run by families who live in the mountain all year and offer the best in Lebanese hospitality and cuisine!

You say that the LMT supports rural development. How?

The main objective behind the LMT was to expand economic opportunities in rural mountain communities. By improving the livelihoods of rural

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populations, the trail will help conserve and promote Lebanon’s rich natural and cultural heritage. And hikers can make a big difference. For example, they can sustain local jobs and increase local incomes by using the services of (trained) local guides, buying local produce and handicrafts, staying overnight in family guesthouses, and helping local farmers harvest their crops (e.g., apples, cherries, prunes, peaches, olives). These services are all part of the LMT experience!

How can people support the LMT?

There are many ways to sup-

port the LMT. For example, you can join the LMT Association (for online applications, go to www.lebanontrail.org/ applicationform.asp); make a donation to the LMT Association, donate land near the trail to the Association for longterm protection, and volunteer to clear and upgrade the trail.

The easiest way to support the LTM is by telling your friends about the trail.

pages, softbound) available online and in bookstores for $10. Proceeds from the sale of the Guidebook will go to trail development and conservation. You can also find practical information and tips for hikers on the LMT website (www.lebanontrail.org), as well as in the 26 Sectional Brochures. Hikers can also buy detailed maps from the LMT Association.

Where can hikers find informa-

The LMT was conceived and developed by ECODIT with a donation from the American People through the US Agency for International Development.

tion on the LMT?

ECODIT and the LMT Association have recently published A Guide to the LMT (104

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AL-HIMA

A WAY OF LIFE

by HALA KILANI*

A

t its peak, the hima was what conservation professionals around the world have striven to accomplish since many years.

Born in the Arabian Peninsula more than 1,400 years ago, the hima is a system of resource tenure that protected nature and at the same time sustained the lives of people living on scarce resources in harsh environmental and climatic conditions.

The literal meaning of hima in Arabic is “protected place” or “protected area.”

It is the most widespread and longstanding indigenous and traditional conservation institution in the Middle East and perhaps on earth.

Driven by need, tribes of Arabia, specifically those who were thriving in the land of the Hijaz part of what is today known as Saudi Arabia have invented the hima to protect the resources that secured their survival in a mostly desert environment. With the advent of Islam to the region, the hima was converted from a system that protected private interests to one that exists only to serve the public good.

When Prophet Muhammad transformed the hima to a system of land tenure that benefited public welfare laying down specific rules that guaranteed equity and redress such as a hima was to be established only when its benefits outweighed its

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costs to vulnerable communities, he had laid down the grounds of the first instrument of conservation in the world.

However, not just any instrument but one to which conservation organizations worldwide strive to accomplish. It took years of painful experimentation, extensive thinking and an uncountable number of meetings, conferences and conventions for conservation professionals and institutions to arrive to the conclusion that conservation should be done in the way of public good and with strong links to the livelihoods of communities living adjacent to important natural areas.

Conservation sites managed by central government have often failed due to exclusive policies that left local communities out from benefit and management decisions pertaining to protected areas. Himas, on the other hand, which are managed by and for the people living adjacent to them, succeeded in achieving core objectives in conservation and sustainable development. Himas have practiced centuries ago concepts – such as sustainable use, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation - that were only recently introduced to the environmental management vocabulary.

Thanks to himas, as they were re-introduced by the Prophet in the Arabian Peninsula, five- hundred-year-old Juniper forests, important wildlife like the Ibex and natural oases can still be found today in Saudi Arabia. This biodiversity survived in a land that was particularly prone to degradation and desertification and constantly roamed by nomadic herders who could have easily destroyed all signs of green and life had there not been a solid system of protection with defined rules and sanctions like the hima.

The first hima declared by the Prophet was Mecca followed by Al-Madinah where a certain zonation system was introduced and hunting and tree cutting was prohibited within a radius of MAY 2008

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four and 12 miles respectively around the haram (the sanctuary).

Himas then flourished, prospered and spread in harmony and rhythm with Islam.

For centuries, local inhabitants

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of the rural and nomadic lands successfully established environmental planning and management strategies that balanced the growth of settlements and the use of natural resources according to Islam-

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ic law and tribal self-government. Local communities continued to manage himas until the first half of the twentieth century. This was the case in the Ottoman dominions, which at various times included what

is now Jordan, Syria, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In Lebanon, the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNL), which has worked on establishing protected areas in the country since the 1990s,

came across old maps carrying the word “hima� while studying a site, which is a forested communal land in south Lebanon. This Arabic word that holds the meaning of protection and that is quite rooted in the language of old people living in rural areas, intrigued the conservation professionals of SPNL. The team researched the word further and unveiled the treasure of knowledge and history behind it.

Since that discovery, SPNL has been working on reviving this system that has more to offer than the imported protected area system usually followed nowadays widely in the Middle East and consists in establishing Nature Reserves that poorly demonstrate the value of conservation to local communities and rarely seek their participation.

Since 2004, SPNL established three himas in close collaboration with local authori-

ties and communities. The first is Ebel es Saqi a 38 Ha pine forest in south Lebanon that was discovered to be a bottleneck area for migrating birds.

The second is hima Kfarzabad in the Bekaa region, a wetland part of a wider system of wetlands that was degraded out of ill knowledge for the value of wetlands. Farmers and other local community members along with the municipality participate in the management and sustainability of this hima. The most recent hima is in Qoleile in South Lebanon, a marine site in which fishermen participate in conservation activities and relinquished using unsustainable fishing methods like dynamite. Qoleile was established after the 2006 war on Lebanon despite complete destruction of the village and stands as a symbol of the himas’ resilience.

The revival of himas in Lebanon is proving to be sucMAY 2008

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cessful and municipalities are showing commitment and taking the initiative in contacting SPNL to establish himas on their natural sites.

After the July 2006 war, a team from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the largest conservation organization in the world, came to Lebanon to assess the war impacts on the environment and people’s livelihoods.

The IUCN team found that, during the war on Lebanon, himas proved to be resilient systems of conservation that

can stand in the way of conflicts and crises as they are managed by communities living adjacent to them and apt to protect them in the most difficult situations especially when conservation organizations succeed in establishing solid links with these people.

During the war, hima Kfarzabad received a large number of displaced. Farmers’ access to their land was dangerous and resources were scarce. This posed an important threat to the wetland, panic was about to drive farmers to divert the wetlands’ water

to the farmland. But when SPNL secured humanitarian aid to the village and the displaced it hosted through contacts with IUCN and BirdLife International, the people of Kfarzabad rushed to show their appreciation to these conservation organizations through investing time and effort to reinforce the hima with infrastructure that they built themselves with modest funding that came from the conservation partners.

Again, when humanitarian aid reached the people of Qoleile via the same conservaMAY 2008

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tion organizations, they hurried to declare a hima on their coastal area despite immense problems and destruction left by the war that they had to tackle.

Seeing the potential of the hima and its resilience, and noting its importance in a region plagued by wars and conflicts, IUCN called for a regional meeting that it organized in Lebanon with members like SPNL, the Ministry of Environment, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan, BirdLife International, Hanns Seidel and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.

The meeting, which gathered more than 50 participants from Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen and Europe shed light on the hima and resulted in a regional network and road map that set the way forward on advancing the hima agenda.

The main gap noted was in

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the knowledge that conservation professionals lacked on this rich, important and successful system. To which extent did the hima spread?

What were the mechanisms of management within it? How were decisions taken to use or set the resources aside and when? Based on what? Many questions that if answered can bring immense knowledge to conservation communities worldwide.

Since then, several important conservation organizations adopted the hima as part of their conservation strategies in the region including IUCN, BirdLife International and MetWet. These organizations noted that the word “hima” as opposed to “Mahmia” the equivalent of protected area was familiar and deeply engrained in the collective memory of rural communities living in the Middle East and North Africa region, which made himas readily accepted

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

by these communities while “mahmias” or protected areas are not. It will be therefore easier to accomplish conservation through establishing himas rather than protected areas in this region.

The word hima is present in traditional expressions and sayings, in national anthems such that of Tunisia and in old Egyptian movies.

Unfortunately, while the hima is being revived in Lebanon, the system is disappearing in other places including its original birthplace. The number of traditional himas in Saudi Arabia dropped from 3,000 in the 1960s - nearly every village was associated with one of more himas - to a few dozen in present times and only a few of those are still managed by local communities. With the passing of himas from local to more centralized ownership, degradation to important nature sites is occurring with bewildering rapidity. What has taken centuries to preserve, is being destroyed in a few years or even months.

IUCN and its partners are committed to developing policies, knowledge and capacity to save the remaining of these traditional himas which constitute a precious wealth in resources and knowledge held by communities that are equally slowly disappearing. * IUCN West Asia/Middle East Poverty, Equity and Gender Programme Coordinator Hala.kilani@iucn.org

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SPECIAL LEBANON

SHOUF BIOSPHERE RESERVE

OVERVIEW

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T

he Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2005. Within the Biosphere Reserve is the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve (the largest in Lebanon) which was declared a protected area by law in 1996 by the Government of Lebanon.

Tourism is a major activity in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve and is on the increase. Visitors arrive at one of four entrances namely: Barouk Forest, Maaser Forest, Ain-Zahalta/Bmohrai Forest and Niha Fort. The total number of visitors was 20,772 in 2003 and 28,067 in 2004. This annual increase is expected to continue provided that the tourist facilities are expanded to meet the in-

creased demand.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve covers about 5% of the overall area of Lebanon and extends along the ridge of the western chain of Mount Lebanon from Dahr-el Baidar in the north to Jezzine in the south and overlooks both the Bekaa valley to the east and Shouf region to the west.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve includes twenty four (24) villages and two protected areas, Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve and Ammiq Wetland, both of which are fast becoming major natural attractions for Lebanon and the region.

The altitude of the Reserve varies from about 1000 meters to about 2000 meters above

sea level and encompasses a number of important vegetative zones.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve is also the southernmost limit of the cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) and represents one of the few remaining natural landscapes of Mount Lebanon that were described in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament as well as in countless documents throughout history. BirdLife International designated the area as an IBA (Important Bird Area).

SBR is managed by Al- Shouf Cedar Society (ACS), which was established in 1994. ACS founds and manages the AlShouf Cedar Nature Reserve (ACR) since 1996.

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Main characteristics: . Largest Nature Reserve in Lebanon . Globally southern limit of cedrus libani . Important Bird Area (IBA) ACS main objectives: . Natural and Cultural Heritage Conservation

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. Research and Monitoring . Rural Development . Eco-Tourism . Environmental Awareness . Capacity Building Main Programs: . ECO-TOURISM PROGRAM The aim is to facilitate a rewarding visitor experience by the provision of secretarial

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

opportunities and experiences, consistent with no degradation or net loss of heritage value of the reserve. .

The Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve receives yearly more than 20,000 visitors (60% Lebanese nationality and 40 % various foreign nationalities) through 4 entrances: . Entrance of Maaser Cedar forest (7 hectares).

. Entrance of Barouk Cedar forest (400 hectares). . Entrance of Ain ZhaltaBmouhray Cedar forest (110 hectares). . Niha Fort entrance (historical site).

There are many eco-tourism activities: Accommodation (Guest Houses), Walking, Hiking, Trekking, Bird watching, Animal observation, Biking,

Climbing, Rope games, Educational activities, etc. . RESEARCH AND MONITORING PROGRAM The vision of the Research & Monitoring Program is to supply high quality scientific information and expertise to facilitate informed and responsible management of Shouf Biosphere Reserve by undertaking, promoting and sup-

porting appropriate scientific research and monitoring, and to become a national training centre. . ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS PROGRAM The vision of the Environmental Awareness Program is to introduce and make clear to greater number of common people the importance MAY 2008

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of conserving the nature and the ecosystem, in particular the reserved zones and to create the environmental motive among them. . RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Al-Shouf Cedar Society has undertaken the Rural Development Project since February 1999, aiming to conserve and develop raw materials and hand made provision.

The project had since then contributed in granting aid to 40 families by producing more

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than 70 products that are promoted on the main entrances of the Reserve which receive yearly more than 20000 visitors from different nationalities.

Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve shows visitors the patrimony and traditions of the local community through its food products such as marmalade, herbs, jams, beverage, distilled waters and craftworks.

The program is developing by establishing three ateliers for women and beekeepers in Mrusti, Baadaran and Jbaa villages, equipped by the neces-

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

sary materials to produce the rural products. . CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM Since the beginning of the protected areas (PAs) projectLebanon in 1997, there was a need for the capacity building of Nature Reserves’ teams, as a ACR’s management team we started our training through the PAs project by cooperation with the IUCN that was the technical support in addition to the participation in many national, regional and interna-

food products) and sustainable use of medicinal, edible and aromatic plants, forest fire fighting, etc.

ACS PARTNERS: Local NGOs: . Association for Forest Development and Conservation(AFDC) . Society for Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) . Terre – Lebanon . NGOs that manage the PAs in Lebanon UNIVERSITIES: . American University of Beirut – AUB . Lebanese University – LU . Balamend University (BU) EMBASSIES: Italian, American, Japanese and Canadian Embassies RESEARCH INSTITUTION: National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR)

tional workshops and training courses that organized by professional institutions, universities, NGOs in different Arab countries, Europe and USA. After that, during the year 2000 and when our programs began to develop especially that related with our different local stakeholders (Municipalities, Herders, Beekeepers, Women, Schools, Volunteers, and etc) we found the necessity to establish our own capacity building program.

Through this program we organized by cooperation with

different local and regional partners, many training courses about the basic concept of protected area management, nature conservation and protection, biodiversity monitoring and identification especially (plants classification and identification), environmental education and interpretation, eco-tourism guiding and visitor management, income generation, grazing management (nutrition and diseases control for the goats), rural development (production, packaging, promotion of the traditional

NATIONAL COOPERATION: . Council for Development and Reconstraction (CDR) REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: . World Bank (WB) . Royal Society for Conservation of Nature - Jordan (RSCN) . World Wide Fund - Italy (WWF) . Agence française de development (AFD) . Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) . The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

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CREATION OF A

NATIONAL NATURAL

PARK IN AKKAR “We feel that environment protection and equilibrated socio-economic development has to be tackled hand in hand in order to achieve our goals”.

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by CLEMENT NADIM ZAKHIA

M

ada is a non-governmental organization established in Lebanon in year 2000, with the aim of reenforcing the relationship between the local communities and their natural environment for the satisfaction of their subsistence needs In the pursuit of its aim, Mada is committed to promote all endeavors that respect the traditional modes of life and depart from pre-set concepts of development.

In order to achieve Mada’s mission statement, our organization has developed a specific strategy to address poverty and environmental degradation in the mountains of north Lebanon.

We feel that environment protection and equilibrated socio-economic development has

to be tackled hand in hand in order to achieve our goals.

Since 2004 we started to work on the creation of a national natural park including the biggest green Lebanese reservoir and 14 municipalities linked to that territory we see our role on the meso level between governmental bodies, the donors’ communities and

local actors especially municipalities.

We have engaged ourselves in undertaking the necessary studies that will help in the elaboration of a land use approach that will be negotiated with the different communities and municipalities; our work is divided in four parts: . Scientific studies and elabMAY 2008

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oration of a zoning plan on scientific bases . Negotiations with local actors to build a consensus on a final draft . Elaboration of socio-economic development plan to be integrated to the creation of the national natural park . Lobbying with government bodies and donors to set up the national natural park as agreed in the final draft.

In order to achieve this goal and strengthen trust with local actors, the scientific studies and the negotiation process goes hand in hand with the development of different small pilot projects related to income generating activities that will be later integrated in the socioeconomic plan.

We also see our role as a catalyst to attract different NGO’s, donors and actors in the development field to the area trough Mada or directly with local actors, as well as offering our services and contacts to municipalities in order to help them in their constituency concerns.

It is essential to position ourselves as an NGO that shares the concerns of municipalities as we feel that environment protection can only be achieved when tackling other more immediate socio-economical needs in such poor areas.

Many of the farmers in the zone are confronted to an agriculture that no longer enable them to satisfy their basic needs, we have developed small agro-farming projects that would try and satisfy their subsistence needs whilst devel-

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oping other pilot projects that would enable them to market their production.

The agricultural sector is in poor condition in Lebanon and only specific state policies

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

can improve this sector, so far such policies are not in place.

We believe that the creation of a national natural park with specific agricultural guidelines could increase the quality of

production and will provide a branding of this agricultural or processed production that will increase it capacity to reach new markets at better prices.

We would rather tackle production in terms of increase in quality than increase in production as the actual production is already saturating the local markets.

SO FAR OUR WORK IN THIS SECTOR HAS BEEN AROUND DIFFERENT SECTORS AS FOLLOWS: . Introduction of new agricultural plans . Introduction of behaving in some communities . Introduction of new goat species . Trainings on (alaff) production . Testing of bio production . Financial support to 12 cooperatives . Support to production cooperatives . Strengthening school capacities . Support to eco-lodges PILOTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT . Agro processing project . Agro forestry production . Consultation and training with farmers All the developed pilots will enable us to from the lesson learned to extend these projects on the National Park territory under the final NP framework.

Other projects have been developed in the education,

income generating, water and tourism sectors.

We realize that to implicate municipalities on such a National Park strategic objective is a difficult task as these municipalities have immediate concerns concerning there basic needs such as potable water, swages and agricultural sector development in general.

It’s only by addressing these concerns that we will be able to reach the trust level needed to move forward with the park development.

Implicating municipalities in the National Park strategy is undergoing as follows: . Signature of cooperation protocol with 4 municipalities for different studies on the field . Training and employment of 26 persons selected with the municipalities to work on these studies . Organization of a conference on the topic with 14 municipalities and different governmental actors

. Encouraging direct exchange between protected areas in Europe and the municipalities . Restitution of scientific information to municipalities . Creation of a technical park comity appointed by municipalities NEXT STEPS . Meetings with municipalities to discuss land use and agree on : . Zoning . Management plan . Infrastructure and sociodevelopment activities to be integrated . Meeting with municipalities to discuss the legal framework and lobby for modifications at government level . Restitution of final national Park suggested framework . Elaboration of a common strategy for lobbying with government.

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT At Byblos

Real Estate Investment

offices (BREI) in Gemayze, a beautiful and traditional neighborhood of Beirut, WE MAGAZINE met with

Mr. Karim Bassil

founder and Chairman of BREI, and Mr. Antoine El Khoury, the General Manager.

ponents, rules and constraints which should be integrated with other economical, technical or legal constraints.

These mixed findings will ensure the best outcome for integrating the construction into its environment.

3. Why do you believe that integrating yourselves into your surroundings helps the environment? And is integration the

INTERVIEW BY CATHY TYAN

only way you can preserve the environment?

1.What is culturally sustainable real estate development?

By integrating ourselves into our surrounding we help the environment by not damaging and distorting it; we have a

Culturally sustainable real estate development is one which

reflex of enhancing rather than damaging the architectural

does not disturb its surrounding and environment. It is a

and cultural heritage.

development which is in harmony with its architectural

Our strategy does not merely focus on integrating our-

and natural environment; a development that respects the

selves by developing one or two buildings in the area; we

way people live within the area. In other words, a cultur-

focus on developing several nice properties to enhance and

ally sustainable development does not impose itself on its

revive the area thus creating certain dynamics which cre-

surrounding but rather integrates itself and adds cultural

ate benefits for the entire community. We like to add val-

value; it is a new property that respects the area’s herit-

ue wherever we are in hope that we can be an example to

age and which potentially will be part of the heritage in

other developers.

the future.

For example, BREI has adopted this approach for the Gemayze Area. Mr. Bassil has believed in this area’s poten-

2.What is according to you the best way to integrate a build-

tial and was the first real estate professional to develop cul-

ing into its environment?

turally sustainable real estate developments there. Ten years ago, Gemayze was almost an abandoned area. Our 5 CON-

The cornerstone to having a culturally sustainable devel-

VIVIUM projects were totally integrated into the existing

opment is a developer willing to integrate his property in

constructions and have made Gemayze the place to be.

its area and convince / impose this aspect as a project constraint on the team of architects and engineers. Therefore,

4. How do you think culturally sustainable developments

choosing an architect sensitive to this dimension will facili-

benefit this generation? Do you think it serves future gen-

tate discussion and exchange of ideas.

erations as well?

As soon as this concept is adopted as a common language between all parties, knowing and understanding this

A Culturally sustainable development is a link between the

environment is of dire importance; feeling and understand-

past, present & future. We try developing our properties

ing the area’s history and tradition as well as its character in

in this spirit, hoping that our projects will be a part of the

terms of morphology, topography, density…

area’s heritage in the future.

These findings should be converted into practical com-

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By adopting this culturally sustainable attitude we give

ly mentioned, our strategy to preserve old trees and our commitment to help the archeology authorities leads to incurring indirect costs.

On the other hand, there are certain economical benefits in developing culturally sustainable properties. By adopting this strategy we have differentiated ourselves from our fellow counterparts in the market and have established a unique brand, CONVIVIUM, which clients are willing to pay a premium to be part of this exclusive community.

Moreover, in terms of image building and communication, this strategy has led us to create a niche which people, culturally sensitive or even investors, believe cost is offset by particular attention to archeology which may be embed-

quality and on-hand experience.

ded in the potential development’s plot. BREI is known for being a proactive real estate developer in terms of

6. While reviewing Cityscape Abu Dhabi Conference Bro-

archeological research and cooperation with the archeo-

chure, we realized you were going to be speakers. In your opin-

logical authorities. Archeological studies on the plot start in

ion, why was BREI chosen to participate in the conference?

the very early stages in the project’s conceptual phase; this allows archeologists to plan and carry out their research in

True, Cityscape conference organizers have chosen BREI

an optimized manner.

to share our experience with regional developers and inves-

In addition to handling and protecting the archeological

tors in the development of culturally sustainable develop-

findings as well as trying to expose and maintain them with-

ments after they had a look at our website. They felt our

in the landscape of our projects, we have a golden rule for

concern regarding culturally sustainable development.

preserving old trees even if it is at the expense of profits.

Although we are still small compared to regional devel-

Therefore, the mix of preserving trees, exposing archeological findings and creating culturally sustainable prop-

opers we acquired our reputation as developers concerned about culture and the environment.

erties serves both the current and future generations by giving a sense of continuity between the past, present and

7. Do you have any actual or future major real estate devel-

future.

opment project that will be implemented with “green” specifications?

5. Do you think culturally sustainable developments are more expensive than normal developments? If yes, how do

Although we are aware and sensitive to green develop-

you offset the cost?

ments, this is not yet our field of specialty but we are planning to develop this aspect within a mountain community

Definitely, culturally sustainable developments are more

which is currently under study. Certain parameters such

expensive than normal developments. Cultural sustaina-

as energy saving, renewable energy techniques and water

bility is a quality parameter which has additional costs, both

treatment techniques have been selected and are being

direct and indirect.

studied by the engineering office.

For example, direct costs can be a result of the high ceiling, using certain noble material, recycling and reusing old

8. As a real state developer, do you have any dream project?

material from existing old constructions such as old tiles and hand-made balustrades… whereas indirect costs can be

Every project is a dream where project is designed to fulfill

a result of sacrificing certain proportions of the property’s

the needs of the people. We try to create new communi-

development rights.

ties which are culturally integrated with their surrounding,

It is worth noting that BREI has already developed

and where people can enjoy living, breathing fresh air and

properties where only 50% of the development rights

interacting with their surroundings.

were used just to have construction heights and densities

Dreams move us forward and BREI organization trans-

in harmony with the surrounding. Moreover, as previous-

forms our dreams into down-to-earth realities.

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the new E-CARAVAN-PHŒNIX DESCRIPTION The E-Caravan-Phœnix is a fully equipped mobile computer and internet school, aimed to empower the local communities of South Lebanon through teaching computer and IT skills, especially for youth, women and persons with disabilities. In January 2006, Fondation Saradar in partner-

together but also to the rest of the country and the world.

ship with UNESCWA launched the E-Caravan project. The

The project is implemented in partnership with private

project builds on the original E-Caravan project the vehicle

companies involved and in collaboration with the con-

which was destroyed on 29 July 2006 while parked at the

cerned municipal councils, existing local and international

Intermediary School of Ayta Al-Shaab in South Lebanon.

organizations and UN agencies.

The new E-Caravan is equipped with a network of ten

The project will be managed and executed by Fonda-

PCs with flat screens, one laser printer, one LCD projector

tion Saradar in cooperation with UNESCWA, Italian NGOs

with screen, two satellite connection modems, an air-con-

operating in South Lebanon, UNIFIL, and other potential

ditioning system, a water dispenser, and other accessories.

partners which could provide additional resources to the

The E-Caravan-Phœnix also includes a ramp that facilitates

project. The main local partners of the project will be the

the access of physically disabled persons and special soft-

municipal councils of the various villages. The municipal

ware to provide the blind and the visually impaired with

councils are expected to provide administrative support,

the necessary IT knowledge. The content of the different

coordination and networking with the selected participat-

training sessions is based on the needs of the target popu-

ing municipalities, security arrangements and power sup-

lation. The courses range from ones specifically for begin-

ply. Partnerships will also be created with private compa-

ners to courses for future trainers and for small and me-

nies and existing local and international organizations.

dium enterprises. Sessions will be offered 6 days a week, and will last for two to four hours. Sessions will include up

BACKGROUND

to eight participants at a time, allowing for a close learning relationship between the trainer and the participants.

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Compared to other regions, the post-occupied region of

A website network will be created through 4 public li-

South Lebanon is inhabited by a young population. For ex-

braries affiliated to the Ministry of Culture to link not on-

ample, 45% of the population in the Cazas of Tyre and Bint-

ly the cazas of Tyre, Nabatiyeh, Marjeyoun and Bint Jbeil

Jbeil are under 19. Illiteracy and unemployment rates are

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

The areas hit during the war were already the most impoverished in the country. The juxtaposition of the geography of poverty and the geography of destruction necessitates special reconstruction programs aimed at building local capacities for poverty alleviation and employment creation. The proposed mobile computer school will help the rural communities in the devastated areas of the country to upgrade their skills in information technology and thus provide them with more job opportunities and increase in income.

To tackle these challenges, The Italian Cooperation for Development - Embassy of Italy, UNESCWA & Fondation Saradar identified the need to introduce IT-related assistance, and thus initiated the new E-Caravan-Phœnix Project.

OBJECTIVES The objective of the project is to combat the lack of IT awareness and IT education amongst underprivileged communities in South Lebanon; especially, youth, women and persons with disability, who are at a disadvantage in the job market. In cooperation with ESCWA and the Italian NGOs operating on the ground, the project will ensure the access of populations in remote regions to cultural significantly higher than the national average and there

and educational activities/events though the Internet.

are disproportionate numbers of orphans, disabled, and

In addition, the project will seek to disseminate collec-

ex-prisoners. Female-headed households make up about

tive security information and advice relevant to post-war

18.5% to 21%, compared to a national average of 14%.

situations through public awareness campaigns.

The communities of South Lebanon face many challenges, not the least significant of which are IT related.

CALENDAR

Although efforts are being made to improve the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastruc-

The E-Caravan will be deployed according to a tentative

ture, there are still significant unmet needs, especially in

itinerary, subject to change. The first scheduled stations

remote areas where accessibility is rather difficult. There is

are Deir Qanoun El Nahr, Barish, Srifa, Nabatyeh, followed

also a scarcity of accredited technical institutions available

by Marjeyoun, Houla, Majdel Salem, Aytaroun and Bint

to provide training and certification for those who seek it.

Jbeil. Each of the stations is expected to also serve users from neighbouring villages.

E-CARAVAN-PHŒNIX PARTNERS The Italian Development Cooperation – Ross Program, Embassy of Italy in Lebanon United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Embassy of Canada in Lebanon Fondation Saradar

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a corporate

CITIZENSHIP INITIATIVE

ged populations in achieving social integration; and

. the establishment of an effective and durable partnership between Business and Civil Society in human development.

The Saradar Mobile Computer School was designed by architects especially commissioned by Fondation Saradar to develop a customized model adapted to the specific needs and objectives of the project. The Caravan is equipped with ten networked PCs with flat screen, a projector and a printer, a laser printer, a LCD projector with screen, a split unit INTRODUCTION

(A.C/heater), a water dispenser and other accessories.

It goes without saying that it is vital for developing

A NEW CONCEPT

countries and emerging economies to rely on technology to better their situation. For small countries with limited

The ‘Saradar IT Programme®’ is a unique initiative to

natural resources such as Lebanon, the development of

introduce the world of Information Technology to com-

human capital remains the greatest strength and source

munities who do not have access to computers and the

of potential.

Internet because of income, education and/or location

Information Technology (IT) in particular, is instrumen-

Based on the principles of ‘equal opportunities for all’

At a time when Information has become the key word for

and the ‘right to access information’, this project aims at

sustainable development, its importance, impact and

facilitating access to technology, by delivering IT skills

advantages need no justification. Nonetheless, in Leba-

training in disadvantaged areas of Lebanon. The project

non, access to the World Wide Web is limited to the few

focuses on the marginalized social groups and disadvan-

privileged. For women and children and populations

taged regions, such as the internally displaced popula-

living in remote or rural areas access is especially limited.

tions in the cazas of Baabda, Aley, the Chouf and Jezzine,

This proposal presents an opportunity for private enterprises to engage in community programmes and

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constraints.

tal and fundamental in any capacity-building programme.

people with additional needs, juvenile delinquents, rural populations, and specifically, women and children.

promote corporate social responsibility in Lebanon. This

The ‘Saradar IT Programme’ can contribute to ‘Bridging

project, initiated by Fondation Saradar is part of a larger

the Digital Divide’ in Lebanon by helping develop human

mission, that is the consolidation of social cohesion in

resources primarily among school and college students,

Lebanon, based on:

as well as educators who will be encouraged to apply IT in

. the support of the active participation of underprivile-

every stage of their life.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

The project intends to address young men and women

THE OBJECTIVES

and marginalized groups particularly who lack basic computer skills, and who consequently find themselves lag-

The Saradar ‘Accessibility Programme’ seeks to offer the

ging behind and at a disadvantage in the job market.

opportunity to people who have disabilities to acquire

The SITP project has no negative impact on the envi-

the necessary skills and knowledge in order to achieve

ronment: no engine to pollute the air and no gas emis-

their basic economic right, the right to employment:

sions. As a mobile school its stay in the targeted regions

. Build the competitiveness of job-seekers with disabili-

remains short. Its parking locations are always selected in

ty on the labour market by developing their computer

areas environmental risk free.

skills, and creating links between disabled people and the private sector: enabling people with disabilities to

SERVING PEOPLE WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

access the labour market in the Bekaa region, through

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR

promoting self-development and interpersonal skills and increasing their abilities to provide for their families and community;

. Increase the awareness of the Lebanese civil society and private sector on the potentiality of people with disability.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

THE BACKGROUND

There is a strong gender component of underemployment among the disabled. Although women graduates of

Among the most exposed groups to poverty are disabled

care institutions (specialised for people with disabilities)

people and their families, as the high rate of disabled

have higher levels of educational attainment than men,

unemployment shows. According to a study undertaken

they are less likely to be employed. Only 35 percent of

in 1996 by the Ministry of Social Affairs, in Lebanon only

women were employed, compared to 52 percent of men.

17% of disabled of working age actually work, against an

Disabled women face double discrimination in the Leba-

international percentage of 30% and the economic trend

nese labour market.

shows that this percentage is getting lower.

Due to this double discrimination that women with

This exclusion of disabled people from the labour market

disabilities face, the project will be targeting women with

is due to multiple causes:

disability as well as ensuring their participation and equal

. Lack of facilities in working places . No access to education . No access to vocational rehabilitation programs . Cultural and social obstacles . Lack of experience in both public and private sectors.

opportunity in the work place; specific measures needed to meet women’s needs would be taken into consideration.

INTERNSHIP & RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES In conformity with its set objective to link training to

THE PROJECT

employability, the “Accessibility Programme” 2004, through and in addition to its training activity, an awareness and

The Saradar IT Programme launched on June 2nd, 2003,

mobilisation campaign targeting enterprises established

‘The Accessibility Programme’, a programme dedicated to

in this part of the Bekaa Valley on the rights of people with

provide basic knowledge of Computer and Internet to peo-

disabilities, mainly in the area of employment. Companies

ple with disabilities through a mobile school. This initiative,

were encouraged to offer internships or job opportunities

a first in Lebanon and probably in the region, is intended to

to handicapped persons: a first step towards achieving

include eventually various kinds of disabilities.

their complete socio-economic integration as active and

The caravan has been equipped with demountable

productive members of the Lebanese society. The reac-

slope and handrails to be able to cater to special needs of

tion of some institutions approached by LPHU was imme-

disabled persons.

diate and unequivocal: ‘Al-Mayss’ Hospital, the Municipa-

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133

lity of ‘Bar Elias’ and companies such as ‘Lamartine’, ‘Efco’ and ‘Domanco’, spontaneously expressed their readiness to take one intern each while ‘Conserves Chtaura’ offered two internship opportunities. On the other hand, BLOM Bank branch located in the region recruited one disabled person as a full-timer.

PROJECT PRESENTATION The Adaptive Technology Programme (ATP), a first in the country and in the region, proposes an IT learning and capacity-building activity dedicated to the visually impaired in Lebanon. This programme is delivered through two mobile computer schools, the ‘Saradar IT Programme’ and the ‘E-Caravan’, which roam clusters of villages to introduce the world of Information Technology (IT) to marginalised social groups. Training sessions range from beginners’ courses to courses for future trainers. The ATP beneficiaries are mobilised by a network of competent NGOs in Beirut

in order to create a link between this disadvantaged group

and in the regions supervised by the Youth Association of

and certain means of socio-economic integration: first in

the Blind - Lebanon (YAB). Both mobile hubs have been

the capital where the number of visually impaired is very

equipped with special hardware and software featuring

high, and then in remote areas and rural towns which are

Arabic contents developed to facilitate the access of blind

particularly disadvantaged or affected by poverty and iso-

people to computers and the Internet.

lation (such as Tripoli, Jounieh, Jbeil, Saida, Damour, Iqlim

During the first phase of the project, from July 2006 to

el Kharroub, Nabatieh and the Bekaa Valley). Women and

April 2007, the ATP will be delivering one Trainers session

children are the most marginalised categories among this

in Beirut and three other courses in Tripoli (North) and

population with additional needs. Their exclusion shows at

Nabatieh/Tyre (South). Trainers will then relocate to ensu-

two levels: 1) they initially belong to vulnerable groups in

re the required training in the mentioned areas. The trai-

the current socio-economic context; 2) they are disabled,

ning activity is implemented in cooperation with YAB.

which makes their integration even more difficult.

The ‘Saradar IT Programme’ (SITP) and the ‘E-Caravan’ will

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

seek to address the digital divide among people with disabilities. In order to reach them efficiently, Fondation Sara-

At a time when Information has become the key to sustai-

dar has initiated the ‘Adaptive Technology Programme’

nable development, we must recognize that people with

(ATP) in partnership with the YAB.

special needs in Lebanon are still standing on the other side of the river since they don’t have access to Information

THE PARTNERS

Technology or any other source of information. Given the

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increasing spread of Information Technology worldwide

The Canadian Fund for Social Development

and the availability of Adaptive Technology for the blind

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

even on the Lebanese market, we have initiated this project

Oxfam-Québec

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

SPECIAL LEBANON

THE DHIAFEE

PROGRAM A USAID project in Lebanon

U

SAID, the United States Agency for International Development, is an independent Federal Government Agency. It is the main US help provider agency active around the world.

USAID has its headquarters in Washington and missions in many countries.

Lebanon is one of the countries that benefits from this development program, among them we find, the DHIAFEE Program – implemented by the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) – which recognizes the outstanding potential for tourism to contribute to the economic development of communities throughout Lebanon. In a country rich with sites that appeal to a wide variety of travelers, the DHIAFEE Program believes that visitors will enjoy the opportunity to stay in local communities where they can gain an authentic experience of life in Lebanon.

The DHIAFEE Program is also working with Al-Kafaat Foundation to enable them to

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

enroll more students in their Catering and Hospitality Management Schools and provide them a higher quality education. Young people graduating from Al-Kafaat will receive assistance in finding good quality jobs in the tourism sector. At the same time, Al-Kafaat Foundation professionals support the DHIAFEE Program with their technical expertise – contributing to the development of the cottage inns of Lebanon.

This program conducted a detailed assessment of the available cottage inns throughout Lebanon (outside Beirut) reviewing around 95 cottage inns in nearly all geographic areas of the country includ-

ing bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, religious lodgings and camping sites. Based on this assessment, the DHIAFEE Program chose around 50 cottage inns to work with.

The Lebanon Water Policy Program (LWPP) is another USAID projects. This project of utmost importance will help the Lebanese save water for future generations. Thus, and although water in Lebanon is relatively plentiful the mismanagement of this vital resource causes 50 percent of the country’s water to be lost. If this trend is not fixed, Lebanon will face severe shortages within the next 25 years. Thus, USAID focuses on water management issues and works in partnership with the South Lebanon Water and Wastewater Establishment (SLWWE) and the Beirut & Mount Lebanon Water Establishment (BMLWE).

This project includes training employees, introducing computerized monitoring and information systems, and installing consumer meters. With more efficient operations, Lebanon’s water institutions should

be able to raise revenues and attract private investors.

The Organic Agribusiness is another project that was developed with funding from USAID. This ongoing program aims to establish a profitable and sustainable farming system for rural Lebanese communities and focuses on organic agri-business in the North, Beqaa, East Sidon, Marjeyoun, Bint Jbeil, Akkar and Mount Lebanon. Activities include developing a local cooperative BioCoopLubnan to become an independent and capable organization with developed extension, production, services, and marketing capabilities. The cooperative currently includes 120 certified member farmers involved in the niche market of organic agriculture. The program benefits more than 1,500 agriculture professionals, farmers, as well as school and university students. Organic farming currently provides secure marketing of farmers’ yields and increases farmers’ income by an average of 20%.

The Solid Waste Project in Zahle is a program that aims at improving, enhancing, and operating the waste management facility in Zahle. This will enable it to manage the excessive load of incoming municipal waste and the increasing amounts of leachate generated from the landfill, while increasing at the same time the lifetime of the landfill itself and gain additional environmental and public health benefits as well as economic gains from the green waste and recycled materials.

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SPECIAL LEBANON

THE NATIONAL

OZONE UNIT Institutional strengthening project for the implementation of Montreal protocol in Lebanon

T

he National Ozone Unit (NOU) was established in 1998 to assist the Ministry of Environment to phase out ODS effectively and efficiently, to adopt policies and regulations, to monitor procedures, and to oversee the projects and activities specified in the Country Programme in order for the government to meet their commitments under the Montreal Protocol.

The National Ozone Unit is supervised jointly by the Directorate General office at the Ministry of Environment and the UNDP country office. The NOU’s main objectives are as follows: . Develop and increase in national awareness on dangers of ODS. . Dissemination of information on new technologies and ODS substitutes to the industrial sector in the country. . Monitoring and evaluation of progress of implementation of ODS phase-out activities. . Development and enforce-

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ment of legislation in support of effective monitoring and control of ODS. . Reporting, evaluation and analysis of ODS consumption & importation. . The link between government and responsible international agencies, information exchange with other parties. . Implementation of the National Phase-out Management Plan for a 5-year duration (Fund 2,091,420 $ US Dollars) with the following objectives: a) To achieve complete phaseout of Annex-A, Group-I substances (CFCs) in Lebanon by 2009. b) To enable Lebanon to meet its obligations of phased ODS reductions in accordance with the control schedule of the Montreal Protocol. c) To ensure timely, sustainable and cost-effective CFC phase-out, through development and implementa-

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

tion of a combination of investment, technical support, training and policy/management support components.

Mainly through: . Conversion of (45) industry in the Aerosol, Foam and Refrigeration Sector to Ozone friendly production. . Provide assistance to the Workshops working in the refrigeration service sector. . Training for Master Trainers and Technicians working in the refrigeration service sector. . Establishment of policies, licensing system, codes of practices and others. . Increase awareness on ozone depletion problem in Lebanon. . Other activities in investment, training, institutional support and technical support components.

Lebanon’s consumption of ODS in 1993 was estimated at 917 metric tonnes with consump-

The campaign’s billboard Apr-Nov 2007

tion largely concentrated in the aerosol, foam, and refrigeration sectors.

In 2005, Lebanon has successfully achieved the 50% reduction in compliance with the Montreal Protocol control measures (CFC consumption < 362.5 MT) through the smooth implementation of funded approved projects. And in 2007, the CFC consumption reached 72 metric tones.

The NOU is in charge of complying to the obligations under the MP ensuring that they are met through a combination of awareness, technical and financial support. The success of this programme is translated operationally by the volume of investment and noninvestment projects mobilized in support of the industrial sector in Lebanon.

In order to ensure sustainability of its work and credibil-

ity of its operations, in Lebanon, towards the international community the project has set a regular monitoring tool.

This tool is represented in the reporting mechanism that is maintained with the ODS users, manufacturing enterprises and importers through annual reports that describe the trend of their use/imports of ODSs and their alternatives.

The NOU undertakes as an annual exercise the collection and updating information on data of ODS consumption and importation for the entire country by substance, enterprise, sector and region. As well designed format is used and distributed to all ODS users/importers for their actions, where the data collected are compiled in a data base.

Over and above, the office prepares all necessary documents for the engagement

of new personnel, National and International consultants, or outsourcing of any of the project supporting activities.

Another activity that the NOU undertakes is the intern of University students during the summer. Several interns from a number of universities joined the NOU since its inception until present, assisting the team in several operational tasks.

Currently, the NOU is implementing all the components of the NPMP with a total funding of US$ 2,091,420 provided in annual tranches, which will phase-out the remaining consumption of controlled substances (CFCs) in Lebanon over the period of 2004-2009.

Noting that, a total fund of US$ 12 million was approved until now for the whole conversion process in Lebanon.

One of the NOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandate is to increase the level of understanding of the Ozone Depletion problem among industries, the Government and Non-Government institutions, the universities and schools, as well as the public at large. Therefore, the NOU was able to play a major role on the awareness raising front through the distribution of several booklets, brochures, flyers, notebooks, awareness tools such as UV Beads, Caps, T-shirts and UV Sensors Stickers. Also exhibitions, workshops, seminars and lectures have been conducted, a number of TV spots have been produced, and several press releases and TV interviews were conducted.

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SPECIAL LEBANON

IN TROUBLED LEBANON,

A SAFETY ZONE FOR SEA TURTLES

By NADIM AUDI

T

YRE, Lebanon For millions of years, Mediterranean sea turtles have been coming to this shore in what is now southern Lebanon to lay their eggs. Every summer since the time of the dinosaurs, their babies have hatched and literally run for their lives on the strip of sand that separates their nests from the sea.

An endangered species, they had been largely ignored in this war-torn stretch of Lebanon until six years ago, when two women set out to protect their fragile nesting dance.

The inspiration was a walk on the beach by Mona Khalil when she was visiting her homeland. She had flown in from the Netherlands, where she worked as a porcelain restorer. Her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, abandoned during the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s, sat between Tyre and Naqoura, dangerously close to the buffer zone that the Israeli Army occupied at the time. Still, she risked a walk along the sand,

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Nesting Site Sea Turtle Tracks

Green Turtle Nest

Attempt at locating the eggs Taking measurements of the egg chamber

and came upon the turtles.

“The first time I saw them, it was completely by accident,” Khalil said. “I suddenly heard a noise. It was a turtle creeping through the sand, coming to lay her eggs.”

That beach was one of only three remaining nesting sites in southern Lebanon. Upon learning that the turtles were close to disappearing from her country, Khalil decided to “come back and do something about them.”

The next year, 2000, she returned and teamed up with Habiba Fayed, who shares her passion for the environment. They opened a bedand-breakfast in the Khalil home to finance their efforts, calling it the Orange House in honor of the Netherlands.

Guests could simply vacation or, in the spirit of ecotourism, they could help the owners protect the turtles’ nests and keep the beach clean. That was key. According to Medasset, a local marine wildlife group, if a turtle finds a garbage-strewn shore when she comes to lay her eggs, she will drop the eggs in the water, condemning her offspring to certain death.

Two species of large sea turtles nest in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), which has been declared critically endangered by the World Conservation Union. They can live for more than 100 years, taking 50 years and 30 years, respectively, to reach adulthood and MAY 2008

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SPECIAL LEBANON

Egg chamber

Protecting the nest with wire-mesh Green Sea Turtle hatchlings emergingfrom the nest

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

start producing eggs.

Female turtles travel to the exact spot where they were born decades earlier to dig their nests in the sand, laying an average of 70 to 100 eggs.

The reptiles, about a meter, or three feet, wide, seem to be “in a trance when they lay their eggs,” Khalil said. They then go back to the sea. They will have no further part in the lives of their offspring.

This is the moment when the women intervene. They protect the nests from predators like foxes, wild dogs and crabs by burying an iron grid in the sand above the eggs.

This prevents animals from attacking during the month it takes for the eggs to hatch.

The spaces on the grid are large enough to allow the baby turtles to emerge and find their way to the sea. “We become their surrogate mothers,” Fayed said.

A major reason Mediterranean sea turtles can still be found in southern Lebanon is the Israeli occupation, which kept the area untouched from 1982 and 2000. Construction has destroyed most of their habitat in the rest of the country.

The recent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah did not affect the turtles, even when shooting in the area around the Orange House grew so intense that Khalil, 57, and Fayed, 48, had to flee. “Hezbollah was shooting rockets from very close,” Khalil said. “We were in danger and escaped to Beirut for two weeks.”

Mona releasing the rest of the hatchlings Hatchlings on their journey to the sea

When they returned, they found that their house had been hit by an Israeli shell.

But only one nest had been destroyed by predators. And 30 new nests had appeared, the women said, making 2006 the best season since the project started. Nonetheless, the protection of the nests is far from assured in this troubled land, where animals must coexist with armies, dynamite fishing and pollution. To protect the

turtles, Khalil and Fayed have become the de facto police of their shore.

The pollution of beaches in Lebanon has various sources, from hospital waste to factory chemicals and plastic bags.

Its impact on the turtles is direct: shorter life expectancy and high cancer rates. Much of the garbage that lands on the shore near the Orange House seemed to come from the headquarters of Unifil, the

United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, a few kilometers to the north.

“They are not environmentally conscious,” Khalil complained. “We’ve had Italian, Spanish and French garbage washed up on the shore everyday.”

Khalil met during the summer with a UN officer who promised to try to curb the pollution. While swimmers and fishermen still find the occasional Italian water bottle or French mustard jar, the amount of garbage dumped has been reduced, she said.

In a country where animals and the environment are far from top priorities, the Orange House is a unique place. It was built in the 1970s by Khalil’s grandfather, who intended it as a house where the family’s children could come and play.

While the civil war prevented this, the “summer vacation” spirit remains.

Though word of a guest house on a beautiful beach with nesting turtles has spread in Lebanon, most visitors to the Orange House are foreigners.

“Our guests are mainly Europeans who work in Beirut - French, Germans,” Khalil said. “The few Lebanese are often married to Westerners.

The rest ignore us.”

Khalil and Fayed would like to see this change, hoping that environmentally conscious Lebanese youth will maintain their legacy by protecting the turtles.

But how likely is that?

Khalil smiled. “I’m optimistic.”

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