World Environment Magazine, Issue 7

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT

MAGAZINE

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2011 WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

International Year of Forests Celebrating Forests for People

No 07 / March 2011

07

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE WORLD ENVIRONMENT

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Number 07 | March 2011

CHAIRMAN Andrea Tucci a.tucci@worldenvironment.tv EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Cathy Chami Tyan c.tyan@worldenvironment.tv

Sustainable Development >84

EDITORIAL PROJECT COORDINATOR Marc Wiliam Lowe m.lowe@worldenvironment.tv

Biodiversity >10

CONTRIBUTORS Abigail Alling, Fadi G. Comair, Piercarlo Crachi, Maria-Alejandra Faria, Hala Habib, Rony Mecattaf, Gabriella Porilli, Mariejoe Raidy, Erika Roshdi, Amy Sim, Merlin D.Tuttle

Energy >78

Eco-Living >96

CONCEPT & DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY Abigail Alling, Cetamada, Orla Doherty, Angelo Grilli, Mimo Khair, Studio Crachi, Michel Zoghzoghi

Global Warming >54

SALES AND ADVERTISEMENTS adv@worldenvironment.tv info@worldenvironment.tv

>4

Editorial For the Love of Our Forests

Biodiversity

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscription@worldenvironment.tv P.O.Box 1396 Beit Mery, Lebanon

> 10 2011, International Year of Forests:

PRINTING RAIDY | www.raidy.com

Solutions to Sustainable Forest Management > 26 From Tequila to the “Tree of Life” > 32 Born to Be in the Wild > 46 The Race Against Time: Saving Coral

PUBLISHED BY World Environment Group COPYRIGHT The articles become part of the magazine’s archive. Further publishings on other issues must be authorized by the editor following the author’s consent.

ISSN 17379229

Eco-Tourism >118

Water >70

EDITING: Hala Habib

Celebrating Forests for People

> 20 Forest Genetic Resources: Bringing

Energy

> 78 The Energy Report

Sustainable Development

> 84 Architect Youssef Tohme:

Out of Nature Comes the New Generation of Eco-Friendly Designs > 90 Ahmed Baghoum: Masdar the First Eco-Friendly City in MENA

Eco-living

> 96 China: Progress in Environmental Information

> 104 The Museum of Libya: A Restoration Project > 54 The “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing > 108 Online stakeholder engagement

Global Warming

the Dream” Symposium

Eco-Tourism

Water

> 60 Integrated Water Resources Management in the Mediterranean Basin (IWRM) > 70 Water Resources in Lebanon

> 112 Valnerina: Parco Nazionale Dei Monti Sibillini

> 118 Madagascar: Preserving the Marine Population

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE’s policy is to use papers that are renewable, recyclable and from sustainable sources. In addition, all waste is sent for recycling.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE is available online at www.worldenvironment.tv

CONTRIBUTORS Fadi G. Comair Director of the General of Hydraulic and Electrical Resources of the Lebanese Ministry Born in 1960 He graduated from American universities of Texas and Harvard and French: Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and UniversityClaude Bernard Lyon I with a PhD in energy. Mr. Comair is distinguished by work experience unique in France, the research centers affiliated to the Ministry of Industry, working actively in various technical committees responsible for drafting the European Eurocodes, and was also co-editor of the French seismic rules between 1992 and 2000. Returned to Lebanon in 1993, he was appointed first as CEO of the National Office of Litani (ONL) and then as Director General of Water Resources and Electricity.

His many interests as the main negotiator on the Wazzani and Hasbani main tributaries of the Jordan and on transboundary rivers of Onronte and Nahr el-Kebir with Syria and its role in the formation of several delegations from the Middle East hydrodiplomatie make him the undisputed expert on water issues.

Mariejoe Raidy Growing up in a region known for political upheaval and uncertainty, MarieJoe advocates for doing business in Lebanon in a way that is environmentally responsible and ethically driven. As creative director and as a shareholder in Raidy Printing Group s.a.l, she spearheaded an effort to adopt innovative, eco-friendly printing techniques.

When she succeeded, she had created the only printing company in the Arab world recognized by the renowned publishing house, Rotovision, UK. MarieJoe is not only focused on environmentally responsible businesses, but also establishing a norm of individual and corporate ethics. Working with the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, she helped create the “Better Business Group” in Beirut, which encourages Lebanese individuals and corporations to adhere to a code of business ethics.

In recognition of her demonstrated leadership and trailblazing ways, MarieJoe was also recently asked to serve as Chair of Communication Committee in the Lebanese League of Women in Business, a Network Hub of the MENA Businesswomen’s Network.

Hala Habib Was born and raised in Nigeria. She studied Communication Media and Business Management at BUC and has since worked in the field of communication. She has established and headed as editor-in-chief several English-language magazines and contributes and edits magazines from different fields.

She worked at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 2003 till 2010 as Communication Officer and was in charge of a TV program for youth called SAWTNA.

Piercarlo Crachi Was born in Italy, graduated in Architecture in 1991 from Rome and proceeded to obtain a PhD in Environmental Design from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1998. His professional work focuses on architectural design, restoration, decoration and recovery of industrial design. Some of his major achievements included works on the Art gallery of the Capitol in Rome, the Napoleonic Museum in Rome, the Teatro Torlonia and the Museum Manzù as well as works on garden theme in Ardea, Alcamo Wine Museum and the Museum of Libya in Tripoli. He has published several essays and articles on architecture and design including Pisanti Castrucci and architects in Naples; Enzo Frateili: Architecture, Technology, Design; Three Projects Made in Rome; and The New Museum of Libya in the People’s Palace of Tripoli. He has held several honorary and distinguished posts amongst which are the Register of Journalists since 1997, professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" from 1998 to 2004, and professor at the Faculty of Communication, at the same university from 2005 to 2007.

Mimo Khair Was born in Lebanon.

She graduated from The American University in Beirut and moved to New York at age 21, where she first discovered her passion for art overall, and photography in particular.

She attended the Parsons School of Design and later apprenticed with Vietnamese photographer Noc Nol. Since 1996 Mimo's photography has spanned the globe. Her photo exhibits mostly feature her favorite subjects: children, ancient monuments, and landscapes from her travels.

Since 1997, Mimo has led summer art camps for children in Europe, the United States and the Middle East. She founded the acclaimed Blue Star Youth Movement to foster budding talents in art and photography for teenagers.

She currently lives in Shanghai with her husband and young daughter and exhibits her work internationally and locally in Shanghai.

Amy Sim Is Senior Programme Officer for Asia at ARTICLE 19, a human rights organization protecting and promoting the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of information. She currently manages the Access to Environmental Information project in China, and freedom of expression campaigns in the region.

Prior to joining ARTICLE 19, she has worked at the World Bank on community driven development programmes in Indonesia.

In particular, she has designed and managed a pilot initiative using cultural resources to support poverty reduction and community empowerment. She has also worked as a journalist with the Singapore Press Holdings.

Abigail Kingsley Alling Co-founder and President of Biosphere Foundation Abigail Alling co-founded the non-profit organization, Biosphere Foundation (BF), in 1991 and continues today as its President.

Biosphere Foundation primary goal is to inspire intelligent stewardship of our biosphere.

At present, BF is based onboard its research vessel in Asia where its team has initiated coral reef, sea turtle and marine mammal conservation programs.

Its projects over the past two decades have included: a planetary coral reef expedition, a coral reef satellite mission, an ecological wastewater treatment system called Wastewater Gardens, and Mars On Earth – an R&D project to simulate a sustainable habitat for a manned mission to Mars.

Abigail has sailed the world’s oceans including a voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula to study humpback whale population genetics (in collaboration with the National Cancer Research Institute).

At Biosphere 2 (1986-1994), Abigail created a million gallon coral reef and marsh ecosystem, served as Scientific Chief for more than 60 research projects and was one of 8 “ biospherians” to live inside the closed system for two years.

She is a graduate of Middlebury College (Biology) and she also received an M.S. degree in Environmental Studies from Yale University.

Rony Mecattaf Rony is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with a unique international and multi cultural background.

He has had a wide range of clients, from global corporations to small businesses to whom he delivers one to one or group executive coaching, seminars and workshops.

His coaching approach benefits from an 18-year corporate experience as Sales and Marketing Manager, and as Business Development Consultant, as well as from his training as a Coach (CoachU) and various modalities (NLP, Systemic Approach, Gestalt Therapy).

Born and raised in Lebanon, he studied and lived in the U.S. and France for over thirty years.

He recently moved back to Lebanon, where he is now based, but he travels extensively to France, the rest of Europe and within the Middle East.

Rony believes that his coaching style benefits tremendously from his background, both professional and personal.

He is able to understand the pressures that limit the personal growth and performance of today’s managers, and can be a great catalyst in their transformation towards excellence.

His style is non-intrusive in that he will ensure his client’s development pace corresponds to what is needed at that specific time.

While coaching, Rony is fully in service of his client’s exploration of their full potential as a manager and as a human being.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT

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For the Love of Our Forests

T

here is a popular saying that goes “Forests are the lungs of the earth”. It’s a beautiful saying and very romantic but when one thinks of the status of forests around the globe then it becomes less romantic, actually it starts ringing alarm bells.

The warning has found kind ears with the United Nations who has proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Forests (Forests 2011). World Environment Magazine, an ardent enthusiast for the global environment well-being is joining the United Nations in its campaign to raise awareness on the important role that forests play as the source of food security and livelihoods for more than 1.6 billion people.

Here are some facts to consider when thinking forests. Jungles and forests cover 31% of total land area. Forests are home to 300 million people around the world and are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity. Primary forests account for 36% of forest area. Trade in forest products was estimated at $327 billion in 2004. Thirty percent of forests are used for production of wood and non-wood products. These figures send shockwaves when we realize that drastic measures should be taken both by governments and individuals to stop and reverse the destruction cycle to the earth’s lungs and thus to the basic existence of man.

Protect your forests, and join us in celebrating earth’s wonders with the world’s forests, jungles, woods and mangroves. I protect forests, therefore I exist!

Be the change, Act green, plant a tree, plant more, use less, protect, and help slow down global warming. Organize environmental initiatives, and adopt the green attitude in your home; in your school in your office: print when necessary, do not use plastic bags, save energy and water, recycle, walk to work... the possibilities are infinite.

In line with its environmental policy World Environment magazine uses only recyclable paper made from wood grown in sustainable forests.

Our pledge is to plant a tree with each new membership to help reforestation in Lebanon.

THE BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM INSECURITY Ahmed Djoghlaf and Felix Dodds This book provides an authoritative and comprehensive assessment of the threats presented to human security and well-being by the loss of ecosystems and biodiversity – recently confirmed as one of the critical 'planetary boundaries' that has already been exceeded.

Contributors examine the current trends and state of biodiversity globally, the drivers of biodiversity loss including climate change and economic and population pressures, and the mechanisms and policies needed for conserving and restoring biodiversity in the future. This volume is an invaluable resource for conservationists, students and those in the private and public sectors concerned to redress the damage being done to the natural world.

BOOK REVIEW CHILDREN AND THEIR URBAN ENVIRONMENT Claire Freeman & Paul Tranter In our fast-changing urban world, the impacts of social and environmental change on children are often overlooked.

Children and their Urban Environment examines these impacts in detail, looking at the key activities, spaces and experiences children have and how these can be managed to ensure that children benefit from change.

The book seeks to embrace childhood as a time of freedom, social engagement and environmental adventure and to encourage creation of environments that better meet the needs of children.

WE BOOK

ENERGY 2050 Jim Skea, Paul Ekins and Mark Winskel The United Kingdom is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050, a target that will only be achieved by transforming the way that energy is supplied and used. At the same time there are anxieties about the security of energy provision in terms of European dependency on natural gas and the reliability of electricity supply. This book explores in detail those factors, which could help or hinder the attainment of the UK's climate change targets, and how these factors interact with the parallel objective of maintaining a robust and secure energy system. The book is the result of a major national energy research effort by the UK Energy Research Centre, which includes some of the UK's leading energy experts. The results and recommendations are essential reading for policymakers, professionals, researchers, and anyone concerned with achieving large-scale reductions in carbon emissions, both from the UK and internationally.

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THE

BOOK REVIEW

HANDBOOK OF STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Barry Sadler, Ralf Aschemann, Jiri Dusik, Thomas Fischer, Maria Partidario and Bob Verheem This authoritative handbook surveys the full breadth and depth of SEA, bringing together a range of international perspectives and insights on the theoretical, methodological and institutional dimensions and practical issues of the field. It then subjects this conventional wisdom to a critical reappraisal, looks at the vast lessons of experience and offers new ideas and interpretations as to where the field is going.

REVIEW INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE DESIGN OF BUILDINGS Paul Appleby Integrated Sustainable Design of Buildings aims to provide a guide to members of design and master-planning teams on how to deliver sustainable development and buildings cost effectively, meeting current and emerging UK and international statutory and planning requirements.

Using a series of case histories and examples from the author's 10 years of providing sustainability advisory services the book sets out a clear and understandable strategy that deals with all aspects of sustainable design and construction and the implications for delivery, costs, sale-ability and long term operation.

The extensive scope includes all aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability, including strategies to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of climate change.

GLOBAL URBAN ANALYSIS Peter J. Taylor, Pengfei Ni, Ben Derudder, Michael Hoyler, Jin Huang and Frank Witlox Global Urban Analysis provides a unique insight into the contemporary world economy through a focus on cities. It is based upon a large-scale customized data collection on how leading businesses use cities across the world: as headquarter locations, for finance, for professional and creative services, for media.

These data - involving up to 2000 firms and over 500 cities provide evidence for both how the leading cities, sometimes called global cities, are coming to dominate the world economy, and how hundreds of other cities are faring in this brave new urban world.

Written in an easy to understand style, this book is a must read for anybody interested in their own city in the world and how it relates to other cities.

All books can be bought online at www.worldenvironment.tv

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QUIZ 1

2

According to the United Nations Environment program, how many hectares of tropical rainforest are being lost each year to the logging industry? a. 500,000 b. 3 million c. 10 million d. 16 million

3 4

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is considered one of the pioneers of the environmental movement.

What is his most famous book called? a. Walden, or Life in the Woods b. Arden, or Walks through the Forest c. Verden, or Diary of a Meadow d. Smarden, or Musings on a Pond

In 1972 a group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology produced a hugely influential report warning of environmental catastrophe unless mankind did more to protect the earth's resources. What was the report called?

The 1972 United Nations Conference on The Human Environment, held in Stockholm, is generally regarded as the first concerted international attempt to address environmental issues. What was the conference's motto? a. Only One Earth b. Securing Our Future c. The World As One d. Protecting Our Legacy

THE WE QUIZ ANSWERS

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a. The Ends of the Earth b. The Limits to Growth c. The Need to Change d. The Exhausted World

Which Kenyan environmentalist won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize?

a. Ali Kaka b. Isaac Maina

c. Wangari Maathai d. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka

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At current rates of extinction, it is estimated that what percentage of the world's mammals will disappear over the next 30 years? a. 5 percent c. 25 percent b. 10 percent d. 40 percent

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According to the most recent estimates, how many billion metric of carbon dioxide does mankind pump into the atmosphere annually? a. 1.1 billion b. 2.2 billion c. 4.4 billion d. 6.6 billion

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The US is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Which country is the second biggest emitter? a. India b. China c. Russia d. Nigeria

1: 16 million 2: Walden, or Life in the Woods 3: The Limits to Growth 4: Only One Earth 5: Wangari Maathai 6: 25 percent 7: China 8: 6.6 billion

WORLD ENVIRONMENT

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2011

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS CELEBRATING FORESTS

FOR PEOPLE

Biodiversity

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

F

orests are a key part toward the shift toward a "greener" economy said a cadre of U.N. officials as the body officially launched its International Year of Forests to highlight the global importance of forests.

"Every one of us, all seven billion people on earth, has our physical, economic and spiritual health tied to the health of our forest ecosystems," said Jan McAlpine, the Director of the U.N. Forum on Forests, in a statement.

"Forests are also cornerstones of our economies, whose real value has all too often been invisible in national accounts of profit and loss," added Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Program.

To mark the beginning of the International Year of Forests, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released The State of the World's Forests (SOFO), a report that comes out every two years and assesses the status of global forest resources.

SOFO 2011 includes information on trends in forest management, production of forest products, and raw

Ă?

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Í

forest cover data. The report notes that the forestry sector is working to reduce its impact on the environment through better forest management and improved energy efficiency in production of forest products.

The International Year of Forests comes at what could represent a transition point for forests. Deforestation rates are slowing and policymakers are showing unprecedented interest in protecting forests as a climate change mitigation strategy known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Some governments have enacted laws restricting trade in illegally logged timber, while retailers are showing new concern on the origin of forest products.

But risks to forests remain. Rising demand for food, fiber, and fuel will put pressure on remaining forest lands while climate change could increase the vulnerability of some forests to drought, fire, and disease outbreaks. Poor design, insufficient governance, and entrenched interests in the forestry sector intent on maintaining the status quo could undermine the REDD mechanism, hurting a key potential source of funding for forest protection and management. Í

Forest cover in tropical countries, excluding ‘planted forests’ (million hectares) 2500

2000

Others

1500

Peru Brazil Mexico

1000

Indonesia DR Congo 500

0 1990

14

2000

2005

2010

Biodiversity Í

GLOBAL FORESTS

DI D YOU KNOW?

According to FAO data released last year, forests presently cover around 31 percent of global land area, or nearly four billion hectares.

FAO figures show deforestation across 121 tropical countries averaged 9.34 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2010, down from 11.33 million hectares per year in the 1990s. The decline has accelerated since 2005 due Brazil's dramatic reduction of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, which peaked at 27,772 square kilometers in 2004 but is expected to come in at less than 8,000 for 2010. Overall Brazil's reduction in deforestation since 2005—which fell from 3.2 million hectares per year from 2000-2005 to 2.5 million hectares in 2005-2010—more than offset increases in forest clearing in other

- Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity.

- Forests cover 31% of total land area.

- Trade in forest products was estimated at $327 billion in 2004.

- 30% of forests are used for production of wood and non-wood products.

- Forests are home to 300 million people around the world.

- Primary forests account for 36% of forest area.

- The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests. major forest countries including Indonesia (107 percent increase), Peru (94 percent), and Madagascar (36 percent) during the period.

FAO estimates global deforestation fell from 16 million hectares per year in the 1990s to 13 million hectares per year in the past decade. Factoring in planted forests, the rate of forest loss fell from 8.3 million hectares per year to 5.2 million hectares, an area about the size of Costa Rica.

Primary forest, the most carbondense and biologically diverse form of forest, declined by more than 40 million hectares over the past decade, primarily a result of first-time logging.

FORESTSARE ALSO CORNERSTONES OF OUR ECONOMIES, WHOSE REAL VALUE HAS ALL TOO OFTEN BEEN INVISIBLEIN NATIONAL ACCOUNTS OFPROFITAND LOSS

Change in annual deforestation rate 2000-2005 vs 2005-2010 Increased deforestation

107%

Madagascar

36%

Mali

32%

Guatemala

27%

Bolivia

13% 9%

Malaysia

8%

Solomon Islands

7%

Thailand

-14%

Cameroon Nicaragua

-17%

Senegal

-21%

-120%

-90%

-21%

Brazil

-22%

Cambodia Laos

-24%

Decreased deforestation

Mexico

-37%

-60%

Indonesia Peru

94%

-30%

0%

30%

60%

90%

120%

mongabay.com

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The UN RESOLUTION adopted by the General Assembly International Year of Forests, 2011 Reaffirming its commitment to the Non-legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests and Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted at the Millennium Summit in 2000, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, Recalling the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, and other relevant conventions dealing with the complexity of forest issues, Recognizing that forests and sustainable forest management can contribute significantly to sustainable development, poverty eradication and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, Recalling Economic and Social Council decision 2006/230 of 24 July 2006, Emphasizing the need for sustainable management of all types of forests, including fragile forest ecosystems, Convinced that concerted efforts should focus on raising awareness at all levels to strengthen the sustainable 18

management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations, 1. Decides to declare 2011 the International Year of Forests; 2. Requests the secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, to serve as the focal point for the implementation of the Year, in collaboration with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and international, regional and sub-regional organizations and processes as well as relevant major groups; 3. Invites, in particular, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as the Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, within its mandate, to support the implementation of the Year; 4. Calls upon Governments, relevant regional and international organizations, and major groups to support activities related to the Year, inter alia, through voluntary contributions, and to link their relevant activities to the Year; 5. Encourages voluntary partnerships among Member States, international organizations and major groups to facilitate and promote activities related to the Year at the local and national levels, including by creating national committees or designating focal points in their respective countries; 6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session on the state of preparations for the Year.

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FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES

BRINGING SOLUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Forests are complex ecosystems that cover 30 percent of the global land area, providing habitat for countless terrestrial species. Forests are vital for livelihoods as well as economic and social development, providing food, raw materials for shelter, energy and manufacturing.

They are also critical for environmental protection and conservation of natural resources. Forests contain more carbon than the atmosphere.

With climate change, forests, with their dual roles as both producers and absorbers of carbon, take on a new importance. Ă?

G

enetic diversity provides the fundamental basis for evolution of forest tree species.

This diversity has enabled forests and trees to adapt to changing and adverse conditions for thousands of years, and has resulted in a unique and irreplaceable portfolio of forest tree genetic resources.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of forest genetic diversity remains unknown, especially in tropical forests.

Estimates of the number of tree species vary from 80,000 to 100,000, yet fewer than 500 have been studied in any depth for their present and future potential. Until recently, studies of forest tree genetic resources have concentrated on domesticating those few deemed most applicable for wood, fibre and fuel production from plantations and agroforestry systems.

As a result of pressures on forest lands and the effects of unsustainable use of forest resources, the great potential of forest genetic resources is at risk of being lost forever, before it can be identified, let alone utilized. Forest loss and degradation remain major global concerns despite the enormous efforts to achieve sustainable forest management. There is also increasing awareness of the critical values that forest genetic diversity provide per se and as means to confront global challenges, such as climate change.

SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT: FOCUS ON FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES Understanding and managing forest tree genetic diversity is important in all types of forests. Monitoring the diversity of tree populations in primary forests can improve our knowledge on how ecosystem services and goods are being delivered. Intensive genetic selection and breeding takes place in plantation and agroforestry systems.

The sustainable management of forests requires a better understanding of the specific features of forest trees and their genetic diversity. Forest tree species are generally long lived and extremely diverse. One species can naturally occur in a broad range of ecological conditions.

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In addition, forest species have evolved under several periods of climatic change; their genetic variability provides the capability to adapt to emerging climatic conditions.

Trees have different mechanisms for natural seed dispersal allowing trees to migrate over large distances. However, even this important characteristic might not be sufficient for many species to survive today’s rapidly shifting climatic zones.

Forest trees are generally managed with long rotation periods (the time between regeneration and harvesting), from 5-10 years and up to 150-200 years. With climate change it can no longer be assumed that today’s growing conditions will be the same in 100 years and adaptability to change over lengthy rotation periods will increasingly be an important management consideration. Forest genetic resources have provided the potential for adaptation in the past, and will continue to provide this vital role as we address the challenge of mitigating or adapting to further climate changes. In developing sustainable forest management, forestry practices that maintain genetic diversity over the longer term will be required.

Maintaining evolutionary processes and genetic diversity within forest tree populations requires a “dynamic gene conservation” approach. Such an approach is based on managing tree populations within the environment to which they are adapted (in situ), or artificial, but dynamically using tree populations removed from their natural habitats (ex situ). In recent decades, countries have established conservation areas, such as forest gene conservation areas.

However, the selection, management and monitoring of such areas would in general benefit from better planned and coordinated action to effectively conserve the genetic diversity of species that are often found across several countries and regions. Exchange of information, methodologies and experiences, and coordination of efforts will be crucial in the future. The sustainable use of forest genetic resources, including

Í

THREATS TO FOREST GENETIC DIVERSITY Í

the appropriate selection of forest seed and germplasm management are fundamental in forest plantations. The right match of species and seed source according to site conditions, combined with proper silviculture can improve productivity by well over 20%. Forest genetic resources provide important traits for increasing productivity and quality of outputs, and enables adaptation to biotic and abiotic stressors.

THE COMMISSION ON GENETIC FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: INTEGRATING THE POTENTIAL OF FOREST RESOURCES The field of forest genetic resources is undergoing significant changes. Traditionally concerned with technical issues of genetic conservation, tree improvement and seed supply, the scope of genetic management is expanding to include ecosystem services. Scientific advances in biotechnology and legal developments concerning exchange of genetic resources bring new possibilities and challenges,which require development of an enabling policy environment.

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is well-positioned to link forest genetic resources to relevant global policy issues, and integrate this area into

cross-sectorial strategies. Under its Multi-Year Programme of Work (MYPOW) the Commission is working with its member nations to survey what is currently known about the world’s forest genetic resources, which will enable the preparation of the first State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources.

The State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources will be based on information from country reports and results of thematic studies on important issues related to the conservation and management of forest genetic resources.

The preparation of The State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources will be undertaken in synergy with other activities of the FAO Forestry Programme, in particular the Global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA).

The Committee on Forestry (COFO) and the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions will be involved in the process. FAO will seek cooperation and synergy with relevant regional and global programmes and instruments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources will provide the basis for developing a framework for action at national, regional, eco-regional and global levels.

Deforestation: Each year, 13 million hectares of forests are being lost, mainly through conversion to other land uses. While this loss is somewhat offset by 5.7 million ha of new forest restoration and afforestation annually, the earth is still losing some 200 km2 of forests each day. It is impossible to accurately estimate genetic loss that is resulting from deforestation and forest degradation given our general lack of knowledge of forest genetic resources. However, there is little doubt that deforestation and forest degradation result in many cases in genetic erosion.

Climate Change: Changing weather patterns are altering the growing conditions for forest trees as well as the population dynamic of the pests and diseases that attack them. In Canada, cold winters used to prevent or reduce the spread of a bore beetle plague. The insect is now, with warmer winters, expanding into new areas and attacking pine trees that have no resistance, and therefore threatening the genetic diversity of forest populations.

Improving knowledge of forest genetic diversity, including on pest resistance, will be increasingly important in forest management, as this example illustrates.

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By Dr. Merlin D. TUTTLE, Honorary Ambassador for the Year of the Bat campaign

Biodiversity

From tequila to the 'tree of life',

BATS ARE NATURE'S INVALUABLE ALLIES Were you aware that bats are key pollinators in many parts of the world? Pollination is a vital ecosystem service without which many of our key industries such as agriculture and pharmaceuticals would collapse or incur heavy costs for artificial substitution.

TEEB has found that in some estimates, over 75% of the world’s crop plants, as well as many plants that are source species for pharmaceuticals, rely on pollination by animal vectors. �

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F

urthermore, for 87 out of 115 leading global crops (representing up to 35% of the global food supply), fruit or seed numbers or quality were increased through animal pollination. Bats also provide a wide range of ecosystem services which benefit mankind from insect deterrent to bat guano fertilizer.

BAT POLLINATORS: TEQUILA AND THE TREE OF LIFE More than 1,200 species of bats comprise nearly a quarter of all mammals, and their ecological services are essential to human economies and the health of whole ecosystems worldwide. Without bats, costly crop pests would increase, forcing greater reliance on dangerous pesticides. We could also lose some of our favorite foods and beverages and suffer the consequences of greatly diminished biodiversity.

Many of our most important foods come from bat-dependent plants.

These include bananas, plantain, breadfruit, peaches, mangos, dates, figs, cashews and many more. In fact, in an average tropical food market, approximately 70 percent of the fruit sold comes from trees or shrubs that rely heavily on bats in the wild. Some such as the famous durian still rely on bat pollinators even in commercial orchards. This king of Asian fruits sells for a billion dollars annually, but could be lost without healthy populations of its bat pollinators.

In East Africa nectar feeding bats are essential to fruit production of the

NATURAL CONTROL OF PESTS IS TO DATE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF DEALING WITH THESE THREATS 28

Baobab tree, sometimes referred to as the African Tree of Life due to the exceptional variety of wildlife that depend on it for food and shelter. Recently, it has additionally become known as the Vitamin Tree. Baobab fruits contain six times as much vitamin C as oranges; twice as much calcium as milk, are rich in other vitamins and antioxidants and may soon become a billion dollar a year crop.

In deserts, from the southwestern United States to southern Peru, more than 100 species of cactus and agave plants rely on bats for pollination.

Giant, columnar cactus plants, such as the famous saguaro and organ pipe, are heavily relied on for food and shelter by a wide variety of birds and mammals, and agaves are extremely useful in erosion control, as ornamentals and as the source of all tequila liquor. The world's thirsty Margarita drinkers can definitely raise a glass in praise of bats.

BATS: NATURE'S NATURAL PESTICIDE Bats also provide an essential ecosystem service known as "biological control." Natural pests and diseases are usually regulated by a wide range of predators and parasites. TEEB has found that agricultural pests cause significant economic losses worldwide.

Globally, more than 40% of food production is being lost to insect pests, plant pathogens, and weeds, despite the application of more than three billion kilograms of pesticides to crops, plus other means of control. Natural control of pests is to date one of the most effective means of dealing with these threats. Bats are essential predators which keep many damaging insects from destroying crops.

The colony of 20 million free-tailed bats that lives in Bracken Cave near San Antonio, Texas, for example, consume 200 tons of insects nightly, predominantly crop pests such as corn earworm and armyworm moths. Just one of these bats can catch enough moths in one night's feeding to prevent 50,000 or more eggs from being laid, resulting in

IN AN AVERAGE TROPICAL FOOD MARKET, APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF THE FRUIT SOLD COMES FROM TREES OR SHRUBS THAT RELY HEAVILY ON BATS IN THE WILD

Biodiversity local cotton growers saving close to a million dollars annually in reduced need for pesticides.

A single mouse-eared bat (widespread in Europe and North America) can capture 1,000 or more mosquitosized insects in just one hour. A colony of 150 big brown bats, a number that could live in a backyard bat house, can capture enough cucumber beetles in a summer to prevent them from laying 33 million eggs that would otherwise hatch into corn rootworms, a billion-dollar-a -year pest in the United States.

In many locations, bats can be easily attracted to bat houses to help protect gardens and organic farms.

Outstanding success has been reported from Oregon to Georgia in the United States, probably because many of our worst insect pests listen for bat echolocation signals and flee areas where bats are heard. A pecan grower in Georgia reports having become entirely organic since he attracted thousands of bats to extra large bat houses in his orchard. So the next time you think organic, think "bats."

BAT FERTILIZER Bats are also the primary energy producers for many cave ecosystems.

Guano deposits beneath their roosts provide energy that sustains thousands of unique life forms, from bacteria and fungi to arthropods and small vertebrates. These organisms are often endemic to a single cave or cave system, but provide a potential treasure trove of biodiversity needed for solving human problems, from production of new antibiotics and gasohol to improved detergents and waste detoxification.

Additionally, extraction of bat guano for fertilizer provides an invaluable renewable resource for whole communities in developing countries from Asia and Africa to Latin America. For example, due to this eco-service of bats, Thailand's Khao Chong Pran Cave has become a major source of income for the local community, as well as a unique tourist attraction.

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THE CAMPAIGN Year of the Bat 2011 - 2012 is a global campaign to promote conservation, research and education about the world's only flying mammals. Year of the Bat is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and EUROBATS, as well as numerous partner organizations around the world.

Additional information for this article was provided by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).

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Careful protection and harvest management have allowed annual Guano sales to increase from $10,000 to $135,000. Bat Guano is big business.

FROM TERROR TO TOURIST ATTRACTION As people learn to appreciate bats, these fascinating animals are paving the way for popular tourist attractions. When 1.5 million free-tailed bats began moving into crevices beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin, Texas, health officials warned that they were rabid and dangerous, and local people wanted the bats eradicated. However, through the educational efforts of Bat Conservation International, fears were calmed, and in more than 30 years, not a single person has been harmed. The bats consume roughly 15 tons of insects nightly and attract 12 million tourist dollars each summer, clearly demonstrating the value of bats to our environment and economies.

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YEAR OF THE BAT 2011-2012 Unfortunately, many people in other locations around the world still misunderstand, fear and persecute bats at great harm to themselves. Too many have heard only of vampires and disease, both of which have been greatly exaggerated by sensational media stories. Needlessly fearful humans, in Latin America, have mistakenly destroyed thousands, even millions of highly beneficial bats at a time by sealing, burning or poisoning roosts, especially in caves, and many more bats have been lost through simple neglect of their conservation needs. Ironically, even the common vampire bat of Latin America has proven useful. A new drug, Desmoteplase developed from research on vampire saliva, appears to greatly improve treatment of stroke victims, a potentially enormous contribution to human wellbeing. Who would have thought that a bat - and a vampire, at that - could help save countless lives?

Year of the Bat (2011-2012) celebrations will highlight bat values and

A PECAN GROWER IN GEORGIA REPORTS HAVING BECOME ENTIRELY ORGANIC SINCE HE ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF BATS TO EXTRA LARGE BAT HOUSES IN HIS ORCHARD needs, providing unique introductions to these incredibly fascinating animals that unfortunately rank among our planet's least understood and most rapidly declining and endangered animals. But as more people learn about and account for the ecosystem services provided by bats, greater conservation efforts will be made to ensure the survival of these fascinating and essential creatures.

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Tiger streching in the morning sunlight - Bandhavgard National Park, India

BORN TO BE IN

THE WILD

By MarieJoe RAIDY

Male and female lions - Masai Mara, Kenya

Mother and cub lions - Masai Mara, Kenya

Mother and cub tigers Bandhavgard National Park, India

There were originally nine tiger subspecies, three of which are now extinct: The Bali tiger met its end in the 1940's, the Caspian in the 1970's and the Javan in the 1980's. The Indochinese, the Sumatran, the Bengal, the Siberian, the Malayan Tiger and the South China tiger still survive, yet it is estimated that today, there are only 2,500 tigers in the wild, and less than 10,000 kept in captivity in American zoos.

The biggest tragedy is that although this specie is highly endangered, it has become the focus of a lucrative tiger-part trade to China. Each tiger fetches up to 80,000 US dollars and is sold in parts as remedies with aphrodisiac effects. This sad situation is best reflected through images, a more powerful technique than words. Each shot captures a moment that carries a story behind it. Ă?

Cheetah - Masai Mara, Kenya

Elephants chasing lions from under the shades of trees - Masai Mara, Kenya

M

ichel Zoghzoghi, a Lebanese businessman attempts to do just that. Ever since he discovered a strong passion for photography six years ago, Zoghzoghi has developed through his lens a long-term love for issues that only a unique photo can replace a thousand words and portray its story in the most effective way.

Today, he focuses on photography of the wild, taking a plane at every occasion, to go discover the beauty that nature offers. His main focus is predators, which comes from his passion for capturing movement and strength.

Zoghzoghi’s near future plan is to publish a book with photos of predators especially endangered species which he has shot over the past six years such as tigers,

polar bears, sharks, lions and cheetahs.

Unlike humans who strike a pose in front of a camera, predators don’t react to the presence of a camera thus giving each shot a totally natural feel. When not photographing, Zoghzoghi manages the family medical equipment and supply business. He is also on the board of other family companies involved in Fast Moving

Consumer Goods and telecommunication equipment.

With such a busy schedule, where does he find time to practice this strong passion for photography of the wild?

MarieJoe Raidy: You have to give up on something to be able to practice such a passion, and obviously this something was not professional life as you are strongly

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Polar bears - Hudson Bay, Northern Canada

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involved in three companies, one of which you manage. So what did you give up on?

Michel Zoghzoghi: Social life.

You have such a rich portfolio, why didn’t you exhibit any of it yet?

I simply don’t have time. But I am planning to start next year.

Whenever a photo of yours is admired, you don’t just stop at saying that it is a beautiful shot, but you always explain the story behind it.

A capture analyzed embellishes the story.

I always remember how I take my pictures, and each moment is uniquely embedded in my memory.

Do you think that through photography, you can contribute in helping environmental problems in a way?

Yes I think so. Because when you see these images, you simply cannot be indifferent.

When people see the picture of a baby lion playing with his mother or that of a polar bear cub cuddling up to his mother they will stop looking at these creatures as horrible bloodthirsty killers, and realize that they need our protection.

If we don’t do anything, these endangered animals will be gone in ten years.

Already tigers are gone, how can we help 2,500 tigers sustain their existence?

Should we care?

Yes we should care. This is their planet as much as it is ours.

Also from a scientific point of view, we can learn a lot from these species, from their strength, their abilities, their longevity.

Tigers are majestic.

Instead of killing them, we should think of protecting them to avoid their extinction.

And having most of them in captivity is even worse than killing them.

Male polar bear, Two males play fighting

Mother and two older cubs

Why? They need their instincts, they need to move and be predators. Being in a cage and having a piece of meat every day is like dying. It no longer is the same animal. Í

Mother with young cub

Great White Sharks breaching the surface - False Bay, South Africa

Wildebeest crossing the river - Masai Mara, Kenya

Warthog injured by a Masai spear - Masai Mara, Kenya

Large male hippos fighting - Masai Mara, Kenya

FACTS - Cheetahs are endangered due to decline in prey, loss of habitat, and poaching.

- Lions are hunted and killed every day for their precious fur, and mane.

- Polar Bears are protected today, but are becoming endangered due to global warming.

- Humans kill over 25 million sharks a year for their fins, many others get stuck in Tuna fishing nets.

- Some human plans such as the Tanzania Serengeti park highway will disrupt the annual migration path of 1.5 million wild beasts and 300,000 zebras.

Cape fur seals on Seal Island False Bay, South Africa

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By Abigail ALLING

THE RACE AGAINST TIME

SAVING CORAL Coral reefs are disappearing at twice the speed of rainforests!

This dangerous fact is mainly due to human activity.

The ‘Coral Triangle’ that stretches from Indonesia to the Solomon Islands is an example of such perilous threat after having lost about 40% of its reefs and mangroves.

If immediate and drastic measures are not taken in the very near future, most of the world’s coral reefs will disappear by the year 2050 or a total extinction by the end of the century.

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Coral reef images from Menjangan Island, Bali, Indonesia

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n the five mass extinctions that have occurred on planet Earth since life began, coral reefs have been the first ecosystem to descend into ecological freefall.

Ocean conditions are currently changing faster than at any other time in almost the last half a billion years. As a result, coral reefs are disappearing around the world at twice the speed of rainforests, possibly indicating that we are fast approaching the ‘sixth extinction’. Threatened by pollution, over-fishing, dynamite and cyanide fishing, sedimentation as well as bleaching caused by climate change, coral reefs are endangered on a planetary scale. It is estimated that 20% of coral reefs have already disappeared, 27% of the world’s species of reef-building corals were listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Species, and an esti-

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THE PROSPECTS OF A WORLDWITHOUT REEFS ARE DEVASTATING FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, FOR A HUNGRY AND EVER GROWING WORLD POPULATION FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE OCEANS AND FOR THE LIFE OF ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS mated two-thirds of all coral reefs are at risk today. If immediate action is not taken, coral reefs could disappear from Earth within this century.

Coral reefs are the “rainforest of the seas,” the most biodiverse marine ecosystem and the greatest expression of ocean life. Although coral reefs occupy 0.1% of the ocean’s surface, they provide habitat to 25% of life in the ocean and 10% of the food for the world’s population. About a sixth of the planet’s coastlines depend on coral

reefs for protection from storms and waves. The above attributes of reefs, including their aesthetic beauty, have been estimated to have a total economic value of US$ 375 billion per year across more than half the world’s countries, both developing and developed (World Resources Institute, 1998).

Additionally, coral reefs are an integral part of the earth system biogeochemical processes, including primary production, carbon and calcium storage, and geological for-

GOALS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

mations that facilitate water flow and upwelling. Research has demonstrated that coral reefs respond more quickly than any other ecosystem to environmental changes -even to the slightest changes in water temperature- because of their extremely high sensitivity. For this reason, they are considered an indicator or early warning system for the world's oceans.

The prospects of a world without reefs are devastating - for the global economy, for a hungry and ever growing world population, for the sustainability of the oceans and for the life of all future generations. Faced with the magnitude of the problem, one small organization with big ideas has a vision to stop the destruction of the world's coral reefs by 2020 and restore their beauty, health and abundance within this century.

Since its inception in 1991, the Plane-

tary Coral Reef Foundation (PCRF), a project of the Biosphere Foundation (BF), has pursued an unprecedented global mission to preserve coral reefs through innovative programs in science, education and technology.

From 1995 - 2008, PCRF led an expedition at sea alongside a youth leadership program that was dedicated to mapping and monitoring remote coral reefs around the world. During those years PCRF’s ship crossed the globe 60,000 nautical miles and completed 49 comprehensive coral reef studies in 23 countries. It’s Studio of the Sea project (www.studioofthesea.org) produced more than 50 web films -about the state of our oceans, the decline of coral reefs, and the life of island cultures around the world- with the aim of inspiring people to make a difference in stewarding our ocean planet. Perhaps the most important contribution PCRF

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PCRF launched its Coral Reef Science Program in 1995 to initiated baseline studies for coral reef health worldwide.

The project uses innovative research protocols developed with Dr. Phil Dustan, former advisor to the EPA and Professor of Biology at the College of Charleston.

PCRF furthers the work of other environmental groups by providing a trusted source of data online free of charge.

More than 150 volunteers from around the world have joined PCRF’s Youth Leadership Program and apprenticed in seamanship, coral reef science, community living and cultural exchange.

PCRF’s online education-outreach hub provides an interactive program for people of all ages to learn about the coral reef crisis and to identify ways that the individual can make a difference and become a steward of the earth’s biosphere.

PCRF developed a Google geo-referenced program to illustrate its archive of data from 49 reef studies and helped Immersive Media to innovate a 360° visual mapping program for reefs.

PCRF s developed Wastewater Gardens , an ecological wetland recycling system to process black and grey water.

PCRF is on the frontline of key challenges such as global warming and tsunami destruction because it is often in remote and unexplored locations.

PCRF’s Studio of the Sea produces films about the state of our oceans, the beauty and decline of coral reefs, and the life of island cultures around the world. Perhaps the most important film made to date documents PCRF’s discovery of massive coral reef mortality in the Phoenix Islands in 2004 due to global warming, which was used in the film An Inconvenient Truth.

PCRF has learned in its youth leadership program, that a basic primer for coral reefs is needed - especially for people in Southeast Asia. PCRF’s “A Guide to Coral Reefs” will be published in Malay-Indonesian in Jakarta, 2011.

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photos: Orla Doherty & Abigail Alling

Crew of the PCRF boat PCRF campaigner Orla Doherty, underwater

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made with film was when PCRF provided critical imagery and data for “An Inconvenient Truth” that illustrated the demise of reefs due to global warming.

Additionally, logs, imagery and data is featured online at www.pcrf.org to provide a comprehensive world map with reef data, a Google Earth demonstration project representing a planetary sea voyage, immersive 360° underwater videos, and an educational and informative hub with films, photos, and expedition logs for the public.

Faced with the overwhelming fact that reefs were in a global decline, PCRF recognized that the most important next step was to help protect reef habitat and encourage people to learn about the coral reef crisis and to get involved in their preservation. Thus in 2009, PCRF turned its attention to the ‘Coral Triangle’, also known as ‘the Amazon of the Seas’. This is the epicenter of marine biodiversity and abundance. It stretches from Indonesia to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean and is considered a hotspot of an ecological crisis. Already scientists have estimated that 40% of its reefs and mangroves are gone and the level of continued threat to the region is a staggering 88%. Lying just off Bali’s northwest shore within Barat National Park, the uninhabited island of Menjangan is truly a jewel. The island is named after an indigenous deer with a long neck and large ears that swim

THESEPEOPLEARE THE NEXT COUSTEAU. IT MAY SEEM THAT THEIR WORKIS INSIGNIFICANT ONE SMALL BOAT, ONE SMALL TEAM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN BUT IT IS NOT. IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ANYONE CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE each year across the channel between the mainland and Menjangan Island.

The narrow island stretches nearly three kilometers in length and is graced by four temples to which the Balinese come to make offerings of flowers, incense and prayers an exquisitely beautiful practice and a reflection of the sacredness that the people of Bali hold for this island.

PCRF was invited to help further a long-term interest to protect the coral reef surrounding this island and enforce a “no-take” fishing zone.

The Menjangan reef is considered the most spectacular of the Balinese reef systems. While most coral reefs in the region have suffered significant devastation, Menjangan’s are a comparative treasure of biodiversity, with a wealth of hard corals, sea fans and soft corals.

It is home to some of unusual species; from the miniature pygmy seahorse and ghost pipefish to the more subs-

tantial hawksbill turtle and black-tip reef shark.

The island is small, but underwater the reef feels enormous, with walls smothered in sea fans and sponges, long slopes tapering off into the deep blue and shallow reef flats, bursting with hard corals. One of the most mesmerizing sights is a large population of garden eels who live on the southwest side of the island. As the water flows up and over the sandy bottom, these eels emerge, swaying gently while they face the current to enjoy a meal as they filter out passing plankton.

Sadly, although Menjangan’s reefs are officially protected by the national government in Jakarta, they are now increasingly threatened by dynamite fishing, poorly managed tourism, trash, plastics pollution, disease, anchor damage and bleaching caused by climate change. To address these challenges, PCRF commenced a

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Biodiversity PRIMARY THREATS TO MENJANGAN’S CORAL REEF Many fishermen in southeast Asia use dynamite to stun fish, thereby enabling them to make large catches swiftly. Dynamite fishing has been in use at Menjangan Island and its neighboring reefs for many years. The bombs are homemade, from fertilizer and fuses. The blast either kills the fish instantly or the shockwave stuns them. They float to the surface or fall to the reef bottom, but also breaks up an area of coral reef substrate, creating a zone of rubble on which new corals cannot settle and grow. The fertilizer component of the bomb continues to act like a fertilizer on the reef, encouraging the growth of algae, which then overgrows and chokes the shattered substrate, preventing further the settlement of new coral.

Dynamite fishing is therefore extremely destructive to coral reefs in both the short and long-term. A single beer-bottle bomb can create a crater of 5 m2. Dynamite fishing occurred in broad daylight, in peak tourist season, in May 2009.

The shallow zones of Menjangan’s reefs have suffered most of the damage, as evidenced by paucity of living coral in many places where one might expect lush reef development. At these sites the rubble from past degradation has accumulated in the shallow zones where it is broken into smaller particles by physical and biological forces (wave action, grazing, sponge boring, bioturbation, etc.). This broad size spectrum of rubble (from sand to coral fragments) drains down-slope, often enlarging the width of existing sand chutes and/or carving new pathways down the reef face. The materials frequently accumulate on deeper living corals, causing the ongoing death of coral tissue. Thus, past conflagrations such as dynamite fishing in shallow water continue to be a forcing function for ongoing reef degradation.

photo: Abigail Alling

DYNAMITE FISHING

Menjangan island

CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change has become the greatest threat to coral reefs today. Increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has led to the phenomena of increases in sea surface temperature and increases in ocean acidity.

Both of these changes, but especially increased temperature, have already affected coral reefs and will become even more prominent in the future.

Abnormally high seawater temperatures or large increases in ultraviolet radiation cause the coral colony to either forcibly eject or unwillingly lose its zooxanthellae. These symbiotic algae cells are where most of the coral’s color comes from, hence the term bleaching as the bone-white calcium carbonate skeleton is revealed through the transparent tissues of the coral’s polyps.

The coral’s polyps are still alive in their bleached state, but they are seriously weakened. Up to 90% of their energy comes from the zooxanthellae and, without them, a coral is very susceptible to infection by disease or algal smothering. It has barely any energy left for growth or reproduction.

It is possible for the polyps to regain their zooxanthellae and for life to return to normal, but this window of opportunity is only open for so long. If the conditions do not return to normal to allow re-entry of zooxanthellae within this window, the coral will die. Even if all appears to return to normal, the coral has lost energy and therefore has a reduced capacity to grow, to reproduce and, possibly most significantly, to fight off disease.

PLASTICS POLLUTION Plastics pollution has become a horrendous problem in all our seas, killing an estimated 1.5 million marine animals every year. The most famous oceanic collection of plastic debris is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch in the North Pacific. Plastics are a grave threat to many species of marine life who become entangled on abandoned plastic fishing gear, turtles that choke eating a plastic bag because they think it is a jellyfish, and the still unknown effects of the breakdown of plastics into deadly PCBs on coral reef organisms. In Indonesia, plastic debris is a serious problem with discarded fishing gear caught on reefs, plastic bags trapped on branching corals and plastic trash in general filling the beaches and shallow waters. Menjangan Island is no exception and huge amounts of plastic wash up onto the beaches and shallow coral reefs every day. This threatens not just the marine life but also the value of the economic goods and services provided by Menjangan Island as a tourist attraction.

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long-term program that will be a cornerstone of marine conservation education in the region. Because the success of this initiative requires accurate and up-to-date information about the ecology of the reef and its change over time, PCRF is also working with scientists and other NGOs to initiate a scientific study. The data will be used as part of an overall community conservation and educationoutreach program to provide information about what threatens the corals and fish as well as to provide alternative choices for future management of the reef’s health.

PCRF SERVES THE PEOPLE OF THE PLANET THROUGH EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, DIRECT PROGRAMS TO DIVERSE ISLAND PEOPLE, ON-SHIP CONSERVATION TRAINING TO YOUTH FROM MORE THAN A DOZEN COUNTRIES, AND ONLINE WEB RESOURCES THAT RECEIVE MORE THAN ONE MILLION HITS A YEAR The success of this program lies in the handover of knowledge, both science and community outreach, to a local team that will have the capacity to continue to protect the reef far into the future. It is PCRF’s task in the next few years to work with the local community in skill-based training such as reef observation and fisheries management, dive training and options for alternative technologies such as waste management.

JOIN THIS INTERNATIONAL EFFORT ONLINE AT: www.biosfirindonesia.org 52

THE PLANETARY CORAL REEF FOUNDATION PCRF has pursued an unprecedented approach to preserve and protect the earth’s coral reefs through pioneering programs in science and education-outreach.

At the heart of PCRF’s work is our dedication to helping the people most gravely affected by the death of coral reefs.

The beauty of our earth’s coral reefs is without equal, and the world’s reefs are on a course of unprecedented destruction. In support of its mission to conserve biological diversity, PCRF has done an unprecedented 49 comprehensive coral reef studies through 23 countries since its origination. PCRF’s CORAL REEF SCIENCE program has crossed the globe to map and monitor coral reefs across 60,000 nautical miles since 1995. PCRF’s STUDIO OF THE SEA (www.studioofthesea.org) project achieves the organization’s mission by producing films – including more than 30 web films - about the state of our oceans, the decline of coral reefs, and the life of island cultures around the world with the aim of inspiring people to make a difference in stewarding our ocean planet. Perhaps the most important film made to date is PCRF’s portion of the film “An Inconvenient Truth.”

PCRF’s RESEARCH AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP programs spurs par-

ticipants to conserve coral reefs through an onboard educational apprentice program and an online “Join The Voyage” educational outreach hub. SCIENTIFIC WEB OUTPUTS through www.pcrf.org achieve the organization’s mission by providing a comprehensive world map with data from 49 science study sites, a Google Earth demonstration project representing a planetary sea voyage, immersive 360° underwater vi-

deos, and an educational and informative hub with films, photos, and expedition logs for the public. The site receives more than one million hits per year.

PCRF’s primary goal is to inspire conservation efforts through Information, Inspiration and Action.

PCRF’s prime organizational value is sharing information. PCRF embodies the belief that information about coral reefs belongs to everyone on the planet. Encouraging others to use it by providing free data online is central to promoting information sharing amongst governments, scientific institutions, organizations and foundations.

PCRF’s collaborative approach provides new inspiration for the conservation movement: volunteers and stakeholders understand that they can make a difference and identify the contribution they can make to the preservation effort. Naturally, researchers use PCRF’s information and contribute to the effort, but inspiration reaches beyond scientists to community members who have been so moved by our work that they have joined us in the field.

PCRF also turns this inspiration into action by giving people hands-on ways to help save coral reefs and to lend a hand to the inhabitants who rely on the reefs.

The organization reflects its values by providing online ways to make a difference; by ensuring its place as a trusted source of data for scientists and conservationists; through educational programs that are accessible to the students who will become tomorrow’s preservationists; and through the culturally rich, hands-on collaboration with island peoples. At the heart of PCRF’s programs is the organizational value that everyone who participates can play a part in the solution.

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By Rony MECATTAF

The “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream”

SYMPOSIUM DESIGNED BY SAN FRANCISCO-BASED NGO THE PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE

The Pachamama Alliance was created following a call that originated in the tropical forest by the Achuar community.

The Achuars live in a very isolated part of the Amazon, an area comprised of nearly one million hectares of virgin tropical forest, between Ecuador and Peru. Í

T

he Achuar culture is a tradition of dreams. Around the end of the 1980s, the community elders saw in their dreams that a clear danger was putting their livelihood in jeopardy. They asked – through their dreams – to enter into contact with the “modern” world, a world they didn’t know, but that seemed to be responsible for the danger they were facing, mainly because of its thirst for oil. Already, the Achuars’ neighboring communities were gravely devastated, and their lands irredeemably contaminated.

Through a series of strange events, a group of people living in the United States (of whom Lynne and Bill Twist, as well as John Perkins) heard the Achuars’ “call”, and traveled down to Ecuador, in the heart of Achuar territory. During their first visit, the Pachamama Alliance was born, a meeting of minds between the visitors and their hosts. The name of that group meant that the main aim of this association was to preserve Pachamama, the spirit of Mother Earth in the Quechua language of the Achuars.

Very soon, it became clear that the indigenous populations held within themselves the key to safeguarding the ecosystem. Contrary to common belief, evolution hasn’t “forgotten” these communities. During the last centuries, western civilization developed a multitude of theories and techniques, and it evolved greatly. Indigenous populations, meanwhile, have preserved a wealth of competencies and knowledge in their relationship with nature, as well as an understanding of community life based on prosperity and the renewing of natural resources. These populations possess great wisdom in this respect.

The western members of the Alliance soon realized that the Achuars were grateful for that collaboration, which they had hoped – and dreamed – for. But what they were really asking for, rather than some sort of humanitarian help, was to “change the dream of the

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North” or the dream of the modern world. What they meant was that modern man needed to free himself from the spell he seemed to be under. A hypnotic spell that drives us into over consumption, that says we need to thrive constantly for unlimited growth, which we always need to have more of. The Achuars consider this to be a spell, a dream that needs to be modified, transformed. This, in itself, showed the holistic nature of the Achuars’ approach, since they go after the root of the problem, not its symptoms.

Their message could be synthesized thus: “If you want to help us, start by helping yourselves.”

In taking their task to heart, the western visitors to the land of the Achuars wanted to answer the question: “How can we westerners, through this Alliance, do our part of the deal?” Far from advocating a way of life that would push us back many centuries, nor idealizing it, their idea was to take the good in the fantastic developments that the West has known, while maintaining the wisdom of the first peoples, and the inherent intelligence of their relationship with nature. Through this question, the “Awakening the Dreamer” Symposium was born.

The Symposium is the result of many years of work, gathering of information on the state of the planet, interviews with various physicists, cosmologists, spiritual guides and psychotherapists, in order to present to the widest possible audience a “waking-up” tool starting with a very simple paradigm: we are all in a lethargic state that makes us act against our environment, and in fine, against ourselves. This way of being emerges from a series of unverified beliefs that have grown over the centuries, and most importantly since the industrial revolution of the 18th century. Far from offering the diagnosis of an incurable disease, the Symposium allows us to look courageously and with clarity at an instant photograph of our present situation in the areas of environmental sustai-

nability, social justice and spiritual fulfillment. It then invites us to detect the fundamental reasons that put us in this situation. Finally, it helps us to find within ourselves the path we need to create to get us out of the crisis, and not wait for others (our governments, NGOs, future generations…) to act in our stead.

THE SYMPOSIUM ASKS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1.

Where are we?

Using consensual data emanating from distinguished experts, the Symposium analyzes how human beings, as a species, contributes – or not, as the case may be – to create a world that is environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just. It proposes an objective state of the world in these three areas.

2.

How did we get here?

What are the inherent causes that contributed to the situation in which we find ourselves? Can we possibly act differently? Some answers are provided, with the active participation of the audience.

3.

What is possible for the future?

Are there other options open for us?

Concrete examples are presented, as well as various efforts underway in various points of the globe.

4.

And now, where do we go from here?

Participants are invited to reflect upon their own action in this new vision, which they can choose to cocreate by realizing the “new dream of the modern world”.

I personally came into contact with the Symposium and the Pachamama Alliance by chance (if there be such a thing…). It was in November 2008, in Montreal. The message moved me tremendously, and I decided then and there that I wanted to be part of the effort to deliver it. I trained as a facilitator, and presented it since with fellow facilitators in – amongst other

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Global Warming

A HYPNOTIC SPELL THAT DRIVES US INTO OVER CONSUMPTION, THAT SAYS WE NEED TO THRIVE CONSTANTLY FOR UNLIMITED GROWTH, WHICH WE ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE MORE OF

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places – Algeria, on the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of the Sufi Alawiyya community; Belgium, to a group of fifty 16-year old schoolchildren; Lebanon, following a conference in the presence of the Minister of the Environment, to more than 100 people from the business, academic and non-profit sectors; France, at the GRETT conference on transpersonal psychology, to a group of psychotherapists.

Since March 2005, the Symposium has been presented on all continents, in a dozen languages, and in varying formats, ranging from 2 hours to 3 days. The content has been constantly improved and updated, but the developers do not pretend to have all the answers to the questions they

pose. Therein may lay the strength of the message, and the fantastic thrust it manages to create everywhere it is presented. There are today over 2,000 facilitators in the world who have been trained to present (bona fide) the Symposium in their neighborhoods or work environment.

IMAGINAL CELLS According to Elizabet Sahtouris, a specialist in the field of evolutionary biology, when a caterpillar reaches a certain point in its evolution, it becomes over-consumptive. A voracious eater that consumes hundreds of times its own weight, a small caterpillar can actually devour all the leaves of a small tree.

At that same time, inside the molecu-

lar structure of the caterpillar, certain cells – called the “imaginal cells” – become active. As the caterpillar is devouring everything it encounters, these cells wake up, look for each other, and begin to cluster inside the caterpillar’s body. When enough of them connect, even without constituting the organism’s majority, they become the genetic directors of the future of the caterpillar. At that point, the other cells begin to putrefy, becoming a so-called nutritive soup, out of which the imaginal cells create the absolutely unpredictable miracle that is the butterfly.

We can think of small groups of people forming here and there right now, and linking together to create tomorrow’s sustainable world, as

WE ARE ALL IN A LETHARGIC STATE THAT MAKES US ACT AGAINST OUR ENVIRONMENT AND IN FINE AGAINST OURSELVES

the imaginal cells of the planet. How is that for a new Dream?...

THE PROPHECY OF THE EAGLE AND THE CONDOR The prophecy of the eagle and the condor is a centuries-old legend, passed down by the First Peoples of South America. According to ancient indigenous legends that go back millennia, the Eagle is the bird that represents societies that are very materialistic and very human-oriented.

The Condor represents spiritual societies, and ones that feel more integrated with their environment.

It is said of the People of the Eagle that it perceives life through its mental capacity above all else. In this moment in our history, it would have at-

tained the height of its development thanks to a sophisticated understanding, and would be materially richer than any of its preceding generations.

But spiritually, it would be impoverished to the point of having its survival in jeopardy.

It is said of the People of the Condor that it lives first and foremost with the heart, the spirit world and the five senses. According to the Prophecy, in this moment in history, it would be very advanced in intuitive perception and relationship with other species.

But on the material side, it would be impoverished to the point of being in danger of extinction, principally through its contact with the People of the Eagle.

The legend says that every five hun-

dred years, humankind goes through a new cycle. The last cycle is said to have begun at the end of the 1400’s, roughly at the time of Christopher Columbus. It was predicted that during that cycle, the Eagle would dominate, but within five hundred years, that cycle would start to change, and the Eagle and the Condor would fly together in the same skies. We have, according to this legend, the great opportunity to participate actively in the “Great Turning”, in the words of Joanna Macy, that this end of cycle and beginning of a new one represent.

Every human being needs to – and can – integrate what each of these two worlds have to offer, without minimizing the value of either. So everyone can benefit.

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT

MAGAZINE

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By Dr. Fadi G. COMAIR

INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN (IWRM)

Water

Many countries around the world confront challenges related to water resources, in the frame of their fight for sustainable economic and social development. The increasing demand of water resources, the degradation of its quality as well as the bad management of natural resources cause the water to be much more vulnerable and limited. Ă?

T

his fact is becoming more obvious in the Mediterranean region where the sectoral approaches of the water management are always present in a number of countries and are unable to meet the contemporary needs for a sustainable management. The region is in need for a general master plan and a future strategy that takes into account the water cycle and integrates technical, environmental, social and economical parameters.

In this context, the need for an integrated approach is currently crucial to supply the future generations with pure water in sufficient quantity and to preserve the environment and the ecosystem in the Mediterranean basin. .

During the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) and within the scope of the Agenda 21, chapter 18, paragraph 18.6: the term “Integrated Water Resources Management” (IWRM) was defined as the following: “The holistic management of drinking water as a finite and vulnerable resource, and the integration of sectoral water plans and programs within the framework of national economic and social policy, are of absolute importance for action in the 1990s and beyond” For this purpose, the process launched to adopt the IWRM by the inter-

national and governmental agencies initially aimed at helping countries in their efforts exerted to treat the water-related issues in an effective and sustainable way.

The “Global Water Partnership” (GWP) has defined the IWRM as: “A process to promote the development and the management of water resources, lands and other relative resources, in order to maximize the economic and social welfare resulting from the equitable means without compromising the sustainability of indispensable ecosystems”.

These two definitions lead us to distinguish among three fundamental mainstays of IWRM which are: Set up an environment that promotes policies and appropriate regulations.

Implement an Institutional Framework.

Organize the Management Instruments that should be applied by the institutions.

WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN The political and social environment prevailing in the Mediterranean region is considered as representative of the relationship between the North and the South East to the other parts of the planet, due to the climate di-

Different climatic zones in the Mediterranean basin

62

versity resources and socio-economic development. This region represents a ideal context for the application of world vision, mainly regarding the water resource status and management suggested during the Rio summit in 1992, Rio + 5 at Johannesburg (1997) and the Global Water Forum in Mexico City in 2006.

The creation of a database comprehending the technical characteristics on water resources in the region as well as the socio-economic criteria of the countries located in the Mediterranean basin is a necessary task to launch the IWRM process.

It is worth mentioning that the application of such process in the Mediterranean region was conducted by several international institutions such as: Global Water Partnership (GWP), European Union Water Initiative (EUWI) and the Euro-Mediterranean water information system (EMWIS).

In the following section a review of the important elements in relation to the water resources status in the Mediterranean region as well as the challenges of the future development are presented.

DEMOGRAPHY The increase of the population constitutes the dominant factor of the economical, social and environmental development in the Mediterranean region. The population of the Mediterranean countries that counted 246 million inhabitants in 1960 will reach in 2025 approximately 550 millions.

This demographic status, combined with the intensive urbanization, underlines the concentration of population and their activities essentially in costal regions. Moreover, in the majority of the Mediterranean countries more than 80 %of the population is supplied with drinking water, but this percentage decreases to 60 %in rural southern regions. The access to sanitation on the

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Water fall in Morocco

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southeastern shore reveals an important backwardness to drinking water in serving supply system.

The countries localized on this shore of the Mediterranean basin are also facing an increasing degradation for the remaining natural resources.

The water stress constitutes a threat for the food security of the populations and binds their economical developments particularly for poor countries located in arid and semiarid rural areas.

CLIMATE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN The principal climate characteristics that prevail in the Mediterranean basin are: Sunshine.

Drought periods.

Winter relatively mild.

Abundance of precipitations in winter along the coast.

Snow on high mountains.

Marine wind current.

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THE POPULATION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES THAT COUNTED 246 MILLION INHABITANTS IN 1960 WILL REACH IN 2025 APPROXIMATELY 550 MILLIONS In general, the climate is humid in the coast, more contrasted on high mountains in the North and in the plains of the occidental and continental Europe. The aridity exists in the south, where desert extends till the sea in Libya. These diversified relieves resulted in an arid or semi-arid

climate that governs more than 40 % of the basin and widely present in Africa and Middle East as well as in many regions in Spain and Anatolia.

The different climate zones of the Mediterranean basin are presented The annual average precipitation levels are extremely different; starting with few centimeters on the shore of Syrtes, in Libya to reach more than 4 meters over the most watered summits on the western Balkan (max.

4.64 meter over Montenegro). The rain records of the basin shows that the input of precipitations are unequally distributed since 2/3 of the total annual average of 1100 km³, are concentrated over 1/5 of the surface of the basin. France, Turkey and Italy are the three Mediterranean countries which receive half of this volume. Italy is the most watered state (with 300 km³) while the countries of the African littoral don’t receive more than 13 % of this volume. These precipitations intensified in winter sea-

Lebanon

son of 50 to 100 days per year and present usually a torrential condition.

The high irregularity factors of the precipitation flow causes grounds erosion as well as natural catastrophes such as landslide. The pluviometer widely varies according to the following range of years: One year out of three is identified as being “dry” and two years out of three present an intensity under the average.

A decennial year characterized as “dry” with precipitations that fall mainly over 2/3 of the averages of nine out of ten years.

These aforementioned climate parameters related to the Mediterranean basin shows that the weakness and irregularity of precipitations are the main cause of the high irrigation water consumption volume in the region.

The annual average flow collected by the watercourses and the aquifers are spread between 2 meters and less than 10 mm of precipitation, or

Table 1 & 2: The annual average volumes of precipitations and flows for each country per km³ Country Volume in km Country Volume in km Spain 112 France 123 Italy 296 Malta 0.16 Slovenia 6.5 Croatia 26.5 Bosnia Herzegovina 22 Serbia & 22 Montenegro Macedonia 18 Albania 42.7 Greece 113.4 Cyprus 4.4 Turkey 137.6 Syria 13.5 Lebanon 8.2 Israel 3 West Bank 1.4 Gaza 0.1 Egypt 12 Libya 10 Tunisia 33 Algeria 68.5 Morocco 21 Í

Table 1: 1: Table

Country Volume in km Country Volume in km Spain 28 France 64 Italy 182.5 Malta 0.05 Slovenia 4.20 Croatia 18 Bosnia Herzegovina 14 Serbia & 16 Montenegro Macedonia 5.4 Albania 26.9 Greece 58 Cyprus 0.78 Turkey 66 Syria 5 Lebanon 4.8 Israel 0.63 West Bank 0.57 Gaza 0.8 Egypt 12 Libya 10 Tunisia 3.7 Algeria 12 Morocco 5 Table Table2: 2: 65

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2 millions m3 and less than 10000 m³ per km². The northern chain of mountains, starting from the Pyrenees till the Taurus, receive the most abundant flows and reach a maximum at the Alp and the western of the peninsula of Balkan, from the Dalmatie till Albany. The average of inputs can be found on the eastern shore countries in semi-arid regions, while the volume of low precipitations are located in the arid regions at the South of the basin. Theses cumulated inputs that reach 517 km³ per year are unequally distributed since 3/4 of the total volume are only produced over 1/3 of the basin. The basins of Po and Rhone receive 20 % of

Arpy lake, La Thuile, Aosta valley, Italy

the total flows. This repartition influences the river basins renewable water resources of each country.

- North (Europe) 949 531 km² - South (Africa) 661 864 km² - East (Middle East) 225 025 km²

SURFACE AND FLOW OF MEDITERRANEAN RIVER BASINS

BASIN OF PARCELED TYPE HAVING SEVERAL FORMS: a. Six river basins which extend over

We distinguish two forms of the Mediterranean basin surface: Basin of variable geometry with two variations: a. The area of the whole basin, added to the entire Nile basin reaches 4562480 km². b. The area of the conventional basin, with the part of the Nile basin localized only in Egypt, reaches 1836480 km² and is distributed as following:

50 000 km²: Nile, Rhone, Ebro, Po, Moulouya, Evros - Ergene. b. Eleven basins of more than 10000 km². c. Many small river basins of less than 10000 km².

As to the outflow, the watercourses can be classified as the following: a. An average outflow for three rivers of more than 1000 m3 per second: Nile in Assouan, Rhone and Po.

Water b. The outflow of ten other rivers varying between 100 and 1000 m³ per second: Adige, Axios – Vadar, Ceyhan, Drin, Ebro, Goksu, Neretva, Seyhan, Strymon, Tiber.

The most important Mediterranean rivers (with an average outflow > 10 km³ per year) are presented in table 3.

The majority of the Mediterranean sub-basins hydrographic boundaries rarely coincide with the political borders of countries. Thus, the water balance of the basin nations should comprehend the water transboundary flows coming from a neighboring country added to those existing in the national territories of each country. This is the case of Switzer-

Table 3: Characteristics of Mediterranean rivers of important outflow Name Nile (entire) (el-Bahr) Rhone Po Drin + Buna Ebro Neretva

Length (km) 6 617

Catchment basin area (km ) 2 870 000

812 676 151 930 210

98 845 70 090 19 582 86 000 12 750

Natural outflow average km /year m3/s 2 660 84 1 940 1 480 680 593 377

61.2 46.7 21.4 18.7 11.9

Table 3: characteristics of Mediterranean rivers of important outflow

land which supplies France and Italy, Bulgaria an upstream country supply, Macedonia and Greece, and massively from countries of the upper Nile basin to Egypt. The inputs of non coastal countries to the Mediterranean Basin reach about 110 km³/year (including the Nile) and this supplementary discharge increase the internal flows at a rate of 20 percent.

In the Middle East, the Jordan River (42 500 km²) which empties into the Dead Sea is considered as closed basin and is shared out by five countries: Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Israel. The Jordan River will be subject to a special study within the context of the peace process in the Middle East. The watercourses and aquifers which naturally flow into the Mediterranean Sea discharge an average flow of around 470 km³/year among which 40 km³/year are underground flows with strong inequality between the north and the south (85% throughout the northern shore of Europe and Turkey and 15% on the southern and eastern shore). It is worth to mention that a significant part of the Mediterranean watercourse natural outflows does not reach the sea because of its overuse.

This is the case of countries like Spain, Tunisia as well as Egypt where the Nile outflow discharges in the sea was reduced by six of its initial volume. Loss of fresh water flows discharged in the Mediterranean Sea is evaluated of more than 15 percent of the total watercourses outflow.

RENEWABLE AND EXPLOITABLE RESOURCES The renewable water resources of each country are calculated by the

addition of internal resources (being surface or groundwater) and of external resources originating in neighboring countries from trans-boundary rivers or aquifers. The volume of these resources is unequally distributed among the basin regions and presents for a year of average precipitations the following: 480 km³ / year in the north (Europe).

78 km³ / year in the south (Africa).

82.6 km³ / year in the east (Middle East).

Italy, France, Greece and Turkey are the four countries which receive the highest level of precipitations in the basin. They cumulate 407 km³/ year which constitute 2/3 of the renewable resources total volume. The poorest countries as Cyprus, Malta, Libya and the Palestinian Territories do not calculate their water resources in billions of m³/year anymore but in millions.

Moreover, internal and external flows are highly different and show indicators of the independence of water resources. Being abundant or not, this natural resource is just partially “available” and “exploitable”. The sharing among countries whether they are providers of water in upstream river or receivers in downstream river are fixed according to the technical, economical, environmental and geopolitical criteria.

The indicator of countries water independence all around the Mediterranean basin shows the rareness of the resource and the compensation through water transfers from other regions with better provision, for instance, in Spain from the Tage river, Israel from the Jordan River and Libya that extract more than 60 % of its

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water resources from pumped fossil ground aquifers in the desert (Nonsustainable resources).

The comparison between the resources of a country and its population reveals the indicator of richness and poorness in water of the territory.

The actual average water quantity of the whole Mediterranean basin is considered as 1400 m³ /year per inhabitant. This indicator determines the reference water level widely accepted by the international agencies

and which are classified under three categories: 1 . Water scarcity i<500 m³/year.

2 . Water shortage or water stress 500<i<1000 m³/year.

3 . Acceptable minimum amount i = 1000 m³ /year.

The practical application of this classification shows that for 250 million inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin, 74 million will suffer from “Water stress” and 48 millions from “water scarcity”; regardless the other

local seriously difficult conditions to be managed in some countries.

Strong disparity appears in the Mediterranean basin where the indicator on the average of consumable resources per inhabitant varies of less than 10m³ / year for Gaza and Malta and more than 10000 m³ / year in Croatia and Bosnia. The average volumes per sub-region present a great difference in m³ / year: 2254 m³ / year in the north, 1339 m³ / year in the east and 572 m³ / year in the south.

Water ted to the public networks. Thus, the great quantity of water used in every country depends on the populations growth and the irrigation schemes development. This is the case of Egypt and Italy which are classified as the “most irrigating” countries since they cumulate together a volume of water of 115 km³ annually, over the half of the exploited total amount. According to the "Blue Plan", water demands in every sector of use are distributed as the following: Community /drinking Water 37.9 km³ / year (13 percent).

Irrigation 181 km³ / year (63 percent).

Industries 32.4 km³ / year (11 percent).

Power (cooling) 37.9 km³ / year (13 percent).

The demand of water in the power sector for the cooling of nuclear plants is predominant in France.

Based on the importance of the irrigation of the region and especially of Egypt in the south and Italy in the north, the repartition of water demands in the Mediterranean Basin is quite equilibrated and distributed as the following: 90 km³ / year in the north.

82 km³ / year in the south .

29 km³ / year in the east .

CHALLENGES OF THE WATER GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Morocco

WATER DEMANDS

BY SECTOR OF USE The total annual volume of water use for all the consumption sectors in the Mediterranean basin is estimated to be about 200 billions of m³.

This quantity translates that water for irrigation is considered to be the main consumption sector in almost all the basin countries, then comes after the domestic demands to meet the needs of the populations growth and the industries connec-

In the Mediterranean countries and all along the years, the development of water management depended on the particular needs of each water sector and neglecting the integrated balance of the whole demands.

This sectorial management approach as well as the lack of coordination and cooperation among the different institutions assigned to the utilization of this resource contributes in the water governance and management crisis in the Mediterranean basin.

In this context, the primordial preoccupation of countries located in the southeastern Mediterranean basin is to draw up the conceptual frame of a good governance of resources as well

THE WATERCOURSES AND AQUIFERS WHICH NATURALLY FLOW INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA DISCHARGE AN AVERAGE FLOW OF AROUND 470 KM³/YEAR as the necessary means for the application of the integrated management of this sector. This plan aims to promote a balanced situation between the demands and the available resources in these countries.

Then, the implementation process of IWRM does not constitute a finished product but a dynamic process that should be adapted to the level of each water basin in consideration to the technical, social and economical characteristics relevant to each situation.

In fact, it is a process of equilibrium bringing a number of means, tools and methods to ensure the development and the management of water resources with a priority goal to realize food security and water sustainability. The implementation of such innovated concept will incite the political authorities to join their efforts in order to ensure its success.

Moreover, the comprehension of users of the necessity to change the water management approach as well as the manner on the basis of which the institutions will enhance this change constitutes a prerequisite for the application of IWRM. The preparation of such synergy levels is not easy at all.

The most realistic approach will probably be to develop progressively the synergies for each of the phases with clear objective and demonstrative advantages.

69

WORLD ENVIRONMENT

MAGAZINE

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By Dr. Fadi G. COMAIR

WATER RESOURCES IN LEBANON TOPOGRAPHICAL RELIEF AND PRECIPITATIONS Lebanon, with a total surface of 10452 km² is located at the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and extends all along 210 km at the coast and 50 km inside the Lebanese territories. It has common borders from the north and the east with Syria and from the south with Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Administratively, Lebanon is divided into six districts or provinces. As to the topographical side, it can be divided into four parallel parts heading from the West to the East: Coastal and narrow flat belt all along the sea.

Mount Lebanon assembly line with maximum height of 3000 m.

Valley of Bekaa with an altitude of 900 m over sea level.

Anti Lebanon assembly line going in height to 2800 m to the east.

In Lebanon, the climate is typically Mediterranean. It is characterized by strong precipitations during winter followed by a dry period with high humidity during the remaining seven months of the year. However, the influence of the sea, the particularities of the topography and the presence of the Syrian desert in the North create a variation of microclimate inside the country with contrast of the distribution of both temperature and precipitations.

The annual average temperature is 20 ºC prevailing over the coast (varying between 13ºC in winter and 27 ºC in summer), 16 ºC in the Bekaa valley (between 5 ºC in winter and 26 70

ºC in summer), and less than 10 ºC on high altitude over the mountains (between 0 ºC in winter and 18 ºC in summer).

The annual precipitation average is estimated to be about 800 mm, varying between 600 and 900 mm along the coast and 1400 mm over the mountains. It decreases to 400 mm in eastern regions and less than 200 mm in the northeastern regions of the country.

Over 2000 m of altitude, the essential precipitations are snow and can help in giving rise to good outputs for 2000 water sources during the dry periods.

Precipitations are produced in 80 or 90 days of the year, mainly between October and April. Approximately, 75 % of the total volume of the surface flow took place during five months, extending from January till May, 16 % of June and July and only 9% for the remaining five months from August till December.

WATER BALANCE IN LEBANON The water cycle in Lebanon, for an average precipitation year, can be resumed as the following: (Table 1) Approximately, one billion m³ of this volume of water flow comes from more than 2000 sources, with unitary average flow of 10 to 15 l/s. Such volume is assessed out of the perpetual flow of 17 watercourses being part of 40 principal river basins flowing in the country.

While the global water annual volume empties in the sea and a part of it goes towards the neighboring

countries, groundwater faces major difficulties for their control, because of the geological karstic conditions.

Water resources in use in Lebanon are estimated to be around 1.5 billion m³ per year distributed among domestic, irrigation, municipal and industrial sectors of the country with an increasing annual demands that will generate starting 2015 an enormous water balance deficit.

The most important watercourses in Lebanon derive from the Litani that constitutes only about 28 % of the total surface flows of the country.

The annual total volume of ground water in Lebanon is estimated at 567 mm³ whereas the flow in dry period (July till October) in the different

Aammiq reserve river

Lebanese basins is evaluated around 141 mmÂł.

The hydrographic system of the country shows three international watercourses: El Assi watercourse (Orontus), situated in the north of the Bekka Valley. It flows towards Syria to the northeast of the country to end up in Turkey.

Hasbani watercourse situated in the south east; the Hasbani which flows towards Palestine and Israel constitutes a tributary of the Jordan River.

Nahr El Kebir watercourse in the north which constitutes the border line between Syria and Lebanon.

Nahr EL Kebir empties then in the Mediterranean Sea.

These three transboundary basins were subject to a strategic study in this book in the scope of the negotiations with the reparian States.

The hydraulic resources of Lebanon show that the country owns a favorable situation in what concerns the cumulative flows, but the constraints of its utilization come from their limited availability during the five months dry season of the year that go from June till October (JJASO) and the Karstic geological complicated nature of the country.

WATER DEMAND IN LEBANON 1. Population The official study which is the most reliable to estimate the Lebanese po-

pulation was undertaken by the Ministry of Interior (electoral lists) and by the Ministry of Social Affairs with the participation of the UNDP and UNRWA. These sources indicate that the current population counts 4.8 million inhabitants, with an average annual growth rate of 2.5 %.

The distribution of the Lebanese population as well as the Palestinian refugees in different regions of the country is presented as the following: North region 1000000 inhabitants.

Beirut & Mount Lebanon 2300000 inhabitants.

South Lebanon 670000 inhabitants. Ă?

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Ă?

Bekaa 580000 inhabitants.

2. Drinking water demand The studies done by the Ministry of Energy and Water showed a link between the drinking water needs and the social, economical and cultural levels of the country. As a follow up of several inquiries related to this subject, the General Directorate of Hydraulic and Electric Resources (GDHER) considered that the daily needs per inhabitant are 200 l/day / person with an added water rate of 3.5 % while taking into account the big consumers and municipal use.

Tannourine

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It is worth to mention that the efficiency of the drinking water networks is evaluated to 70 %. The calculation of these technical settings allow to present the final daily value of water needs per inhabitant which corresponds to 230 liters.

The studies of the GDHER showed that the annual drinking water country demands are about 500 mmÂł. The necessary volume to meet the demands of the consumers during the dry period of the year, meaning July, August, September and October (JASO) reaches 250 MmÂł. In percentage, they are stated as the following:

North region 22 % Beirut & Mount Lebanon 46 % South Lebanon 16 % Bekaa 16 %

3. Water demand for irrigation In the year 2004, the FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in Lebanon published a detailed study about the irrigated areas which were estimated about 100000 ha. These irrigated surface areas are dispersed in the following districts:

Water Table 1: Total division of the main rivers of the country No.

Designation

1

Total annual precipitations Natural evaporation and transpiration Losses in groundwater towards neighboring countries

2 3

Inputs

Flows (Mm ) Outputs

Total Other 12%

8200

648

5

Sea spring sources

385

Total renewable waters

Abou Ali 5% El Jaouz 1%

Aw ali + Litani (dow nstream) 7%

300

Losses in surface waters in towards neighboring countries

El Ostouene 2% El Aarqa El Kebir 1% El Bared 2% 5%

El Hasbani 3%

4100

4

6

Total division of the main rivers of the country

El Aas si (Orontes) 14%

2700

6.1

Ground water

567

6.2

Surface waters

2200

Litani (Upstream) 21%

Nahr Ibrahim 9%

El Damour Nahr Beirut 5% 4%

El Kelb 9%

Tableau 1: water balance in Lebanon Table 2: total division of the main rivers of the country

North Lebanon 30000 ha.

Beirut & Mount Lebanon 10700 ha.

South Lebanon 21000 ha.

Bekaa 40000 ha.

The FAO study has presented the figures concerning the yearly water need per hectare which varies between 6000 and 10300 m3 at the head of the network. This variation depends in general on the cultivated species but more specifically from the irrigation methods, status of networks and climate of the country.

4. Hydraulic balance in Lebanon A detailed study of the hydraulic balance in Lebanon calculated starting from the year 2000 for a projection of 40 years and taking into account all the water sectors of use. The settings and hypothesis of calculation used in the present study are the following: 1. Population in 2000 : 4.5 million.

2. Annual growth rate: 2.7 %.

3. Irrigated surface: 10000 ha in 2000 and 280000 ha in 2040.

4. Water consumption per ha: 10000 m³/ year in the year 2000; 8000 m³/year starting 2015; 6000 m³/ year for 2020 – 2040 .

5. Domestic and industrial use per person/ day: 300 Liters.

6. Mobilized water resources:

1.5 billion m³/ year in 2000, 2.1 billion m³/ year in 2015 and 2.7 billion m³ /year in 2040.

DRINKING WATER PROJECTS Before the 1960s, few regions in Lebanon beneficiated from the commodities of drinking water. During the 1960s, the Lebanese government has undertaken a plan of large scale to install distribution networks for drinking water with the intent to ensure this resource in all the regions of the country. The criteria adopted at this period for the daily drinking and domestic water needs were 100 liters per day and per inhabitant. Also, the life duration as well as the dimensioning of the networks was calculated for duration of 25 years.

Starting from the 1990s, these installations become decayed and their capacities could not meet the needs of the population which experienced many migrations because of the war or due to the urban expansion of the main cities in the country.

During this period, the major efforts were exerted by the MEW and CDR to rehabilitate the drinking water networks and the annexed installations, reinforce their capacities, or even, find new water resources in order to fill the increase of the daily demand.

The purpose of this approach was to ensure the continuous water supply to the Lebanese population. Thus,

the actual tendency of the Lebanese Government is to: Rehabilitate the drinking water distribution network and ensure this resource to the cities and villages that are not provided with this service.

Ameliorate the conditions of the services, starting from the resources and the infrastructures.

Improve the efficiency of the drinking water distribution networks Reinforce the partnership with the private sector in the management of this utilities.

COLLECTION AND TREATMENT OF WASTE WATER The process of optimization regarding the implementation of waste water treatment plants in Lebanon represents a complicated task to be solved on the bases of technical and economical criteria. In fact, the adequate alternative to be adapted should be based on a compromise between the following objectives and the constraints: Best protection of the environment Reuse of treated waste water for irrigation and artificial recharge of aquifers in the coastal regions.

Budget constraints concerning the investments, operation and maintenance.

Thus, it is necessary for Lebanon that the technical planning scheme would

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be based in its extent on the principal calibrated watersheds and not on the sub basins or joint basins. This approach is directly related to the mountainous topography and the uncontrolled demographic development which complicate more and more the process of decision.

Under these conditions, the following actions should be taken: Optimization of the treatment plants investment, operation and maintenance costs proportionally to its capacity by equivalent inhabitant.

Reduction of the pumping and lifting stations.

Reduction of the treatment plants number with the advantages that this procures on the maintenance level and the sludge treatment management.

This approach will allow an optimal utilization of water reuse for municipal and irrigation development schemes and to quickly absorb and increasing discharges due to the demographic development of urban cities in Lebanon.

In 1993, the Lebanese Government delegated to the MEW and CDR the launching of a wide program in the waste water treatment sector in order to supply the needs of environmental protection and public health.

The 10 year strategic plan went through the actual situation of the waste water construction program treatment plant in Lebanon in order to show the advance studies and works stage as well as the priorities to be applied in the legislative, administrative, technical and financial domains.

The scheme plan for waste water treatment in Lebanon (2000), foresees with regard to the increasing demographic development surrounding the cities, the construction of 20 priority plants as a beginning, to meet the waste water collection and treatment of 75% to 80% of the Lebanese population.

With regard to the rare lands on the Lebanese coast and their high price in m² near the cities, the optimal use of the area should be a permanent concern of the responsible designers.

These experts suggested that the

THE PROCESS OF OPTIMIZATION REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN LEBANON REPRESENTS A COMPLICATED TASK TO BE SOLVED ON THE BASES OF TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL CRITERIA conventional treatment plants (Activated sludge) which require big surfaces (0.1 to 0.3 m² per inhabitant) according to the size and performance of treatment, shall be replaced by the compacted plants with technical performances.

The development of high performance compact technologies for the residuary water treatment such as biological reactors of fixed cultivation or biological filtration are very suitable for the coastal zones. For instance, a biological infiltration system with a land occupation of 0.4 to 0.006 m2 par person used for a city of 2 million inhabitants, can be placed on a land of only 40000 m² or under the natural ground.

The MEW have foreseen the collection and the treatment of waste water of Koura, Zgharta, Minye and a part of Dinniye districts through the treatment plant located in Tripoli. This approach was suggested in order to preserve the quality of ground water that supplies the city from the Habb source aquifer. Thus, any pollution infiltrating in the ground water in the regions of Koura, Zgharta, Minie and

Dinnye will affect inescapably the supply of drinking water in Tripoli.

This would be produced, for instance, when a treatment plant of waste water of the upstream region breaks down for any technical reasons.

Unfortunately, the municipality of Tripoli has accepted the construction of the treatment plant, exclusively for the residuary waters of Tripoli, Mina, Beddaoui and Kalamoun, without taking in account as it was mentioned previously in the design, the collection of waste water resulting from the upstream districts. It is important to mention that in 2006, the French Agency of Development has launched the study and construction of residuary water collec-

Nahr Brahim

Water tion and treatment plant situated in the region of Koura. As to the 14 treatment plants of Becharre district, planned within the global waste water framework, the MEW considered that it would be necessary to reexamine the locations of these plants and reduce their number in a way to mitigate the costs of expropriation, construction, operation and maintenance by preserving the touristic site of the Saints Valley (Kadisha).

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LITANI BASIN The Litani River is the major national Lebanese watercourse that takes it rise from Baalbeck (source of Aalleik)

at an altitude of 1000m. It crosses through the Bekaa plain to form after a bend in South Lebanon near the Beaufort castle and discharge in the Mediterranean Sea in Qasmieh near Tyre city. The surface of its watershed, evaluated to be 2175 Km², covers approximately 20% of the total surface of the Lebanese territory. Its annual average flow is estimated to be 700 mm³ and passes through the national Lebanese territory. This river takes its importance and from the development of projects which are actually in operation or that shall be realized therein in the near future. The Litani projects will generate direct economic benefits to the rural socie-

ties of the Bekaa and South Lebanon.

Before stating the present situation and prospects of the Litani future, it is necessary to recall that the great merit for the development of this national project goes back in 1958 to the engineers Alfred Naccache, Ibrahim Abdel Al, Selim Lahoud and Cheikh Maurice Gemayel. These well known Engineers and planners have grasped all the importance of this river for the socio-economic future of Lebanon.

In 1952, the Lebanese Government at the time of the mandate of President Camille Chamoun, called for an American commission representing the Bureau of Reclamation, one of the prominent authorities of the United

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States of Interior specialized in waters and dams, in order to establish an exhaustive and global study of this basin. This commission arrived to Lebanon in 1952, at the same time with the Johnston mission which was sent to the region, by the United States Government in order to draw the base lines for the sharing of the Jordan River sharing among riparian states.

In 1954, The U.S mission of the “Bureau of Reclamation” published its six volumes report entitled “Integrated Management of the Litani Basin” and present it to the Lebanese Government.

The major lines of this document concern the following themes: ¯ Irrigation sector The construction of Qaraoun and Khardale dams designated for the irrigation of a surface evaluated around 21000 ha in the Bekka and 31500 ha in the South.

Hasbani river

76

¯ Drinking water sector The construction of Bisri dam planned to supply Beirut city with water. ¯ Hydroelectric production The creation of six hydroelectric units with a potential of 170 Megawatts.

The report of the U.S Bureau of Reclamation motivated the Lebanese government to create on the 14th of August 1954 the Litani River Authority (LRA). The official decree of the LRA implementation stated that an independent office should be created with the objective of executing irrigation, drainage, drinking water and energy projects, in the framework of a global management plan for the Lebanese water resources.

It is important to notice that since 1954, the policy followed by the LRA, was to start the execution of the hydroelectric plants with the intent to finance from the power production, the

irrigation and drinking water supply.

On the basis of this approach the Lebanese officials at that time, believed that they were able to ensure the necessary financing of the major development phases of the LRA project. In 1970s, the development works of the LRA were completely blocked because of the wars that started in Lebanon and mainly during the Israeli occupation of the South.

Another important launching of the projects started in 1993 with the development of a strategic five-year plan initiated by Dr. Fadi Comair, chairman of LRA. This plan focused on several major strategic orientations: Development of about 57000 ha irrigation schemes located in the Bekaa (25000 ha) and South Lebanon (32000 ha) including the rehabilitation of the Qaraoun dam.

Water Rehabilitation of hydroelectric production plants.

Design of Bisri dam designated for the distribution of drinking water to Beirut city.

Design of Khardale dam for the irrigation schemes in South Lebanon.

Vision on the institutional reform.

Administrative recovery plan and modernization of the LRA departments.

The LRA five-year plan was presented to two official delegations of the World Bank who visited Lebanon in 1993. Following these visits, the chairman of the Board Dr. Fadi Comair mandated by the Minister of Agriculture (MoA) Dr. Adel Cortas, visited in 1994 the World Bank in Washington for the negotiation of a loan agreement out of which 15 million US$ were allocated to rehabilitate the LRA irrigation projects.

In 1996 the rehabilitation of the Kasmieh and West Bekaa projects started and also the LRA five-year plan was submitted to Mr. Nabih Berri the Speaker of the Parliament who requested from the Gulf countries during an official visit the complementary financing of the South Lebanon irrigation projects.

CONCLUSION The study of the water resources in Lebanon shows clearly that this country is blessed with an annual precipitation volume of about 8 billion m3/ year but several disadvantages render the utilization of this water quantity a very complicated task to be accomplished. These parameters are the following: 90 % of the rainfall quantity occurs with a period of three months.

Evapotranspiration rate is evaluated to be 50% and this volume will tend to increase with the climate change phenomenon.

Geological Karstic nature of the Lebanese soil induces a high infiltration ratio.

Relying on groundwater utilization as a major source of water supply for the Lebanese population constitutes a bad design for the water planning and management

in Lebanon. This concept leads to an over pumping of the aquifers generating environmental problem as: - Seawater intrusion in the costal zone aquifer.

- High level drops of the water table in the Bekaa valley.

- High financial consequences related to the electricity bill to be paid by the water establishment due to the water pumping.

Absence of waste water treatment plant makes difficult the utilization of non conventional resources for agriculture and municipal sectors.

Also this resource could be used for the artificial recharge of aquifers in addition to the high pressure induced on the ecosystems of the watercourses.

Absence of surface water storage since the 1960 led to a continuous discharge of fresh water in the Mediterranean sea amounting to about 1.2 billion m3/year. This irresponsible behavior from the water administration and the political decision makers constitute a waste of financial input to the national budget evaluated to be around 100 billion US dollars. Until 2002 only the Qaraoun dam has been built on the Litani River.

Construction of Chabrouh dam which was completed in October 2007 was the only project executed of the 10 year strategic master plan established by the GDHER-MEW. 27 dams were planned to be executed in 10 years but unfortunately this objective was not met and the dams were not implemented mostly due to political disturbances.

Difficulties in the achievement of the agricultural schemes forecast for 2010-2040 estimated to be 280 000 hectares without the implementation of the 10 year strategic master plan. This situation will generate a negative effect on the food security of the country and will force the Lebanese government to continue importing its demands in agricultural crops. The notion of â&#x20AC;&#x153;virtual waterâ&#x20AC;? which is highly harmful for Lebanon

THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPACT TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RESIDUARY WATER TREATMENT SUCH AS BIOLOGICAL REACTORS OF FIXED CULTIVATION OR BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION ARE VERY SUITABLE FOR THE COASTAL ZONES water resources future utilization will be applied and enforced by the international community.

The drinking and irrigation water networks efficiencies should be improved in order to meet IWRM requirements with respect to the water losses and for a better service coverage.

Other non conventional resources for the future utilization such as: sea fresh water spring, desalination and reuse of wastewater require a new complementary formulation within the 10 year master plan bearing in mind that the resources utilizations by gravity should be used at first priority.

Climate change effect on Lebanon tends to let the Lebanese territory to be progressively drier. The first obvious measure to be taken by the Lebanese Government is to reduce the amounts of water discharging into the sea. Unfortunately due to the political complication. The applicability of this solution seems to be difficult.

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THE ENERGY REPORT The Energy Report is a WWF collaboration with energy consultancy Ecofys that explores powering the world entirely by renewable energy by the middle of this century.

T

he result is the most ambitious, science-based examination yet of a renewable and clean energy future on a global scale. It covers all energy needs and the challenge of providing reliable and safe energy to all. Importantly, it uses deliberately conservative assumptions: fossil fuel price increases of no more than two per cent annually, deployment of technologies available today and continuous but not disruptive renewable energy expansion. It is an ambitious but achievable vision that outlines the key changes required to achieve a fully clean energy future and avoid catastrophic climate change.

WHY AN ENERGY REPORT? The current fossil fuel energy paradigm is not sustainable. A “businessas-usual” approach to our energy future will mean substantially higher and more volatile energy costs, driven by increasing scarcity and fossil fuel supplies from more physically and politically challenging areas.

Energy security would continue to be challenged by disruptions of supply, accidents and disputes over energy resources.

Moreover, 1.4 billion people have no access to reliable electricity. Some 2.7 billion depend on traditional fuels 78

such as wood, charcoal or manure for cooking and heating – often harvested in ways highly damaging to the environment and used in ways highly damaging to health.

Most seriously, fossil fuel use is by far the most serious single contributor to climate change, accounting for about two thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions. “Business-as-usual” scenarios are for both absolute emissions and the energy share of emissions to increase, adding to the cost and incidence of already occurring climate change impacts and offering no chance for the world to stay below unacceptable risk levels for runaway climate change.

A fully sustainable renewable power supply is the only way we can secure energy for all and avoid environmental catastrophe.

IS A 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLY POSSIBLE GLOBALLY BY 2050?

The Ecofys scenario, contained within The Energy Report, concludes that it is technically feasible to supply everyone on Earth with the energy they need by 2050, with 95 percent of this energy coming from renewable sources utilizing technologies current or in development today. In its report, WWF indicates

how its vision of a 100 percent renewable and sustainable energy supply could be realized.

THE ECOFYS SCENARIO In 2050, ambitious energy saving measures result in total energy de-

Energy

mand being 15 percent lower than in 2005 – despite population, industrial output, passenger travel and freight transport rising as projected.

Industry uses more recycled and energy efficient materials, buildings are constructed or upgraded to

need minimal energy for heating and cooling and there is a shift to more efficient means of transport.

As far as possible electrical energy is used instead of solid or liquid fuels. Wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower are the main sources of

electricity, with solar and geothermal sources, as well as heat pumps providing a large share of heat for buildings and industry. “Smart” electricity grids store and deliver energy more efficiently.

Bioenergy (liquid biofuels and solid

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Energy Í

biomass) is used as a last resort where other renewable energy sources are not viable – for aircraft, ships and truck haulage and industrial processes requiring very high temperatures.

World energy supply by source under the Ecofys scenario

WHAT IS THE INVESTMENT NEEDED AND WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT? By 2050, we save nearly €4 trillion ($US 5.4 trillion) annually through energy efficiency and reduced fuel costs over a “business-as-usual” scenario. However, big increases in capital expenditure are needed first – to install renewable energy generating capacity on a massive scale, modernize electricity grids, transform goods and public transport and improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. These will grow over the next 25 years from about €1 trillion to about €3.5 trillion a year ($US 1.4-4.7 trillion). Our investments begin to pay off around 2040, when the savings start to outweigh the costs. If oil prices rise faster than predicted and we factor in the costs of climate change and the impact of fossil and traditional fuels on public health, the payoff occurs much earlier.

ARE THERE ENOUGH RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES TO MEET THE ENERGY NEEDS OF ALL? Currently, more than 80 percent of our global energy comes from fossil fuels. Under the Ecofys scenario, fossil fuels, nuclear power and traditional biomass are almost entirely phased out by 2050. Realistically, can a more varied mix of renewable fuels make up the shortfall?

Taking into account factors such as overall potential, current growth rates, and appropriate selected sustainability constraints, the Ecofys scenario builds up a picture of the “realizable potential” of available renewable energy resources. In most cases, the realizable potential

greatly exceeds the projected 2050 energy demands on the resource – by many orders of magnitude in the case of all uses of solar power; more than double in the case of offshore wind, wave and tidal power, high temperature and geo-thermally generated electricity; and substantially in the case of onshore wind and low temperature geothermal energy.

The exception is hydropower, where realizable potential is constrained by concerns over the environmental and human costs of large dams and thus the 2050 contribution of hydropower is close to its realizable potential. To limit impacts on food supplies and biodiversity, bio-energy production is constrained.

A FULLY SUSTAINABLE RENEWABLE POWER SUPPLY IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN SECURE ENERGY FOR ALL AND AVOID ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE Efficiency and electrification – two key pathways of The Energy Report The Ecofys scenario of 15 percent lower global energy demand by 2050 is in marked contrast to “businessas-usual” projections similar population and economic activity assumptions, which predict a doubling in energy demand. Energy conservation is the most important element in achieving a sustainable, renewable energy future – but in every sector, solutions already exist that can deliver the massive energy savings required. The challenge is rolling them out on a global scale as soon as possible.

Buildings are major users of energy, yet these can be made virtually energy neutral (or even energy positive) with current technologies.

Heating needs can be reduced by at least 60 percent by insulating walls, roofs and ground floors; replacing old windows; and installing ventilation systems that recover heat.

Local solar thermal systems, low temperature geothermal heat, and heat pumps and other efficient technologies would fulfill the remaining heating and hot water needs.

New buildings need to be regulated to meet these high efficiency standards as soon as possible. For all buildings to meet these standards by 2050, 2-3 per cent of existing floor area would need to be retrofitted every year.

This is ambitious but achievable: Germany has already reached annual retrofit rates in this range.

The Ecofys scenario for a renewable energy future depends upon using electrical power from clean, renewable sources in place of fossil fuels and nuclear wherever possible. This would bring electricity from less than one fifth of total final energy demand to almost half.

Moving from fossil fuels to renewable electricity presents challenges.

The first priority should be to upgrade current electricity grids to mix and distribute more and more variable sources of electrical energy. Efficient international networks will also help balance variable renewable sources from different regions.

Within Europe, for example, wind and ocean power from the North Sea area could complement Alpine hydropower and solar power from the Mediterranean and even North Africa.

Smart grids will help transmission operators, power companies, businesses and consumers manage load and demand with supply. Excess power would be used to top-up storage (notably in car batteries) and to generate hydrogen fuel. Electrification would also make major inroads into transport. Í 81

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WHY IS BIO-ENERGY HEDGED WITH SAFEGUARDS? The use of biomass fuels is recognized as among the most contentious issues raised by The Energy Report, but there are some transport and industrial needs that under current and feasible technologies are unlikely to be met without liquid and solid fuels.

Biomass is the only renewable option. Part of this demand can be met from waste products, but, under the Ecofys scenario, it would still be necessary to grow sustainable biofuel crops and take more wood from wellmanaged forests to meet demand.

Careful land use planning and effective international cooperation and regulatory arrangements will be needed to ensure that energy demands are met without threatening food or water supplies, or threatening biodiversity through direct or indirect incentives for land clearing. Bioenergy from algae is likely to ease some land use pressures as 2050 approaches.

BRINGING ENERGY TO EVERYONE A sustainable energy future must be a fair one, in which the equal right of every person to benefit from the world’s energy resources is recognized. Around one fifth of humanity lacks access to reliable electricity and two fifths are in need of clean cooking and heating fuels and technologies. Renewable and efficiency based solutions are generally already available, extending from large scale renewable power generation (solar power in Africa, geothermal in Indonesia) through to community level power installations based on solar, wind turbines, micro-hydro or biogas; and down to solar, biogas or fuel efficient cooking stoves.

WILL MOVING TO A RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE AFFECT LIFESTYLES? The Ecofys scenario shows that we can supply almost all of our energy needs from renewable sources by 2050 while maintaining rates of economic growth and leading prosperous, healthy lifestyles. Indeed, quality of life for many 82

BUILDINGS ARE MAJOR USERS OF ENERGY, YET THESE CAN BE MADE VIRTUALLY ENERGY NEUTRAL OR EVEN ENERGY POSITIVE WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES will improve immeasurably with access to electricity and clean energy.

We will, however, need to make wiser choices about the way we use energy.

Some lifestyle changes will allow us to reach a renewable energy future while reducing our impact on the planet. Key will be growing enough food to nourish a growing global population and limiting bio-energy demand from pushing our forests, agricultural land and freshwater ecosystems to the limit. To achieve such a balance, the Ecofys scenario assumes meat consumption is more equitable, and growth in overall meat consumption is limited. This would mean a halving of meat consumption per person by 2050 in OECD countries and an increase by a quarter elsewhere – with significant dietary benefits for all. Food wastage and food transport would also be reduced.

Personal mobility will also rise by 2050, with the overall distances people travel increasing by half in OECD countries and trebling in the rest of the world. The Ecofys scenario suggests we can manage those increases by moving towards more efficient forms of transport, walking and cycling over short distances, and making more use of public transport including replacing a proportion of plane travel with train travel – and making use of improved communications technology to make some travel unnecessary. Cuts beyond the Ecofys projections, particularly in air travel, would substantially reduce the needs for biofuels.

Making lifestyle changes will take time, but history shows that people will change their behaviors when they understand the benefits, and when policies steer them in the right direction. Recycling is now second nature in many countries, while smoking

rates have fallen with growing knowledge of the health risks. A better understanding of the impacts of our own choices will help us move toward a fair and fully renewable future.

GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE Although public investment will be important, business, community and even individual investment will play a key role. Financial incentives for renewable energy, such as feed-in tariffs, are a key means of creating a more favorable climate for renewable energy, guaranteeing payments to households, businesses, communities and other organizations generating their own electricity. Feed-in tariffs are now available in more than 50 countries, including parts of China, India and the US.

WHAT NOW? Achieving a sustainable renewable energy future will take determined action at the international, national, community and individual levels – and the sooner such action is taken the earlier the benefits will be realized. At the international level, the clearest priorities are strong international agreement on climate change action, including viable levels of assistance to help developing countries to a sustainable energy future. Regional, national and local governments need to cut perverse subsidies and commit to targets and pathways to energy efficiency and renewable power. Business needs to begin following some of their own leaders into a green economy future. And individuals need to consider the implications of their energy use and lend their support to moving to a sustainable rather than an anxious and threatened future.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT

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Projects of Residences Within Nature Overlooking The Horizon

Sustainable Development

Architect Youssef Tohme

OUT OF NATURE COMES THE NEW GENERATION OF ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGNS

By Hala HABIB

I

t all takes personal initiative. Key people with personal initiatives create super impacts that affect us for generations to come. Youssef Tohme is such a person. An architect who has made it his mission to not replace nature with inhabitable structures, but instead to make nature an integral part of these structures. He designs breathtaking structures with as minimal waste to nature as possible. A true ecologist at heart and mind.

A modest person by nature, Tohme has been a practicing architect for the better part of his adult life. He refined his skill at occupying empty spaces with the most creative structures not only in relation to its surrounding, but also in the living space within the structure itself whether it is a home or an academic institution.

No compromise is made for the functionality of the space vis-à-vis its ecofriendly connotation.

Combining architecture with nature into a blend of connection, Youssef Tohme is able to create designs that boldly defy the traditionally accepted norms. “I make designs that both resembles its inhabitants while at the same time are an integral part of the surrounding nature,” Tohme states.

When designing a home, he takes into account the character of the people he is creating a home for, as well as the landscape and nature upon which the structure will be constructed. He believes in respect between man and nature as the basis of dialogue to preserve

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Top Left: Gemmayze Project Top Right & Bottom Photos: USJ Project

Sustainable Development Í

the environment for mans survival. In his quest to change the mainstream architecture conceptions both locally and internationally, Tohme strives to make each structure a landmark in its surrounding hill or mountainside location.

Tohme has thus far designed 17 villas that are under construction, and an additional section to the USJ university (Université Saint-Joseph) in the past three years that he has been in Lebanon. Before that, Tohme studied and practiced architecture in Paris for almost 20 years.

The main and most basic theme that Tohme works on is the horizon in duality with void and landscape, but also keeping the individual aspect to each design.

Tohme believes that the recent history and psychology of the Lebanese people plays a role in their quest for an open space to the horizon. Every Lebanese person has a dream to own a house with a view to the sea on the horizon and a bit of mountainside and skyline. And Lebanon’s geography is shaped in such a way that it is elongated and exposed on one side to the Mediterranean seaside along its western coastline.

One of the most complex yet challenging projects Tohme is working on is the USJ extension building. The challenge comes from the fact that he was commissioned with creating an extension building within a very limited space which is restricted by established buildings of the university. Not only had he the challenge of designing and constructing a building, but he had to take into account the surrounding buildings and the spirit of the whole project. This project was created in collaboration with “109 Architectes” to construct an artisanal design occupying a space of 60,000 msq in the heart of the USJ campus in Beirut.

When entering this huge structure, one feels like being in the presence of a Greek assembly where students and people of different backgrounds and thinking meet together.

The contemporary architectural mainstream that Youssef Tohme is leading the way in Lebanon, is clearly influencing the thinking of people when it comes to their need for a home in the city. A city like Beirut is dotted with concrete buildings with little shape and no thought for ecological

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Top, Center & Bottom Left: GBA - Project; Villa in Progress Location: Lebanon, Kaakour Type: Residential Project Total Area: 2.500 sqm Top Right: HAC - Project; Competition House of Art & Culture Location: Lebanon, Beirut Central District Type: Institutional Project Total Area: 40.000 sqm

Sustainable Development Í

YOUSSEF TOHME Born in 1969, Youssef Tohme graduated from the French university of architecture “l’Ecole d’Architecture ParisVillemin” where he taught theory and representation classes in 2004.In 2001-2002, he worked as a chief architect on the redesign study of the “Gare d’Austerlitz” at AREP. A year later he became an assistant chief architect at Atelier Jean Nouvel Paris on the project Landmark in Beyrouth.In 2004 he became a chief architect on the Louvre Abou Dhabi Museum for the preliminary phase. In the same time, he worked in Lebanon in collaboration with “109 architectes” on the project “Campus de l‘innovation, de l’économie et du sport à Beyrouth (USJ)” which is currently under construction. In January 2008 he opens his own office in Lebanon with an offshore in Paris. With a team of young Lebanese and international architects, he tries to translate the deep theoretical & technical research in his projects holding a powerful urban agenda (A-Project-Romania) or on more specific projects (S-Project-T-project & M-Project- Lebanon AD-Project France ect…).

Major reflexions on society, territories and writing interest him: He questions our relationship with the world, reinterprets it, appropriates it and then adapts it …

well-being of the city. Tohme has defied this mainstream and convinced people that it is possible to own a villa in the heart of the city and enjoy the horizon with a vast garden as is the case of the building he is constructing in the Gemmayze area in Achrafieh, Beirut. Each apartment is 220 msq with a height of 4.2m, including a garden of 100 msq.

This gives the occupant a feel of living in a villa in the heart of the city. It is a villa with nature in Achrafieh. Tohme is glad that people have started changing their minds and accepting eco-friendly homes with solar-powered heating, which might be costlier at first but is money-saving in the long run.

An example of Tohme’s villa within nature is the GBA-Project, a villa in progress occupying a space of 2,500 square meters in the mountainous Kaakour area. It’s a horizontally open space from the front side which looks like concrete slabs protruding from the landscape. The interior of the GBA project is made of a large open space with a clear view of the horizon.

A project that Tohme has design but will not implement is the HAC Project which is made up of two towers caught in a dance in time. This was a project he submitted for the House of Art & Culture Competition and comprises a space of 40,000 sqm. It is a unique design that reflects the culture of Lebanon according to Tohme. He conceived it as a dance between two cultures, which reflect the current situation in Lebanon. The two buildings although not connected, are very closely located to each other and are made of a fragile outer layer depicting the continuous fragile situation reflecting the daily lives of people in this country.

Reflecting on the future, Tohme feels that the way forward is in the new contemporary designs that are ecofriendly since the mentality of the people are changing and becoming more environmental-conscious.

It is architects like Youssef Tohme that will one day be regarded as the men who courageously led the way towards changing the face of architecture in Lebanon to the contemporary movement that is bringing back people to nature.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION www.yousseftohme.com 89

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By Cathy CHAMI TYAN

Ahmed Baghoum, Associate Director of City Operations, Masdar City, talks about

THE FIRST ECO-FRIENDLY CITY IN MENA

Aerial view of Masdar City

photos: Masdar

Sustainable Development

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t the European Future Energy Forum that was held for the first time in London in October 2010, Ahmed Baghoum, Associate Director of City Operations - Masdar City, shared with World Environment Magazine his views of the critical role of sustainable cities in our societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future development. His experience in facilitating the advancement of Masdar City lends plenty of unique insights and perspectives.

Cathy C. Tyan: What is Masdar and how did it start?

Ahmed Baghoum: Masdar is a holistic approach to clean technologies. It aims at developing a full spectrum of green technologies and green energies. It is an integration of development and innovation with sustainable production and the export of knowledge. It includes Masdar Power, Masdar City, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Masdar Capital. Today, it is well rooted in Abu Dhabi's vision.

It all started with the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, the founder

of the UAE, and has continued with his sons who want to materialize the great ideas and the vision of their late father.

Though Masdar is not the first ecocity in the world, it is the first of its kind in the MENA region and it is the first holistic approach to green energy and green technologies. We can safely say that the first phase of the project is almost complete.

In your opinion, what will be the economical, social and environmental impact of sustainable cities on the lives of ordinary people?

In terms of lifestyle, social, environmental and economic aspects of the particularity of Masdar is the fact that it is a mix-use city. A city where you can work, live and enjoy a high quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint at the same time. When the idea of Masdar was launched we went back to old Arab cities and got inspired by the old architecture of these cities. Peoples' lives will improve because they will be reducing their environmental impact and they will be living in a less polluted envi-

ronment. At Masdar City we will be able to achieve great results such as 50% reduction in water and energy consumption and waste.

The partnerships developed by Masdar with governments and the private sector have a high economic impact.

Our goal is to seek the development of new technologies making it interesting for other companies to base their offices and headquarters in Masdar.

According to specialists, COP16 is going to be another failure. Big players are not ready to find an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions. Do you think that big oil companies are ready to accept and support the development of sustainable cities?

Big oil companies are already accepting the changes in the consumption of energy. They have all developed a division in green technologies and work to develop clean fossil fuels by encouraging new emerging technologies. We need to give them the credit for becoming more socially responsible. Ă?

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THE PARTICULARITY OF MASDARIS THE FACT THAT IT IS A MIX-USECITY. A CITYWHERE YOU CAN WORK, LIVE AND ENJOY A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE LOWEST ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINTAT THE SAME TIME

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On what will the future of sustainable urban development depend?

It will depend mostly on the readiness of technologies to help build environment-friendly cities or eco-cities but also in socially viable terms. One of our challenges when the idea of Masdar emerged was the inexistent technologies such as hybrid cars. Today, all big car manufacturers are developing such cars. It will also depend on the readiness of governments and legislation and policies.

Don’t you think that the world has other priorities to solve such as hunger and life threatening diseases before thinking of developing sustainable cities?

Definitely yes, we need to change the way we live. Governments need to commit to change. According to scientists, if we continue to live the way we are living today, we will need the equivalent of five planets to sustain us. The world needs to commit and is slowly changing. These new cities will definitely help in the aspect of disease control and poverty by reducing pollution and CO2 emissions.

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Do you think that big cities such as Cairo, Mexico City, Mumbai can one day become sustainable cities? If not, what will be the solution to improve life in these mega poles?

We believe the name of the game for big cities to change this aspect is through the wide spectrum of green technologies and through energy efficiency.

Many countries today are facing major environmental problems in their cities but have empty and desert lands, do you think that developing new sustainable cities in these places such as Masdar are the solution?

New cities developing in remote areas or outside big cities are part of the natural growth process of population. Countries like Japan, China and India have developed totally new eco-cities that are cleaner, energy efficient and living on clean fossil fuels.

Many people criticize the livability of such cities. In your opinion, will Masdar be a success story that will change these ideas?

At Masdar we want a city that is livable with a high quality of life with the lowest environmental foot print.

That's why every aspect of the city has been studied and detailed such as the planning of the city. It will not be purely residential or purely commercial but it will be a mixed community with leisure time as well.

At what stage of development is the whole project?

Phase One of the city will be ready by 2015. We invite companies to come and establish their headquarters and to deploy their technologies. Masdar will become the showcase for the whole region with regards to all green technologies. The city will be inhabited by 40,000 people in addition to that, it will receive 50,000 business commuters. Phase One is of one million square meters with IRENA and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. The full city will be ready by 2025 and is very well located between the busy district of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Masdar City, along the new developments nearby, will be the new ‘downtown’ of Abu Dhabi.

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By Amy SIM Photos By Mimo KHAIR

CHINA: PROGRESS IN ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION DISCLOSURE BUT POLLUTION DATA STILL WITHHELD

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report published by ARTICLE 19 and the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV) at the China University of Political Science and Law, found progress in access to government-held environmental information in China. A significant amount of environmental information has been disclosed by the local environmental protection bureaus (EPB) both proactively and upon requests. In some cities, local EPBs have set up

online mechanisms to facilitate access to environmental information and the submission of information requests by the public.

The report entitled Access to Environmental Information in China: Evaluation of Local Compliance was launched in December 2010. It was written by Sim Kok Eng Amy from ARTICLE 19 and Hu Jing from the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV) at the China University

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ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES MAY HAVE BEEN UNWILLING TORELEASEINFORMATION ON POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FOR FEAROF AFFECTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR GENERATING NEGATIVE PRESS. BUT SUCH AN APPROACH IS UNSUSTAINABLE. THEFREE FLOW OF INFORMATIONIS KEY TO THE MONITORING OFRESPONSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOURSAND FOR THE EXECUTION OF TIMELY RESPONSES TO SERIOUS INDUSTRIAL IMPACTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT

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of Political Science and Law. The report outlines the findings of the first evaluation on access to environmental information in seven cities across China.

Despite the improvement in access to environmental information, there is still a wide gap between existing practices and the legal requirements under China’s Open Government Information Regulations and Measures on Open Environmental Information (for Trial Implementation). In particular, information relating to pollutant emissions, waste disposal and list of illegally polluting enterprises is the hardest to obtain. In addition, disclosure of environmental information by large enterprises is very limited, which is likely due to the lack of legal requirements on enterprises to publish information.

One of the main objectives of the study is to empower local communities to exercise their right to information (RTI) to

monitor pollution and accountability of local environmental authorities. Grassroots environmental organizations across China were trained in access to environmental information. Among them, seven were selected to carry out the evaluation by submitting information requests to their EPBs and examining published environment information on the websites and other communication channels of local environmental agencies and large enterprises. This activity has enhanced their ability to exercise their right to information.

“Through participating in this survey, we see that there is much improvement in EPB’s work on environmental information disclosure. However, there is still room for improvement,” says Liu Hong Ming, a member of Friends of Nature Shanghai who participated in the survey, “As a civil society organization, we need to step up our work on

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THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN THIS SURVEY, WE SEE THAT THERE IS MUCH IMPROVEMENT IN EPB’S WORK ON ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION DISCLOSURE. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

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WE NEED TO STEP UP OUR WORK ON INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, ANDBUILDOUR OWN CAPACITIES AND SKILLS IN MAKING INFORMATION REQUEST Í

information disclosure, and build our own capacities and skills in making information request.”

In the report, ARTICLE 19 and CLAPV provide a set of recommendations to the Chinese environmental agencies and civil society organizations, to strengthen government’s mechanism and capacity for environmental information disclosure, establish standards on information disclosure by enterprises, and enhance collaboration among civil society organisations on promoting greater access to environmental information.

BACKGROUND At the end of 2005, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China adopted the “Decision on Implementing the Scientific Concept of Development and Strengthening Environmental Protection”. Under the measures to develop mechanisms for fostering community monitoring, it was stated that information on environmental pollution incidents should be released timely in order to provide opportunities for public participation. It also underscored that enterprises should be open about environmental information.

In 2007, the State Council and the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) adopted the Regulations on Open Government Information (“the OGI Regulations”) and the Measures for Open Environmental Information (for Trial Implementation) (“the OEI Measures”) respectively. Both legal documents were made effective on May 1, 2008.

To support the implementation of these two legal documents, raise awareness among citizens on their right to access information, and increase public participation and

transparency in environmental governance, ARTICLE 19 and the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims at the China University of Political Science and Law (CLAPV, also known as the Research and Service Center for Environmental and Natural Resources Law) implemented the Access to Environmental Information project in 2010.

THE PROJECT CONSISTS OF FOUR MAIN ACTIVITIES Training on access to environmental information for environmental officers and representatives of civil society organizations; Mobilising local civil society organisations to conduct an evaluation on environmental information disclosure; Workshop on access to environmental information; Publication of a book on access to environmental information in China and abroad.

The training course was held in Beijing on May 7 and 8, 2010. More than 40 environmental officers and civil society organizations representatives from across China attended. The evaluation on environmental information disclosure was carried out from mid-July to mid-October, 2010, and the findings were shared at the workshop held on the November 21 in Beijing. The book on access to environmental information in China and abroad is slated for publication in 2011.

TO ACCESS THE REPORT VISIT www.article19.org/pdfs/reports/access-toenvironmental-information-in-china-evaluation-oflocal-compliance-.pdf 103

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By Piercarlo CRACHI

THE MUSEUM OF LIBYA A RESTORATION PROJECT OF THE GARDEN OF TRIPOLIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FORMER PALACE OF THE PEOPLE

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estoring the Museum of Libya, formerly known as the Palace of the People, is based on the principle of philological restoration, which is actualy in compliance with the existing trees and/or with the reintegration of their missing parts by maintaining the original design.

The project draws its inspiration from an existing site plan still clearly visible today, which reflects the original plan

South side pools project

drawn-up by Public Works of Tripoli between the years 1926-1931.

The original structure was conceived by an Italian engineer from Milan, Saul Wonder Mantegazza who was commissioned to design the residence and representative office of the Governor of Italian Libya. He conjured up a magnificent architecture which is currently restored and dedicated to house the Museum of Libya.

The floor plan of the garden covers a dense network of pedestrian and car ways that comprise several stairs and retaining walls to resolve the differences in altitude. The garden covers about four hectares distributed in an original way with the creation of the garden on the western side typically Western, an Italian garden in the central raised part and the Islamic garden in the eastern part. Ă?

East side actual view

East side project

South side pools actual view

Project by : Studio Crachi-Roma, Italy www.studiocrachi.com Ordered by: The Libyan Government

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On the right side coming from the north and heading towards the western part was the riding stables, which no longer exists. The project has been redesigned with the same shape and is intended as parking space for the public with a row of cypress trees placed in the center, on the same side is previewed for the restoration of the adjacent kiosk in the middle of the road in a horseshoe shape, now mostly rock garden.

On the west side is the rose garden with concentric circular steps for containment of plants with fountain jets in the middle shelf. The dense network of irregular English style avenues that intersect on this side delimiting numerous flower beds and garden shows the typical Western style garden.

The central Italian garden has been restored preserving the lattice of iron arches exedra destined to receive the plants. The five fountains, which resemble eighteenth century plants, are restored along with the play of water to gush. New classical sculptures in Carrara marble under the

arches and around the pools were new additions to the original site.

The Islamic garden to the east is characterized by a series of fountains and a large arbor 133 meters long with square pilasters covered with polychrome tiles. The arbor, which no longer exists, has been restored and is dedicated to the rose garden.

The fountains at the top of the central square of the pergola, reminds us of the Arabic well profile, while the floor tiles are a reminiscence of the pattern of oriental rugs. The original objective of the architect was to create different emotions through the narrow streets that intersect with each other, always creating new backgrounds and new perspectives. In the east part towards the south part, special care has been taken to maintain the original design by creating a maze of green bamboo garden and a double bay with sculptures inspired by the arabesque zoomorphism.

The integration of new native plants and trees require the creation of new green beds created along the ave-

nues and adorned with thirty new stone sculptures of African animals (turtles, elephants, lions, sphinxes, eagles, crocodiles ...).

The great avenue of existing gray asphalt becomes red, more suitable for a park road.

The walkways will be paved with local stone or gravel. The curbs of concrete painted white board, existing in the flower beds, will be replaced with marble.

The existing concrete benches were replaced with stone ones designed exclusively for this park. The lighting system has been redesigned and will be of two types: the rehabilitation and integration of the original cast iron street lamps and the installation of modern LED lights recessed in the ground for the lighting of the tree crowns.

A new system spreads the sound in the open with special equipment for outdoor use.

The irrigation system has been redesigned with the zoning in areas planned for the water needs of different types of plants.

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By Erika ROSHDI

ONLINE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:

COMBINING SUSTAINABILITY WITH PROFITABILITY Stakeholder engagement has, in recent years, started to take its rightful place as an important aspect in sustainability for both public and private sector organizations. As the demand for organizational transparency and accountability builds, businesses that have not yet deployed two-way stakeholder communication strategies will find themselves lagging behind their more perceptive competitors. This article explores the competitive advantages to be gained by the online engagement of key stakeholders from the initial planning phases of project development.

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he issue of corporate responsibility and sustainability is now widely incorporated into business strategies, whether it arises from a fear of public opinion or a genuine understanding of the impact effective sustainability initiatives can have on business success.

However, whilst some organizations gladly flout their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;responsibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; activities for all to see, recent business blunders point all too clearly to the dangers of underlying short-termism and internal focus.

The competitive arena is changing.

It is no longer a clear-cut case of profit versus corporate responsibility and, as governments, the media and consumers increasingly shift their focus to sustainability issues, some businesses are already reaping the competitive benefits of pursuing both.

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BUILDING TRUST AND MINIMIZING RISK One crucial element of corporate responsibility is that of stakeholder engagement and consultation, an area, which is becoming more central to the sustainability debate. The practice of involving key stakeholders in project and product development has long been recognized as an important way to minimize risk and ensure greater cooperation with, and acceptance of, the project.

Stakeholder engagement is vital in engendering a focus on sustainability throughout organizational activities.

By involving stakeholders at the development stage, organizations benefit from a broadened pool of expertise and knowledge. The decision-making process will be more complete as a wider range of perspectives is examined, helping to clarify and refine in-

tentions. Consulting stakeholders throughout project lifecycles also increases stakeholder ownership in the finished product.

Generating stakeholder commitment to projects reduces risk and builds trust in the organization. Stakeholders that are consulted from the initial planning phases will be more willing to cooperate with organizational activities. This trust, indispensible for positive corporate reputation, is based on a two-way communication and relationship with stakeholders and cannot be established simply with a successful advertising campaign, or even with a favorable annual report.

Organizations are also facing growing pressure for transparency and accountability in reporting their activities. Again, this involves more than one-way communication from busi-

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Multi-stakeholder dialogue: the development of online communication tools have paved the way for effective two-way multi-stakeholder engagement.

IMS Consulting has observed that the public sector in particular has been an early mover in exploiting the opportunities available in this area.

nesses to stakeholders. An introspective and internal perspective on operations does not, unfortunately, paint a complete picture of organizational activities and their impact on local communities, businesses, environment, suppliers, customers and local government.

Stakeholder engagement that takes place continuously, from making operational decisions to the transparent reporting of organizational activities, has huge implications for business success. Organizations that weave ongoing stakeholder communication into their business strategies place best practice at the centre of their business, shaping all aspects of the organization.

A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Until recently, stakeholder engagement has taken place primarily

through offline methods such as face-to-face meetings, round-table discussions and focus group consultations at specific points in project development, often on an ad-hoc

BY INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS AT THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE, ORGANIZATIONS BENEFIT FROM A BROADENED POOL OF EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE

basis. This type of two-way dialogue has been, and continues to be, essential at various stages of the project lifecycle in allowing organizations to gather important feedback that may well redefine the nature of the project itself.

Whilst offline engagement has been largely effective in gathering vital input from stakeholders, the communication landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years. The Internet has changed the way people communicate, from information gathering and delivery to the building of social networks where relationships are actively cultivated. It is no longer justifiable, or indeed useful, merely to produce and maintain oneway ommunication channels with stakeholders.

However, given the online communication tools now widely available to

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businesses, many are failing to take advantage of the opportunity to build dynamic relationships with stakeholders through ongoing, twoway dialogue.

TAKING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ONLINE Offline stakeholder engagement, although important, is only possible through the physical presence of the parties involved. Given the sometimes unavoidable obstacles of time and distance, it is not always possible to gather all those necessary for

consultation on a particular occasion. Some parties may be unable or unwilling to travel. Some may prefer to remain anonymous, especially where issues of contention are concerned. One of the benefits of the web, however, is its accessibility to a wide audience anywhere, at any time, making online stakeholder engagement a far more convenient option for most. Avoiding the limits of pre-arranged face-to-face meetings, parties can communicate at a time and place that is suitable for them. This can increase the level of

participation from stakeholders, widening the field of input and helping to make the consultation more meaningful.

Another differentiator between offline and online stakeholder dialogue is the capability of the web to objectively measure and quantify the data gathered from two-way communication, allowing businesses to react in an appropriate and timely manner to consultation outcomes. Genuine stakeholder engagement that does more than pay lip service to gathered opinions must be implemented in a way that is easy to evaluate. Online tools such as stakeholder engagement hubs, portals and comprehensive surveys allow organizations to collect and evaluate both quantitative and qualitative data. This provides businesses with a more complete and accurate understanding of stakeholder views, resulting in meaningful consultation that can be effectively addressed.

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), for example, recently undertook its first member survey using the StakeholderTALK Report! online tool to better understand the issues of most importance to their members through quantifiable feedback.

The comprehensive survey, designed and deployed by IMS Consulting, received an exceptional response rate of over 50% in two and a half weeks of being live. Paul King, Chief Executive, commented: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a very encouraging result, as the survey was comprehensive and some of the questions fairly detailed. The main benefit of the StakeholderTALK project is that the results were quantifiable and they have given us the oppor-

ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF THE WEB, HOWEVER, IS ITS ACCESSIBILITY TO A WIDE AUDIENCE ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME, MAKING ONLINE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT A FAR MORE CONVENIENT OPTION FOR MOST 110

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The web also allows traffic generated by particular online communication or output to be measured, allowing businesses to gather information on what is important to stakeholders through their online behavior.

Through interactive newsletters and news and information channels, businesses can have a good indication of the number of stakeholders that engaged with particular messages and updates, allowing them to build on issues that are of importance and interest to their stakeholders. This aspect of online communication gives organizations direction in their sustainability strategies, enabling them to base information provision, policy developments and communications on issues significant to stakeholders.

Another example of two-way dialogue using StakeholderTALK is that of the Morgan Sindall Group, who have exploited such opportunities presented by the web in creating ongoing dialogue through their sustainability micro-site, where their stakeholders are able to keep up to date with the Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy developments, recent projects and sustainability news. The site also gives the company an indication of areas of interest to stakeholders, providing a focus for future activities.

Online communication tools allow for information to be quickly and easily updated and adapted according to specific needs. Stakeholders are able to search through data in various formats such as video, speech and text to find what is relevant to them in making informed decisions or responses.

Tools such as online evidence databases have changed the way case study information is presented to relevant audiences, providing them with a range of search criteria and options with which to locate the specific case study required. The accessibility of such data according to particular requirements makes

TOOLS SUCH AS ONLINE EVIDENCE DATABASES HAVE CHANGED THE WAY CASE STUDY INFORMATION IS PRESENTED TO RELEVANT AUDIENCES online the most powerful way to target individual stakeholders with information that is relevant to them.

Organizations can constantly update stakeholders with developments and progress over project lifecycles, keeping them involved throughout the process. This is key to building ongoing two-way dialogue with stakeholders.

This process of reporting to and updating stakeholders is especially crucial for those that have already made strides in implementing sustainability in their organizations, as the importance of reporting their efforts and progress to stakeholders is often overlooked.

Skanska, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading construction groups, has recognized the significance of keeping stakeholders informed about their progress in sustainability and thus have utilized such online tools to report back to relevant audiences.

Its Sustainability Case Studies site (www.skanska-sustainability-casestudies.com) is a good example of an online evidence database, which allows users to categorize case studies by location and aspects of sustainability. This case study search allows stakeholders to locate exactly what is of interest to them, providing a more useful alternative to traditional online case studies that usually function as PDF files.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The concept of building ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is a particularly important benefit of using online engagement tools over traditional offline consultation. The web allows organizations to move beyond gathering static snapshots of opinions and perspectives at specific points in time. Online stakeholder engagement tools can be used to establish dynamic relationships between various parties involved in the consultation process, allowing participants to continuously build on previous communications and discourse. It also provides organizations with a developing viewpoint of stakeholder perspectives over project life-spans, helping to shape decisions that are made throughout.

The practice of making decisions and doing business with stakeholder engagement at the centre is a fundamental step forward. As the political agenda pushes the issue of sustainability and corporate responsibility further to the top, working sustainable practices into top-level strategies will be the key to competitive advantage.

The possibilities offered by the web in communications leave no room for static, ad hoc stakeholder consultation or flat, one-way dialogue from businesses to stakeholders. The various tools available online in webbased engagement toolkits such as StakeholderTALK provide surveys, portals, news and information channels. These offer businesses the opportunity to build creative, interactive and, most importantly, meaningful long term two-way dialogue with their stakeholders (see www.stakeholderTALK.com).

It is no longer a choice between corporate responsibility and profit. Businesses that choose to recognize the value that stakeholder input can have in decision making, minimizing risk and corporate reputation will find themselves making significant headway in building for the future, not only for themselves, but also for those impacted by their activities.

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THE GOAL IS TO COMMUNICATE THE BEAUTY AND MAGNIFICENCE OF A TERRITORY WITH MOMENTS OF REFLECTION AND IMMERSION INTO THE ENVIRONMENT

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he fact that Valnerina and Monti Sibillini are among the candidate places to join UNESCO sites is already a quality warranty. This would be enough to invite you to discover this corner of paradise in the heart of Umbria right in the central of Italy. If it were not for that reason there are so many others to get this place as a highlight of Italy tourist destination. There are many outdoor activities you can do throughout the year. They also learn many things on the environment, and culture. Many activities are specifically designed for teaching purposes.

In particular, the environmental guides Angelo Grilli offers new and interesting programs also designated at schools and youth clubs during school trips and nature holiday in summer or winter.

The goal is to communicate the beauty and magnificence of a territory with moments of reflection and immersion into the environment with safe as exciting activities, leading each participant as protagonist, sharing with respect for nature lots of experience, providing a tool that provides not only creative but also cognitive function and socialization.

All activities (hiking, orienteering, canoeing, rafting....) Can be played on a daily basis, or developed in half a day so he can practice more in a day activity.

EDUCATIONAL EXCURSIONS The Valnerina and Sibillini Mountains with their breathtaking landscapes, deep valleys, villages and plateaus are ideal terrain for hiking, organized together with local guides and set on the principles of environmental education. Analysis of tree diversity, collecting samples, searching for items for the recognition of the local fauna, observation of the colors and detection of sounds of the forest: These are some of the activities combined with excursions that allow a comprehensive study of the environment.

In addition to the evening debriefing, the half-day trips can be combined

THE VALNERINA AND SIBILLINI MOUNTAINS WITH THEIR BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES ARE IDEAL TERRAIN FOR HIKING, ORGANIZED TOGETHER WITH LOCAL GUIDES AND SET ON THE PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

learn to navigate, for hunting and cross territories, watching the flight of birds the stars the sun and the direction of prevailing winds.

Today this activity is called orienteering, and Scandinavia (and later Italy as well) has become a sport.

Consist in going through the territory crossing woods or open areas equipped with map and compass, altimeter and in such case GPS taking a course through obligate steps, following some reference points such as an intersection of trails, clean areas or a small hill.

The activity is conducted by expert guides in areas properly designed and carried out in order to achieve maximum results in total safety conditions.

CLIMBING with a specified resume activity referring to the treated themes.

Very interesting is the former railroad Spoleto-Norcia, a route between nature and history, following the old railway.

Excursion can be combined with the projection of pictures on the railroad as it was and the socio-economic importance of the railway itself.

You can also explore the plans of Castelluccio di Norcia, beautiful landscape shaped by nature, reflecting on sheep farming and transhumance, or the Canatra Valley, near the village of Castelluccio di Norcia, matching the specific activity linked to the knowledge of the mount Coscerno and his district.

Marmore waterfall and the Piediluco lake gave us an opportunity to study the water cycle, and end the tour in the valley with a fantastic snack in Pontuglia with local products in a special frame made by a working water mill in 1500 with the invented

by Leonardo Da Vinci.

ORIENTEERING The ability to move in nature is an instinct that could be acquired through practice.

Since ancient times man has had to

To learn rudiments of this sport you need a small rock wall.

Throughout Valnerina layers of limestone are often suitable for this activity. Walls are already equipped with extremely safe anchorage called spit. Safely under the control of a mountain guide, you will get in contact with the rock and start to fell comfortable with this natural instinct. The length of the climbs starts from few meters , but still sufficient to provide excitement and challenge.

ADVENTURE TRAIL The course is structured in a natural environment. It is involved with a series of exercises that test skills and abilities. The purpose is to reach physical and mental skills due to take improve speed and problem solving and strengthen group relationships.

Learning that natural environment has to be respected and protected as a resource for humans.

CANYONING The whole area is crossed by many narrow valleys, gorges and ravines created by the numerous streams that flow in the main rivers. Descend these streams, with expert guides to the use of technical equipment, will

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Eco-Tourism Ă?

allow participants to discover beautiful and fascinating worlds remained completely unseen and untouched.

Canyoning, under safety rules, offers a unique opportunity of nature contact to follow a single stream from the source, increasing as well specific physical skills.

Excursion could be made in the best and most wild canyon with or without water flowing.

RAFTING/CANOEING Along the main rivers can be done soft and hard rafting Local guides will take you on the most difficulty spots in perfect safe conditions and depending by the condition some waterways are no dangerous and could be done by themselves. Experiencing exploring river routes, from a hidden to the most point of view.

An exciting experience in the lush river vegetation, play in the water, following the sound of the river under our boat, looking for trout or a frog movement, or spying the birds diving in the water, drinking water straight from the source.

HIKING WITH MULES Along the ancient communication routes you can hike accompanied by mules. The donkey is the perfect companion especially for children, very docile, loves to be cuddled and caressed. He does not like running and jumping, but walks normally without acceleration. With the donkeys can be made daily walks or real trekking. Is possible to ride donkeys or use them to carry luggage.

Soon between the animal and its rider establishes a direct link, a communication unique. So it becomes an instructive experience and adventure.

MOUNTAIN BIKE The territory with specified itinerary and properly equipped accommodations can support bikers during bike hiking or trekking.

Here you will find suitable trails for children as technical itinerary on downhill and single track with passages on rocks or jumps.

SNOWSHOES TREKKERS During the winter season, you can enjoy special activities in the snow.

The use of snowshoes or crosscountry ski, allows us to move on the snow without being too tired.

The activity is accessible to all and requires no special technical skills or special preparation.

But in any case you can enjoy the beautiful and unspoiled mountain scenery in the winter out of the ordinary ski areas.

A wide range of courses offered by the vast plateau of Castelluccio di Norcia, in Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini, and Gavelli in the Monte Coscerno, are ideal terrain for schools.

Very interesting also the beech woods of the Val di Canatra, still in the Sibillini mountains and the Valley of Campofoglio. During an excursion on the snow will conduct an analysis of the layers of fallen snow on the ground checking the consistency displayed by the metamorphosis taking the appropriate magnifiers snow crystals look at the interaction of the snow itself with the water cycle. We will have the chance to see the footprints of animals that live in the area.

The snowshoes and the technical equipment for snow analysis ,will be provided from our guides.

To complete the services provided by OUTDOORGUIDE we can organize training events in different disciplines, corporate training events (team building, outdoor training), implementation of road book and self guides basis of special needs, organization of school and youth associations fully assisted trips with complete logistics assistance.

Accommodation could be arranged on specified request ranging from fully equipped campsite to hotel or mountain hut.

You can request for organized activities throughout the country and abroad.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION www.outdoorguide.it info@outdoorguide.it 117

WORLD ENVIRONMENT

MAGAZINE

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By Maria Alejandra FARIA

MADAGASCAR PRESERVING THE MARINE POPULATION

Eco-Tourism

Princesse Bora Lodge is a superb hotel on the west coast of Ile Ste Marie, which is a narrow tropical island off the east coast of Madagascar.

It is famed for its outstanding whale watching, coconut palm beaches, great snorkeling and water sports. Owned and run by Francois-Xavier Mayer - whose family has lived on the island since the 1790’s – and a dedicated multilingual team of professionals fluent in English, Spanish, French. Í

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wenty lovely, self-contained villas built of natural materials are set amidst a grove of coconut palms, beside the long white beach at the edge of the lagoon. All the Comfort and Luxury villas have a suspended double bed, a living area, private facilities with a separate toilet and a private and a panoramic sea-facing veranda. Comfort villas can accommodate two people; they are equipped with a fan and there is a hammock on the veranda. The six 55 meter-squared octagonal luxury villas offer double basins, air-conditioning and a mezzanine room with twin beds.

The five new executive beach villas are 95 meter squared and glass-fronted, to take full advantage of the tropical sunsets and the Indian Ocean panorama. The wide terrace provides another super vantage point. Beach villas are air-conditioned and can accom-

modate up to three people in one double and one single bed. Facilities include a bathtub.

The restaurant at Princesse Bora Lodge is known to be the best on the island. Fresh seafood and fish is prominent on the menu. French, Creole and Malagasy influences are reflected in the cuisine. A wonderful wine cellar offers a large choice of French, South-African and local vintages.

The lodge also has a pizza oven for an alternative to lunch. The bar, with its oak barrels of flavored rums, is an ideal spot from which to watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean.

The lodge has a decked infinity pool and a wooden pontoon on the lagoon.

Its water sports center provides snorkeling equipment, pirogues, canoes and catamarans. It also has boats for water-skiing and paragliding. Ile Ste Marie is a

new and excellent surfing destination. Mountain bikes for exploring the island are available free of charge, and for a little fee one can hire a motorbike, quads or a 4WD vehicle with driver. The nearby PADI dive center offers courses and a full dive program, including wreck and night dives.

Fishermen are ready to provide boats, equipment and fishing guides for some really fine fishing trips including: tuna, bonito, grey mullet, captains, sea-bream, and king mackerel. There is also a wonderful spa with a full range of treatments for body and soul.

Princesse Bora Lodge offers a full program of island excursions including visits to the only known piratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cemetery, Ă?

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the oldest church in Madagascar, the market in Ambodifotatra, the mangroves or the forest of Ampanihy. The cross-island walk is a natural trek through pristine forests and empty beaches - the hotel provides pick up.

Using a pirogue boat, one can go to Ile aux Nattes, with its brilliant, soft, white sand; or a guided walk, to discover the orchids, clove and cashew trees and growing cinnamon bark.

Princesse Bora Lodge was built using local labor. Upon completion, everyone who had worked on the construction was offered the opportunity for full training to qualify for employment at the lodge.

The channel between Ile Ste Marie and the Malagasy mainland is a whalewatching hotspot. Large groups of humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) make their annual migration from the Antarctic to the sheltered waters around Ile Ste Marie where they calve, nurse their young and engage in their spectacular courtship rituals between the end of June and September of each year.

A unique experience to compliment the wealth of wildlife that Madagascar offers, guests at Princesse Bora

Lodge can take part in the scientific monitoring of humpback whales between July and September, especially the mating and giving birth processes.

The Princesse Bora is affiliated to CETAMADA, a Malagasy NGO dedicated to marine mammals conservation, through observation and sampling of the mayor groups with a permanent base at the lodge during the season.

No one has failed to be impressed by Mr. Mayer's commitment to conservation or by the quality of the whale-watching program. A specialist eco-guide briefs whale-watchers before and during the boat trips, which follows the code of good conduct for approaching these spectacular creatures. Once silently anchored within 100 meters of a group of whales, visitors sit back and

how they conduct their research for conservation or simply for people who have always wanted to study marine biology. The seven-day package is a promised seven days in paradise. This includes housing at one of the most renowned eco-lodge, eating the freshest seafood and best cuisine, having a relaxing spa facility at a two minute distance away, and a full day activity that comprises a shared experiences of being a marine biologist leaving a blue footprint in this planet. Each individuals participation in this experience be it for pleasure of scientific curiosity, will raise invaluable data that will set up the future of these majestic mammals. It is the ultimate holiday destination with a mission to saving the oceans life!

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE NGO CETAMADA

watch – or participate in the collection of data, which is followed by a debriefing conference at the end of the day.

The new package for 2011 is directed mainly for people who are interested in knowing what a marine biologist does,

Founded in 2009, Cétamada is a Malagasy non-profit organization (NGO) with a mission to preserve the marine mammal populations through several initiatives, ranging from whale watching, scientific research, community empowerment and co-management. Cétamada is one of the few NGOs with a shared database and also a leader organization for the

whale watching operations in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean. The NGO is actively involved in scientific research projects including: characterization of sound subunits for humpback whales song analysis, census of marine mammals and other pelagic mega-fauna by aerial survey in the French economic exclusive zone (ZEE), environmental education impact on whale-watching tourism, empowerment of local communities through artisanal workshops, documentaries and printed material to sensitize the general public. The Cétamada members are internationally recognized researchers involved in the International Whaling Commission, Indian Ocean Commission (COI) and marine research centers in France, as well as in other parts of Europe. We believe research activities and the empowerment of local communities are the building blocks to conserve marine mammal diversity.

SOME FACTS ABOUT THE AREA LOCATION OF THE PROGRAM The program is based in Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar.

Ile Sainte-Marie, known as Nosy Boraha, is an island off the east coast

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of Madagascar. The main town is Ambodifotatra, the island covers an area of 222 square kilometers, with a population estimated at 16,325 in 2001.

Between the west of Ste Marie Island and the east coast of Madagascar we can find the Channel of Ste Marie, with a maximum depth of 60 meters.

The coastal waters of Ste Marie are a well-known calving and breeding grounds for humpback whales between July and October each year in their migration from Antarctica, attracting lots of tourists and researchers to the area. The following map shows the areas where CĂŠtamada is already developing scientific and social activities: Ile Ste Marie, Salary Be, Maronantsetra, Ifaty, Nosy Be, Fort Dauphin, Antananarivo.

The activity of whale-watching cruise is defined as any commercial initiative that allows for the public to observe whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. This activity generates substantial financial benefits

for both private enterprises as well as for communities and even local government. A study assessed the economic impact of whale-watching made in the maritime zones of the Bay of Antongil, Sainte Marie, Nosy Be, and Cape Ste. Marie Anakao showing that this activity generated 1,825,628 US dollars during the 2008 season (Economist at Large 2009).

The study showed that Ste. Marie attracted more tourists to observe whales than the other sites. Sainte Marie is the third major tourist destination after Nosy Be and Toliara in Madagascar (Ministry of Tourism, 2000). Several recreational activities related to the marine environment are suggested by trip operators, including whale-watching during the most important season of migration of humpback whales. The commercial whale-watching activity began in late 1980 in Ste. Marie and has since developed and improved their quality

of service in the island (Rasoamampianina, 2004). Whale-watching boats are used as platforms to collect scientific data and to promote awareness. The data taken from the observation boats are widely used in scientific research to study the diversity of marine mammal abundance, species distribution (Ingram et al, 2007, Rowat 2009). CĂŠtamada uses at least 14 whale-watching boats in a season as tools for gathering boat-based scientific data. Also the whale-watching activity is a platform for environmental awareness programs among visitors and locals (Corkeron, 2006; Atkins and Swartz, 1988). The public can learn about marine mammals in their natural environment. In short, ecotourism (whalewatching) is an essential means to ensure the conservation of humpback whales in their breeding and feeding environment.

We have conducted a follow-up of the popu-

lation of humpback whales and other cetacean species during the migration seasons of humpback whales.

This period is defined in Article 10 of the ministerial decree No. 2083/2000 of 8 March 2000 is between late June and late October.

Different observation techniques used have allowed the identification of a total of ten species in the sites of intervention Cétamada during the two seasons for whale watching.

These species include two species of baleen whales or baleen humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and right whales (Eubalaena australis), eight species of odontocetes or toothed whales: the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp), Stenella (Stenella sp), Pseudorque (Pseudorca crassidens), Mesoplodon (Mesoplodon sp) Mesoplodon Longman (Indopacetus pacificus), dolphin of Electra (Peponocephala electra) Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), species of Delphinidae,

MAIN GOALS ACHIEVED

BY CETAMADA’S TEAM

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1.Total humpback whales observed: >1500.

2.Total of tourist for the season: >1600.

3.Total of trips: >210.

4.Total of hours for the trips: >630.

5.Total Photo IDs: >170.

6.Average of the whale-watching contact efficiency of the trips: 35%.

7.More than 120 DVDs recorded for sensitizing the tourists.

8.More than 120 new memberships.

9.Total eco-juniors (between 13 and 17 years old) in the “whale summer camp”: 10 10. A total of 37 volunteers for the season.

11.Seven (7) hours of songs recorded for further acoustics analysis by specialists.

12.Assistance and presentation in nine weekly meetings of Cétamada members in Ste Marie.

13.Tax carbon for the season calculated at 295,379.81 Kg of CO2 (equal to 4.431 Euros) for 295 trees to be planted.

14.Poll for environmental education impact among tourist taking the whale watching tours 15.More than 95 hours of presentations/talks to tourists, and more than 30 hours of interventions at local schools and communities.

16.Media press presentation Antananarivo 15th of June, Festival of the Whale in Ambodifototra June 20th, Oceans media press in Antananarivo from the 16th to the 18th of September.

17.Two ghost fishing net pull out of the sea (1 was approx. 8mx3m and the other 2mx2m), rescuing one sea turtle: Eretchmotchelis imbricata, data and details were sent to Kélonia (Turtles Conservation Center at La Reunion, France).

18.First observation registered of a humpback whale birth on August 30th 2010 and follow-up for the re-sight; release to scientific press and general media (Latin America, Europe, Indian Ocean).

19.Daily news and maintenance of the Cétamada web page, including the update of the Photo ID database (free access).

20.Preparation of a presentation for Cétamada volunteers and operators in English, and groundwork of a second presentation of humpback whales (a deep look into biology and physiology).

21.Two (2) drafts for scientific articles based on the observations done on the humpback whale’s birth August 30th,, 2010.

22.Draft analysis of the 2009 and 2010 data from all Cétamada operators (17) around Madagascar (on going).

23.Leading and support to the dolphin watching team in Ste Marie Island from October 7th to the 15th, 2010 (Mauritius – France - Madagascar).

24.Draft abstracts to many International Congresses.

BY SUPPORTING THE EXPANSION AND CONTINUITY OF OUR SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS WE ASSURE THAT A SUSTAINABLE LIFE STYLE WILL KEEP RISING FROM AND FOR THE COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATED TO THE COASTAL WATERS OF MADAGASCAR Í

finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhyncus). The results of aerial surveys have revealed the possibility of observation of dugong (Dugong dugon) and other species of dolphins that we could not identify.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCALIZATION OF THE PROJECTS RELIES IN TWO MAJOR ASPECTS:

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We are within the Indian Ocean Sanctuary (1979), and re-evaluated and expanded at the 46th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1994. Even though this is a special management and conservation area, no humpback whale census has been released since the establishment of the Sanctuary; in other words, no population estimate is available to date. At that time the population of the breeding area C3, corresponding to Madagascar was 2,532 and then an estimate between 4 936 – 8 169 individuals was done by Wild Conservation Society (WCS) based on a study between 2000 and 2006 in Antongil Bay with analysis of Photo ID and multi-locus microsatellite genotypes. The same

study states, among potential biases (sampling area, models used, etc) the geographic or population estimation for humpback whales. Our main goal is to reinforce the research in this subject estimating the number of humpback whales at Ste Marie’s coastal waters and to design a survey method suitable for the environmental and socio-economic context in Madagascar, that can be replicated in other coast of the country and that will allow to study trends in time and space.

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The general socio-economic context where the project is established, Madagascar, is characterized by a depressed quality of life (as any undeveloped country). Nevertheless, on the island of Ste. Marie, after more than ten years of working towards bringing together development and conservation of marine life, specially humpback whales, we can see the difference among other coastal communities. On the Island of Ste Marie, the leaders of Cétamada have been working for more than ten years towards involving the local community in the conservation projects, and now

is the population of Ste Marie that looks forward on being involved in whales conservation in order to keep their status and quality of life. This led to a tangible improvement in the development of the community compared to other coastal regions of Madagascar. The migration of this species during the winter months brings more than 3000 tourists per year in this area (ca. 80% of annual tourism), being the third place that attracts more tourists in Madagascar.

By supporting the expansion and continuity of our social and scientific programs we assure that a sustainable life style will keep rising from and for the communities associated to the coastal waters of Madagascar.

Thus setting the example and precedent for other communities in the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, and in other parts of the world where whales, and the environment in general, can be used to improve human quality of life while preserving and actually improving the state of such natural components. This project is an active example to show that men and sea can interact in equilibrium, and how the science behind the scenes holds up the system.

WE AGENDA

Future Environm ental Events

March 17 March 2011 The Sustainable Business Summit www.economistconferences.co.uk London, UK 17-18 March 2011 International Conference Sustainable Living www.homerenaissancefoundation.org London, UK 23-24 March 2011 The International Conference on Sustainable Systems and the Environment www.aus.edu/conferences Sharjah, UAE

25-27 March 2011 International Conference on Future Environment and Energy (ICFEE 2011) www.icfee.org Sanya, China 28-29 March 2011 Build It Green - Lebanon Sustainability Solutions Conference www.eecosolutions.com Beirut, Lebanon

April 6-7 April 2011 Water & Environment 2011 CIWEM'S Annual Conference www.ciwem.org/events/annual-conference London, UK 11-13 April 2011 3rd International Conference on Energy and Sustainability www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/energy-2011 Alicante, Spain 11-15 April 2011 Sustainable Energy Week www.eusew.eu Brussels, Belgium

2-5 May 2011 Conference on Wind Energy and Wildlife Impacts www.cww2011.nina.no Trondheim, Norway

22-26 May 2011 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress www.content.asce.org/conferences Palm Springs, USA

8-10 May 2011 International Sustainable Development Research Conference www.isdrc17.ei.columbia.edu New York, USA

31 May - 1 June 2011 2nd Annual Greening Government Conference www.greeninggovernment.ca Toronto, Ontario, Canada

11-13 May 2011 17th International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference www.icci.com.tr Istanbul, Turkey

31 May - 3 June 2011 Project Lebanon www.projectlebanon.com Beirut, Lebanon

16-19 May 2011 6th Annual International Symposium on Environment www.atiner.gr/environment Athens, Greece

June

July

1-3 June 2011 Lebanon Sustainability Week www.projectlebanon.com Beirut, Lebanon

4-6 July 2011 Unconventional Oils and the Environment www.iasted.org/conferences Calgary, Alberta, Canada

5-9 June 2011 8th APGC Symposium: Plant Functioning in a Changing Global and Polluted Environment www.apgc.eu Groningen, Netherlands 16-18 June 2011 14th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/events Venice, Italy 23 June 2011 The UK Energy Summit www.economistconferences.co.uk London, UK 24-26 June 2011 International Renewable Energy & Environment Conference www.warponline.org/conferences Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

12-14 July 2011 Sustainable Development and Planning www.wessex.ac.uk New Forest, UK 18-22 July 2011 6th International Conference on Environmental Future www.icef.org.uk Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, UK 21-22 July 2011 3rd International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts and Responses www.on-climate.com Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

WE AGENDA

May