World Environment Magazine, Issue 1

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2 WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

4 LAND OF THE CEDARS | by Mark William Lowe

6 UN BANGKOK CLIMATE CHANGE

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

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

14 BURMA: THE PROBLEM OF DEFORESTATION | by Stefano Torselli

18 WWW.CLIMATETRACKERS.NET - CLIMATE CHANGE DESCRIBED BY ANIMALS

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

22 DISASTER AT GIBRALTAR COAST | by Maria Elena Wise

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

26 SWEDEN: PETROL INDEPENDENCE A STRATEGIC GOAL | by Fabiana Agrò

30 JATROPHA CURCAS GOLD OF TOMMORROW | by Maria Elena Wise

31 TREE DAY IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA | by Marta Langiu

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

36 GOING NORTH: GLOBAL WARMING ESCAPE ROUTES

38 PLANET EARTH | by Francesca Bertani

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

45 SPECIAL LEBANON

50 YOUTH DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

54 THE OIL SPILL CATASTROPHE

58 OIL SLICK ON LEBANESE SHORES: A UN REPORT

64 WAR IMPACT ON FORESTS AND OLIVE GROVES ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH LEBANON

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

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

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

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

82 FIRST HUNTER SURVEY IN LEBANON

6 18 32

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EDITORIAL

by MARK WILLIAM LOWE

As a child growing up in Scot-land my bedroom window faced a vast area of mixed woodland. Amongst the beeches, oaks, and pines one species stood out in particular; the tall, majestic, blue-green Cedars. Many years later, while working as a con-sultant to the Lebanese Minis-try of Tourism, I would learn that this was no ordinary tree; indeed in respect for its place in history the Cedar was con-sidered so important as to be chosen as the Lebanese nation-al emblem. The Cedar repre-sents Lebanon and Lebanese people very well; dignified and

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

The ancient Phoenicians used the wood for the construc-tion of commercial and mili-tary ships as well as for build-ing houses and temples. Cedar wood was also traded through-out the Mediterranean, in fact it is said that King Solomon insist-ed that wood from Lebanese cedars be used in the construc-tion of his palace as well as his temple in Jerusalem. The Per-sians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans all prized and used the wood of the Leb-anese Cedars. Unfortunately so important and prestigious was the scented wood from the Cedars that deforestation has been a problem throughout his-tory. Today very few mature trees survive. Fortunately over the years serious efforts have been made not only to protect what is left of the ancient for-ests but to replant and replen-ish the diminishing stocks. This important and ongoing effort to conserve an international-ly renowned natural treasure is one of the environmental issues

featured in this debut edition of World Environment Magazine.

World Environment Maga-zine’s choice of dedicating spe-cial coverage to the Lebanon in its debut edition and launch-ing the magazine at a special event in Beirut is far from cas-ual; it was a proposal made and immediately approved by the editorial team while sitting around a table in Rome discuss-ing their personal experiences in the Lebanon. Personal opin-ions aside we then had to exam-ine the proposal in an objective fashion. We considered the fact that environmental issues are strongly felt in the ‘Land of the Cedars’ and that the Lebanon has always had a well devel-oped and influential media sec-tor; at that point there was no turning back, the debut edition would feature the Lebanon and the official launch would take place in Beirut. There was an additional consideration that as a team we deemed of particu-lar relevance; World Environ-ment Magazine is an ambitious media project linked to a highly innovative web television chan-nel, World Environment TV. We felt that if there is anywhere in

LAND OF THE CEDARS

5MAY 2008

the world a place where ambi-tious goals are to be understood and appreciated it is in the Leb-anon.

The ongoing process of rebuilding the Lebanon follow-ing many long years of conflict presents a number of examples of the determination and drive of the Lebanese – in particular amongst the young. Despite the fact that the ‘Land of the Cedars’ has more than its fair share of environmental problems there is a considerable number of ini-tiatives in the fields of sustaina-ble development and eco-tour-ism – the majority are projects devised and implemented by the younger generations. World Environment Magazine fea-tures some of them in this edi-tion and it is our intention to continue doing so in the future. Both the magazine and World Environment TV are commit-ted to delivering balanced, well sourced and researched con-tent. It is our objective to sup-ply our readers and viewers

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

A special relationship with Italy

In addition to our own rea-sons for featuring the Lebanon in this issue of World Environ-ment Magazine there is also the fact that ties between Italy and the Lebanon have always been strong. This special relation-ship was demonstrated recent-ly when, on the request of the Lebanese Government, the Ital-ian Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Serv-ices (APAT) began its contribu-

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

The Agency sent a task-force to Lebanon on the 21st of August to evaluate the situation. After an initial appraisal the Bahar mission began on Sep-tember the 12th. The principal objective was to clean the coast-line following the disastrous oil-spill. Italy was the first country to come to Lebanon’s aid and, for this, received great apprecia-tion from the Government.

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

World Environment Maga-zine wishes to thank the pho-tographer Paolo Orlandi and the Apat Extraordinary Com-missioner Giancarlo Viglione, for the images used in this Leb-anon Special.

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UN BANGKOKCLIMATE CHANGE

Three months after the land-mark agreement on a road

map towards strengthened in-ternational action on climate change reached in Bali, Indone-sia, another meeting “post Kyo-to” took place in Bangkok, Thai-land. The talks occurred between 31 March to 4 April 2008 at the United Nations Conference Cen-tre (UNCC) of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

At the Bangkok meeting, delegates from 162 countries began fleshing out the “Road Map” agreed

at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali last year, which launched negotiations on a long-term

international agreement, along with strengthening ongoing work under the UNFCCC.

7MAY 2008

Parties agreed at Bali to formal-ly launch negotiations on enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Conven-tion. These negotiations need to conclude in an agreed outcome by the end of 2009. U.N. climate experts were look-ing for the new pact to impose curbs on all countries, although there is wide disagreement about how to share the burden between rich nations led by the United States and developing countries, such as China and In-dia, to agree to any measures that might curb their rapid in-dustrialization. Developing countries hold that the industrialized coun-tries should continue to take on the main responsibility for cli-mate change mitigation by be-ing committed to further cut on GHG during the next phrase for Kyoto Protocol. One suggestion is that the rich group cut GHG emissions by at least 25 percent to 40 percent from the level of 1990 in the next commitment period of 10 to 15 years.

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

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

sustainable development. “The train to Copenhagen has left the station.” said Yvo de Boer, Ex-ecutive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Conven-tion on Climate Change (UN-FCCC). “Not only do we have the certainty that critical issues will be addressed this year, we now have the bite-sized chunks which will allow us to nego-tiate in an effective manner.” This agreement is to be clinched in Copenhagen in 2009. The main elements of the strong-er climate change deal include a shared long-term vision and enhanced action on mitigation, adaptation, technology and fi-nance. “Delegates brought their hopes and aspirations to Bang-kok. You need a good beginning to get to a good end. We now have that good beginning,” said the UN’s top climate change of-ficial. “It is now crucial to create a better common understand-

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

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

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CLIMATE ACTION:PUTTING EUROPE’S NEW ENERGY

POLICY INTO PRACTICE

O n Wednesday 23 Janu-ary 2008, the Europe-

an Commission proposed a number of measures making up the EU’s new energy and climate package. The aim is to fight climate change more effectively while boosting Eu-rope’s energy security and competitiveness. The package includes extensive measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a 20% reduction of the EU’s greenhouse gas emis-sions by 2020, and a 30% cut if other developed countries agree to do the same. This, in particular, includes the obliga-tion of obtaining 20% of its en-ergy from renewable sources by the same date.

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

Various sectors like agricul-ture, transport and construc-tion and all Member States will have to play their role and contribute to Europe’s targets

according to their respective financial capacities. For ener-gy-intensive sectors, such as steel and chemicals, the Com-mission proposes to strength-en the EU’s Emissions Trading System to help reach the 20% objective

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require an in-creased use of renewable ener-gies, which also implies a more diversified energy supply for Europe.

Bali, ensuring a successor to Kyoto

In December 2007, a decade af-ter the advent of the Kyoto Pro-tocol, the Bali Conference built a bridge of hope for the over 190 countries that are signato-ries to the United Nations Con-vention on Climate Change. The delegations agreed on a roadmap creating a framework for negotiation of an ambitious new climate change agree-ment, the successor to the Kyo-to Protocol.

The roadmap states that ne-gotiation of the action to be taken after the first Kyoto Pro-tocol commitments expire in 2012, must begin “not later

than April 2008” and be com-pleted in 2009.

It notes the “urgency” of in-ternational action to address climate change although it does not establish a guideline range for the efforts needed, referring simply to the work of the Intergovernmental Pan-el on Climate Change (IPCC). Two scenarios are mentioned. The first calls for the industr-ialised nations to reduce emis-sions 10 to 30% (compared to 1990) by 2020, with “margin-al” efforts by the developing countries.

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

9MAY 2008

The agreement also prom-ises to boost available financ-ing and investment to support emissions mitigation actions.

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

The Union’s new energy and climate policy

On 23 January 2008, the Eu-ropean Union reiterated its in-ternational leadership in the drive to curb climate change. The European Commission proposed a package of meas-ures to implement a new and ambitious energy and climate change policy for Europe. The package maintains the conti-nuity of the strategic vision on energy and climate unveiled in January 2007. One of the key objectives is a reduction of at least 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the Union from 1990 levels by 2020, and a 30% reduction if other indus-trialised countries agree to do the same.

The legislative package pro-vides for strengthening and de-veloping the European emis-sions trading scheme (EU ETS). The overall ceiling for emissions from energy-inten-sive industries such as electric-ity production, steel and chem-icals, will be reduced by 21% between 2005 and 2020. In sectors not covered by the ETS,

such as agriculture, transport and housing, the European Commission calls for “solidar-ity”, proposing limited green-house gas emissions for each country.

The Commission outlines an effort shared on a differen-tiated basis according to each Member State’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP). The new Member States will be al-lowed to increase their green-house gas emissions, while the wealthier countries will have to reduce their emissions un-der the effort sharing plan. This means that Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland will have to slash their CO2 emissions by 20%, while Bulgaria will be al-lowed to increase its emissions by the same amount. This sys-tem will result in a 20% re-duction for the EU as a whole. The package also provides for a 30% reduction if an interna-tional agreement is concluded.

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

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

The effort to achieve a 20% share of renewables will al-so be spread fairly among the Member States. The Europe-an Commission’s measures will encourage innovation and the creation of new jobs in new technologies while enhancing Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness. The idea is also to create an in-ternal market for energy.

Europe is has taken on the re-al challenge of climate change. Without action, there is great-er than 50% chance of seeing a global temperature increase of over 4°C this century. Ac-cording to current projections, energy and transport policies would not lead to a decrease in EU emissions, but to an in-crease of around 5% by 2030. If today’s trends and policies continue, EU dependence on energy imports will rise sharp-ly by 2030, from 50% to 65% of total energy consumption in Europe.

DOCUMENTATION

European Commission: Environment: Climate Change:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.html

Slovenian Presidency of the Council: Environment: Climate Change:

http://www.eu2008.si/en/Policy_Areas/Environment/ClimateChange.htm0l

European Environment Agency (EEA): Themes:

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate

OECD: Environment Directorate: Climate Change, Energy and Transport:

http://www.oecd.org/department/0,3355,en_2649_34359_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

International Energy Agency (IEA): Climate Change:

http://www.iea.org/Textbase/subjectqueries/keyresult.asp?KEYWORD_ID=4106

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THE ARAB WORLDIN THE POST-KYOTO REGIME

by WAEL HMAIDAN*

T he UN conference on cli-mate change was held in

Bali, Indonesia from 3-15 De-cember 2007. This conference resulted in a number of deci-sions, including finalizing the Adaptation Fund under the Protocol, a decision on reduc-ing emissions from deforesta-tion in developing countries, and outcomes on technology transfer, the Kyoto Protocol’s flexible mechanisms, the ad-verse effects of combating cli-mate change, and various ad-ministrative/methodological

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

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

bal greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for climate change, between 60 to 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050. Fur-thermore, we need to stabilize greenhouse gases emission in-crease by 2015.

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

11MAY 2008

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

Nevertheless, in Bali, on the afternoon of December 15, 24 hours after the conference’s scheduled conclusion, minis-ters and other high-level offi-cials agreed on the “Bali road-map”. This roadmap provides guidance and direction for a se-ries of meetings over the next two years to be concluded with a comprehensive framework for the post-2012 period at the cli-mate negotiations in Copenha-gen, Denmark, in 2009.

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

several compromises have been made. One such compromise is not setting clear long-term tar-gets within the roadmap. The EU proposed including the tar-gets set by the IPCC in the text, but it was opposed by Cana-da, Russia and few developing countries. A roadmap without a clear destination can end an-ywhere. So in the coming two years of text negotiations for the new treaty it is crucial to make sure that it includes clear long-term targets in conjunc-tion with the scientific findings of the IPCC.

These two years of text ne-gotiations should also include commitments for new coun-tries not included in the Kyo-to Protocol. The Protocol so far commits only a group of major developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% compared to 1990 levels by 2012. Such a modest com-mitment will not be sufficient in the post-2012 commitment pe-

riod. The developed world on its own will not be able to tack-le the impeccable task at hand to limit global temperature in-crease well below 2ºC. Other countries should bare part of the responsibility as well. Coun-tries like Saudi Arabia, who have built their economies on the oil profits, should take di-rect responsibility for climate change.

Unfortunately, fossil-fu-el rich countries have not on-ly been neglecting their respon-sibility towards the issue, but some countries, like Saudi Ara-bia have been actively hinder-ing concrete actions against cli-mate change on regional and international levels. Since the start of the climate negotiations in the 90s, Saudi Arabia has played a key role in shaping in-ternational climate policy. This interference was mainly to in-sure that its oil trade is not af-fected. Many loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol were introduced by Saudi Arabia and the lobby of the oil industry.

According to a study by WWF on the role of OPEC coun-tries, particularly Saudi Arabia, in the Kyoto process, they have opposed greenhouse gas reduc-tions, and disrupted whole ne-gotiation process. This has cre-ated some resentment and frustration on the part of G77 delegates.

Saudi Arabia is not particu-larly well viewed by G77 del-egates because of the tactics it has used in the negotiations. The Islamic Kingdom has tried on several occasions to con-trol the process and agenda

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items, and misrepresented the G77 positions in some forums. These tactics have implications for all Parties, even OPEC mem-ber states. Saudi Arabia’s posi-tions are not aligned with most OPEC countries interests to at-tract CDM projects, diversify their economies and reduce reg-ulatory uncertainty. For many G77 groups such as the Least Developing Countries (LD-Cs), the African Group, Island States and other vulnerable de-veloping countries the implica-tions of such tactics are much more significant as issues that are important to them have not advanced because they were linked to OPEC issues such as response measures.

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

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

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

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

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

This year six Arab countries participated for the first time in the “International Day of Ac-tion against Climate Change” to demand Arab countries to take stronger action against this glo-bal problem. NGOs, govern-mental institutes and individ-uals from Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and UAE joined citizens from more than 80 countries who par-ticipated in this Internation-al event. In Beirut, and despite the tense political situation and bad weather, more than 2000 individuals went down to the streets to participate in a sym-bolic 3km walk against climate change. The number of par-ticipants is similar to having 150,000 individuals participat-ing in the United States, if we take the size of the population into account.

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

13MAY 2008

cultural land. Knowing that ag-riculture is the biggest econom-ical sector in the region, and that we are already the most water scarce area in the world, we can not afford to ignore cli-mate change any more.

Therefore, the Arab League should be leading the fight against climate change, and de-manding a strong post-2012 re-gime with clear long-term tar-gets. Saudi Arabia should not hinder the negotiations for the new treaty like it did for the Kyo-to Protocol. On the contrary, Sau-di Arabia has the chance to save the World by accepting its re-sponsibility and the responsibil-ity of all rich fossil-fuel produc-ing states towards this issue. If a product in the market is harmful to the consumer, the producers usually carry the responsibility of their own products. So, why in the case of climate change, the oil and coal producing coun-tries, especially OPEC who have been making billions and bil-lions of dollars out of their oil are not taking any responsibility for climate change?

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

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

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

enough and require the support of our governments.

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

We can only benefit from se-riously tackling climate change as we have everything to lose if we do not do anything about it. The Arab World needs to get its act together and start showing concern about climate change. Hopefully, at the next Interna-tional Demonstration Day for Climate Change in December, thousands of Arabs will hit the streets and voice that concern.

* Previously, Greenpeace campaigner

for the Arab World. Currently Execu-

tive Director of IndyACT and head of

the “Arab Climate Campaign” (www.

arabclimate.org)

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BURMA:THE PROBLEM OF DEFORESTATION

by STEFANO TORSELLI (EQUILIBRI.NET)

Translation by Megan Ball

T he country has recently been under the spotlight

of worldwide public opinion, due to the monk’s courageous protest against the military re-gime which has been raging on for almost 20 years. The repres-sion of the peaceful revolt has lead to protest by the interna-tional community, but there are also other aspects of the Bur-mese dictatorship which are ra-rely spoken of. Practices, which are often ignored but which ha-ve devastating effects over the environment and the popula-tion’s living conditions, often go on here. The deforestation currently underway in Burma is one of the most serious phe-nomenon’s of environmental erosion and destruction in the

world and strong political and economic interests mean that this practice is conducted al-most without control, with di-sastrous consequences.

The incidence of agriculture and fish farming

In Myanmar, of an overall 676,577 squared kilometres of surface area, about 340,000 are made up by forest land, rende-ring the country one of the ri-chest ecosystems in the world, as well as one of the ultimate places for biodiversity on the Asian continent. It is estimated that more than 50% of forest land on the South-East Asian continent is concentrated in this country. One of the main causes of the incumbent defo-restation currently underway in

the area are the policies of agri-cultural invasion, which modi-fy the characteristics of the soil in the long term. The country is one of the most important ri-ce producers in the world, sin-ce the time of its British colo-nization, an important factor for the national economy. The military regime, above all in recent years, has been a con-cern due to the economic re-strictions and sanctions in pla-ce, due to its dictatorial nature and constant violations of hu-man rights. In a climate of ever more pressing isolation, the mi-litary Government is forced to exploit the available resources to the maximum.

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

In many areas, the process of deforestation is accompanied by a mismanagement of territorial policies, often due to regimes

which do not pay attention to the environment, but which are instead concerned about the satisfaction of particularistic interests. Burma is a shining example of this: deforestation is taking hold

quickly, alongside the stability of Rangoon’s regime.

15MAY 2008

are ever higher; this practice is connected to the labouring for-ced upon the indigenous popu-lation.

Cultivators are often for-ced to be up to three times mo-re productive than normal; the over-farming of the soil leads to depletion, rendering it no lon-ger arable. Added to this is the fact that the inhabitants of the villages of the Burmese forests and jungles often practice agri-culture, rendering the possi-ble long-term beneficial effects of policies aimed at re-foresta-tion and other techniques of land management compatible with the environment, useless. Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world, as an ef-fect of its isolation and therefo-re, the local population is for-ced to provide for itself through the use of these means.

Another cause of the defo-

restation, carried out mainly in the mangrove forests present along the river-lined coastli-ne in the South of the count-ry, is the conversion to fish far-ming, and in particular, the farming of prawns. This is ano-ther product which Burma ex-ports to the whole world in lar-ge quantities, but in order to sustain this production, vege-tation is systematically destro-yed. It is a strategic and vital in-terest for the country and the situation has been even more concerning since the beginning of the 1990’s, when the mili-tary Government declared the country open to foreign busi-nesses, leading to their entran-ce into Burma and allowing them exploit its resources and establish farms for the produc-tion of prawns. Since then, the activity has undergone an all-out boom, resulting in almost

160,000 acres of land being de-dicated to this end. In order to produce ever-greater quantities in an intensive manner, artifi-cial feeds are indiscriminately used, such as chemical additi-ves and pesticides which, in the long run, lead to the destruc-tion of the ecosystem, meaning that the traditional fishing are-as, vital for the local economy, are vanishing.

As well as this, as an effect of the erosion of the protecti-ve barrier provided by these fo-rests, the soil is progressively deprived of its cohesive capaci-ty and protection, making the area more vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the tsunami at the end of 2004. It is not only this; through erosion, soil is de-posited on the riverbed, causing sedimentation and having con-sequent impacts downstream; above all else this happens in

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mangrove forests. According to data concerning the Irrawaddy, the country’s largest river, it has the fifth largest rate of sedimen-tation in the world, after the Yel-low River, the Ganges, the Ama-zon and the Mississippi.

Burmese gold: wood and opium

As well as agricultural invasion and fish farming, the other ma-jor cause of Burma’s deforesta-tion is the harvesting of trees for commerce and domestic use. Teak is the primary variety, a much-desired wood, prized for is characteristics of being hard and resistant, but also thanks to the nature of its oil which makes it waterproof and the-refore protects it from atmos-pheric conditions. Burma is the major worldwide source of pro-curement for this, if it is consi-dered that 70% of teak forests are found there. The problem

of deforestation is ever greater because in several areas, such as in the east, it is a practice in-volving illegal commerce which escapes governmental control. As well as this, the legal com-merce of teak is a source of we-alth for the military regime, in the absence of other natural re-sources and a very weak cur-rency. The exportation of te-ak constitutes more than 10%

of the Government’s overall in-come, making this practice ine-scapable, in view of the count-ry’s conditions.

However, wood is also a source of biomass energy, in a country in which inhabitants are not always able to use “classic” energy sources such as petroleum and natural gas, given the stellar prices rea-ched by these prime materials on international markets. In Rangoon alone, it is calcula-ted that more than half the po-pulation uses wood as a com-bustible for domestic energy, which contributes to the “thin-ning out” of many forests. Ad-ded to this, Burma is the only state with a surplus of wood, surrounded by countries with a strong deficit in the sector (such as China, India and Thai-land), therefore exportation to bordering countries is natural. Only about 10% of China’s de-mand for wood is satisfied and this comes from Burma, since when at the end of the 1990’s, Beijing’s Government legally banned the harvesting of trees

17MAY 2008

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

To complete the picture of power and control involved in the exportation of wood as a currency for exchange (to ob-tain armament on one hand and political protection on the other), drug trafficking also oc-curs. In the East of the count-ry, the so-called “triangle of gold” at the border with Laos and Thailand, one of the most important areas in the world for opium production is found. Mainly in the years directly fol-lowing its destabilization, Af-

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

Trafficking took place due to the scarcity of central po-wer in the territory, which was in past years, the theatre for clashes with the separatist re-bels of Khun Sa, the “master of drugs”. Large-scale opium pro-duction was the means with which the army financed it-self, thanks to 77,000 hectares of land designated to this end, contributing in an influential way to the process of defore-station. In several cases, tree trunks were harvested with the double purpose of bringing profit from their sale (clande-stine) and by hiding drugs in-side them during exportation, which allowed them to pass through undetected.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, it is not possible to compile precise data about the deforestation underway, both due to the hefty inciden-ce of the illegal trafficking of wood and because the Gover-nment doesn’t have available the resources necessary to mo-nitor the territory. Most of all, this environmental situation si-gnifies the need for a comple-te end to the military regime. That which unfortunately se-ems certain, is that the pheno-menon of deforestation is ever more serious and concentrated in fewer parts of the planet, if it is considered that 10 countries (Burma, Brazil, The Democra-tic Republic of Congo, Colum-bia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria and Thailand) contri-bute to 76% of worldwide de-forestation.

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WWF-Belgium, with the support of the Europe-

an Commission, has launched CLIMATE TRACKERS, a Euro-pean campaign to combat cli-mate change. Its originality lies in presenting global warming through the eyes of selected animals. The campaign’s objec-tive is to encourage Europeans

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

According to reports from the IPCC, even a slight rise in temperatures can threaten the survival of a great many wild-life species. Disappearing hab-itats, changing migration con-ditions, the increasing scarcity or inaccessibility of the crea-tures on which they feed – all of these things are visible ef-fects of global warming on the lives of animals and the func-tioning of the ecosystems in which they live.

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

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

All across the planet, the sea level is rising, destroying the sites where sea turtles lay their eggs and flooding the hunting grounds of the Bengal tiger. Spring is coming earlier and earlier, so that insects emerge sooner and have disappeared by the time migratory birds ar-rive in the lands where they breed. The seas are becoming warmer and more acidic, de-stroying the coral and disrupt-ing the development of mol-luscs. Rising temperatures in the nests of reptiles such as al-ligators and sea turtles are up-setting the balance between

CLIMATE CHANGE DESCRIBED BY ANIMALS

The WWF has launched the CLIMATE TRACKERS campaign to encourage European citizens to take action against

global warming.

WWW.CLIMATETRACKERS.NET

19MAY 2008

male and female embryos, en-dangering the future reproduc-tion of these species.

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

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

The aim of the WWF’s CLI-MATE TRACKERS campaign is to inform the ordinary peo-ple of Europe about the effects of climate change on biodiver-sity, and to encourage them to reduce their impact on the cli-mate. In each of the campaign’s 35 clips, an animal bears wit-

ness to the effects of climate change which are already visi-ble in its environment, and urg-es viewers to do something to reduce their CO2 emissions. The www.climatetrackers. net is an interactive website which describes concrete actions that people can take to reduce their impact on the climate. Visi-tors can use a calculator on the website to measure their CO2 emissions. Everyone is invit-ed to reply to the questions asked, and to pledge to reduce their individual impact on the climate. A count is kept on the website of all the pledges made.

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

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by BENEDETTA PASEROTranslation Marta Langiu

T he planet is thirsty: the drought increases at a

very high speed, the popu-lation grows, ground-water basins have never been at such a low level. Every day three thousand and eight hundred children die because there is no water. And if there are 2 billion people liv-ing in countries where there is a short supply of this main life source today, in less than twenty years, two thirds of the worldwide population will be in the same situation. These are just a few of the facts spread by the United Nations during the Word Water Day celebrated, lake every year, on March 22. The UN Secretary-General, Jacques Diouf, reminded eve-ryone that the water challenge is the biggest one of the twen-ty first century – “A global chal-lenge, although it only seems to affect a few regions”. The water consumption through-out the world is increasing

over twice as much in respect to the demographic growth rate, and drought is only one of the consequences to this problem. Water resources are exploited more and more eve-rywhere due to the increasing needs of the agricultural and industrial sectors, and works for city infrastructures: cities grow, together with the pop-ulation (which pollutes water basins) and so grows the need for energy and food. Water is consumed for eating also. For instance, it takes 2700 liters of water to produce a kg of rice, main food for East Asian coun-tries, 2300 for a kg of soya, and 1500 for corn. For a kg of chicken it takes 2800 liters of water, 315 for an egg, 900 for a liter of milk, 5300 for a kg of cheese, and up to 15000 for a kg of cattle fed beef. So, the water we drink rep-resents only a small part of the amount we consume which, without considering wastes, is one thousand times more per person: about 20 liters is the amount of water the drain-age consumes every time, in

Southern countries, this same amount isn’t available to a fam-ily in a whole day. This ampli-fies the crisis their already liv-ing, especially concerning the hygienic and sanitary matters. Prince Willem Alexander Orange, President of the Advi-sory Committee of the UN Sec-retary-General for water and sanitation, is fighting an impor-tant battle to clean water and improve the condition of mil-lions of people. Especially chil-dren, who have to walk tens of km searching for clean water, when, they manage to stay alive. It’s impossible to think they could go to school and get an education, even in those cases where international char-ity initiatives built structures for this purpose. This cannot be considered liv-ing, it’s a struggle for survival. “We should harness rainfalls”, explained Maria Mutagamba, Minister for the Environment in Uganda, while telling us about the difficult situation of her country. In Africa, Drought is affecting even those areas that were rich in water basins, that

THIRSTY.THE PLANET IS

EVERY DROP MATTERS

21MAY 2008

are still used, but only by who can afford it, to the detriment of everyone else. This iniquity comes from the lack of legisla-tions, “the strongest one wins when water is concerned”. Water, which lacks of causes malnutrition, poverty, diseases and now also wars. Which, also cause malnutrition, poverty, dis-eases,… and water pollution. To stop this vicious circle and promote a culture of respect for the preservation of world-wide water resources, the UN funded the “UN-Water”, which helps all the states members to handle these resources in an efficient way, using and divid-ing them in responsible ways between urban projects, ener-gy production, fishing and agriculture. “We need to produce more food with less water” this was another one of Diouf’s advic-es: Middle East and North Afri-ca, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa, but also a big part of China and India, where all of the soft/fresh water is used for irrigation, are the countries that suffer mostly. The para-dox is that three fourths of the Earth’s surface is water, but only a small part of it is fresh/soft, and about 70% of it is used for the agricultural produc-tion which, in some developing countries, goes up to 95%, with a continuously increasing need for water. Demographic estimates fore-see that the worldwide popu-lation will grow to over eight billion people by 2030, and obviously, so will the food needs, by 55% in respect to the

information gathered in 1998. So, water needed to irrigate is estimated to increase by at least 14%, but it will be very hard to satisfy that requirement. The productive capacity of agriculture is essential to reduce poverty and support the socio-economic development of the population , even though, the price to pay in order to achieve it is, and has been, really high. Over more, even if the 80% of the worldwide agricultural sur-face is based on rain contri-bution and only 20% by irri-gation, this is precisely what generates over 40% of the total agricultural production. Since these uses have reduced sur-face and underground water resources, reducing natural vegetation and local fauna, the challenge the agricultural sec-tor has to face immediately is finding a way to increment the production using less water and reducing potential envi-ronmental damages. Intensive agriculture isn’t the only cause for the drought: climatic changes, that have recently damaged the Earth, have increased by 20%. Soon, the draught periods are esti-mated to increase, alternated with floods. Obviously, poor populations will pay the con-sequences, making them even poorer. Even if in different ways, the situation concerning water also concerns Europe. Italians, for instance, consume 150 billion of cubic meters of water per year (about 2000 cubic meters per person). Paolo De Castro, the Ministry for the Agricul-

tural and Forest Policies had already given this information: Southern Italy only has half of what would be needed, while, in the North, there’s twice of the amount used. For now, because the rivers are consider-ably decreasing with a drop off on February 2007, between the 20 and 40% compared with the previous year. Solutions do exist, experts assure that with some efforts it will be possible to improve the situation. Many internation-al institutions are already mov-ing in this direction: the FAO first of all, but the ONU and the EU. European Environmental Ministers, during the last Sum-mit, said: “We will help develop-ing countries without allowing them to make the same mis-take we made: too many times the economic development pre-vailed on water resource. That’s what happened to China. Finally, we have the knowledge to help them have a different develop-ment, that involves a ration-al and efficient use of this type of resources”. The foundation instituted by Rita Levi Montalci-no, instead, aims at the African women’s institution. The Nobel Prize believes in these women’s capacity and “high intellectual level to solve a big part of world-wide problems”. So, the potential to guaran-tee water to everyone exists, but we all need to work togeth-er. The Minister Mutagam-ba urged Western countries to help African countries: “Please, don’t give us frozen fish. Show us how to make a fishing rod and teach us how to fish”.

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by MARIA ELENA WISE

“B ulk carrier New Flame lies partially sub-

merged in waters off Gibral-tar February 11, 2008. Spain clashed with Britain on Monday after a ship wrecked off Gibral-tar sunk deeper into the Medi-terranean and Spanish beaches were polluted by an oil spill.” This press note, by REUTERS/

Anton Meres (SPAIN), describes the consequences of an acci-dent occurred six months ear-lier: M/V New Flame a Pan-amanian bulk-carrier cargo ship collided with an oil tank-er off Europe Point, the south-ernmost tip of Gibraltar on 12 August 2007, and ended up partially submerged. The ves-sel broke into two in December 2007 amid numerous unsuc-

cessful recovery efforts and remains grounded to date. Fol-lowing the crew’s rescue, the captain was arrested for having departed without authorisation and later released on bail pend-ing an investigation into the cir-cumstances of the incident.

Six months later the ves-sel is almost totally submerged and its cargo almost impossi-ble to recuperate. The conflict

AT GIBRALTAR COASTDISASTER

At risk the eco-system of the Mediterranean coast.

23MAY 2008

between Gibraltar and Spain is well known, although the Spanish government doesn’t recognise the Rock to have any territorial waters, the New Flame sunk at 0.42 nm (nauti-cal miles) from Europe Point, so under the Gibraltar jurisdiction. The local authorities organised all the salvage procedures.

In an interview with Span-ish national radio, Peter Caru-ana, chief minister of Gibral-tar, said every effort would be made to salvage the ship and “although we regret there has been an incident affecting Spain’s coast, everything pos-sible is being done”, he said. There have been repeated con-cerns raised that incidents in the area are commonplace; this was the second incident of the year, with local politicians on both Gibraltarian and Span-ish sides calling for a review of procedures. The traffic in that area is incredibly high and dan-gerous. Lots of petrol tankers not always legal double hulled, refuel in the bay and little spill of fuel travels directly to the beaches.

From August 2007 the vol-

unteers have collected more than 824 tons of fuel waste on the Algeciras beaches, quote from the Andaluisan authori-ties. The question is what are the local authorities doing to solve these problems? On both sides, the claim is a more effec-tive cooperation between the Rock authorities and the Span-ish ones. Meanwhile the beach-es are polluted and the eco-system of this area is seriously damaged.

Professor Joan Benach of Pompeu Fabra University of Bar-celona made a study on Public Health in small areas communi-ty in Spain. His research point-ed out a worrying growth of cancer affections in Andalusia and more specifically in the Bay of Algeciras area. All the local and national environmental association, Greenpeace, Ecol-ogistas en Accion, is asking to the governments a more specif-ic research of the phenomenon.

This situation has also affect-ed the seabed, where protect-ed species are in danger, such as: sea turtles and seahorses, or sea grass such as the Posido-nia Oceanica, an endemic plant

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

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

Local Authorities of Anda-lusia are not very happy with the Gibraltar ones and they reproach them not to care about the damage to the envi-ronment of their control policy on the ships traffic of the bay.

“Verdemar Ecologistas en Accion, Campo Gibraltar”,

local environment association, is worried of motion less pol-icy form both sides. Antonio Muñoz, the association spokes-man, declared to Ambiente.tv: “We do not understand the authorities attitude in front of a continuous environment dis-aster, the New Flame caused the 50th fuel spill in two years. Personally I think all this “sal-vage” business must move a lot of money and everybody wants a piece of the cake, they do not think about the real price we all pay for!”

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by VERONICA VOTOtranslated by MARTA LANGIU

A bu Dhabi a small fish-ermen’s village until 50

years ago, became in the past decade, a modern and very rich urban center. It is now ready for a further leap forward and plans to build Masdar city: the first city in the world with no CO

2 emissions at all, which are the main cause of green-house effect. The construction has already started and should be completed by 2012. The cost will amount to 15 billion dollars.

This project is part of the so-called “Masdar Initiative”, that aims at promoting and developing alternative ener-gies, launched by the Abu Dhabi government and run by the ADFEC (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company). In the ide-alistic project, that will be real-ized by the British architect Nor-man Foster, the city is meant to become a development and trade center of alternative tech-nologies for the energy produc-tion, and will take up 6 mil-lions square meters of surface. Masdar, just like ancient Medi-

THE FIRST ECOMASDAR CITY:

SUSTAINABLE CITY IN THE WORLD

25MAY 2008

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

In the city there will be an Innovation Center for the pro-motion, marketing and use of sustainable technologies, a new university to offer a high level of alternative energies educa-tion, a “Special Economic Zone” to welcome companies interest-ed in investing on the renewa-ble energies production field, and the ADFEC office.

To make it possible, first, a big photovoltaic plant will have to be realized, and only after-wards, it will possible to take care of the urban development. The goal is to create a city com-pletely self-sufficient, from an energetic point of view, thanks to the combined use of differ-ent renewable energetic sourc-es. Wastes will be recycled or will be an energy source. New streets and railways will be made to connect Masdar to near urban areas, the center of Abu Dhabi and the airport. It will be a pedestrian city: with a quick public transpor-tation system, a maximum dis-tance of 200 meters from the closest stops and a pedestrian street net so that residents as well as tourists will be led to walk everywhere. The use of recycled, biodegradable mate-rials will be encouraged and

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

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

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

A new business opportuni-ty for Italian companies at Abu Dhabi

From the 20th until the 23rd

of April 2008, Reed Exhibitions will organize Building Futures Gulf, a four vertical trade show event, with the Batimat brand, the most important building showroom in the world held in Paris. Reed Exhibition, world-wide leader in organizing fairs, involved in the new initiative its most important Italian man-ifestation: MCE, Expocomfort Exhibition Congress. The aim is to incentivate the business relationships trade between the Arab Emirates and the international solution produc-

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

Exhibition Congress not only to incentivate the participation of foreign companies, but also to promote Italian brands on more promising foreign mar-kets developing new meeting opportunities between exhibi-tors and sector operators, and promoting new interesting ide-as and events.

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

SPECIAL LEBANON

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by FABIANA AGRÒ

Pros and cons in the Swedish system

Swedish social and economic policy seem to be continuously hinged on two fronts: econo-mic stability and social equali-ty, with the consequent efforts to reduce income gaps and ste-er the fight against poverty.

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

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

In economic terms, Sweden remains an example to be fol-lowed. As such, every year the country receives foreign dele-gations who wish to import the Swedish model to their borders.

Yet, a closer look does not fail to demonstrate a Swe-dish system where even a few “imperfections” come out. Behind extensive social securi-ty expenditures lies a pervasi-ve public sector with high taxa-tion and strict regulations.

As for taxes in particu-lar, Sweden ranks first among

European countries. And as taxpayers seek to escape the system, those who can, aban-don social security offered by the state in favour of private care (hospitals, schools, etc). As a result, a new system, cur-rently in continuous growth, is born alongside the public structure.

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

SWEDEN: A STRATEGIC GOALPETROL INDEPENDENCE

Sweden seems to be the perfect European model of a social democracy, able to reconcile a liberal economy with a strict and generous social security system. Yet, the Swedes’ model economy has been recently

and increasingly wobbling. Nonetheless, and thanks to the exploration of renewable energy sources, the country

looks to the future unabated as it seeks to free itself from reliance on petrol as a source of energy.

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

27MAY 2008

at the origin of the Swedish eco-nomy’s recent woes. As infor-mal jobs proliferate, the num-ber of taxpayers goes down, hampering the state’s ability to balance public finances and thus pushing it to increase taxes in a vicious cycle that only con-tributes towards expanding the informal labour market.

The formal economy is then subject to disloyal and destruc-tive competition, which is, in turn, a further obstacle to pro-ductivity, whereby working no longer compensates from a financial perspective.

Swift economic policy

Currently, the country is slow-ly recovering from the effects of an economic slowing from the 2000-2003 period, than-ks to slight improvements in the country’s main economic indices.

In 2006, the country con-tinued to go through an eco-nomic recovery, catapulted in 2004, followed by strong export sales and an increase in internal demand that has been favoured by private consum-ption and heavy sums of fixed capital investments. The glo-bal economic boom also con-tributed to the recovery, as did the increase in employment, a government budget surplus and a reduction in the natio-nal debt.

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

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

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

The only flaw in the recent recovery, and the Swedish eco-nomy’s main weakness, has been the issue of employment. Unemployment has been con-stantly on the rise since 2002, owed in part to a decline in productivity, down from 6.3% in 2004 to 5.7% in 2006.

The new Swedish gover-nment, in power since Novem-ber 2006, has already put for-ward several proposals to tackle unemployment. The gover-nment budget this past spring forecasted a series of interven-tions in loosening fiscal poli-cy in favour of employment, even if in synchrony with plans to reduce public spen-ding towards social securi-ty. The first round of interven-tions should help the creation of 148,000 new job posts in the 2007-2008 period.

Public finances should remain healthy whilst the sta-te’s attitude towards the natio-nal debt is loosened.

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

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

Private consumption should remain at 1,5%, whilst indu-strial production keeps stable at 3.8%. Thanks to the inter-ventions announced by the government, unemployment should go down to 4.8%.

As the government focuses its efforts on improving eco-nomic policy, the country is capable of steering itself out of the crisis previously slowing it at the turn of the new millen-nium.

Living without petrol... fact or fiction

By 2020, Sweden would like to free itself from petrol depen-dence, relying instead on rene-wable energy sources. The project has been welcomed with enthusiasm by industrial, agricultural and scientific lea-ders. The country is the first among industrialised countri-es to pursue such goals, inclu-ding the absence of a nuclear energy shift in the transition of energy supply.

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

As the lack of a common

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energy policy continues to per-sist in the European Communi-ty, countries are able to follow their own choices independen-tly with regards to energy sup-ply and investments in the sec-tor. Sweden should now hold an upper hand in comparison to other countries, as it has, for years, made reference to rene-wable sources and the nuclear alternative in producing energy internally. As such, the country possesses an energy supply that is sufficiently diversified to lea-ve aside the use of petrol.

Long-term objectives should be implemented through a number of measures, such as: fiscal incentives for a conver-sion to renewable energies in private homes; encouraging the use of renewable “green” fuels for transport; the rapid increase of resources for rese-arch purposes in sectors linked to renewable source develop-ment; investments in commu-nal heating at the local level. Of course, the ideas are seen as a main starting point, from where actions will be imple-mented later on.

Conclusions

Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for Sustainable Deve-lopment, admits that, althou-gh the project may seem daun-ting, Sweden’s lack of need for fossil fuels would give it a gre-at advantage, not only with respect to cutting back on pol-lution in the country and the world, but also with regards to giving the country “an oppor-

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

In other words, the Swe-dish government is thinking of alternative energies not only

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

29MAY 2008

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

According to specialists, 15 years are not nearly enou-

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

spanning as far as automobile manufacturers. If the current mindset continues, the count-ry could be looking at achie-ving what many consider the “impossible”, in a not-so-di-stant future.

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by MARIA ELENA WISE

J atropha Curacas and its derivates including Jatro-

pha biodiesel have been under the spotlight due to their poten-tial to solve the world’s energy crisis. There is more than enou-gh reason to be enthusiastic about Jatropha’s potential as a biodiesel feedstock. Jatropha is largely being perceived as one of the solutions to poverty pro-blems. JC is an inedible, drou-ght-resistant crop which can grow on marginal land. This means that it can be planted on large areas without the need to displace food crops. With incre-asing international interest in this plant, the possibilities are exciting. Jatropha oil and Jatro-pha biodiesel can be used for rural electrification, transport, and stationary engines for shaft power (like multi-functional platforms). Jatropha cultiva-tion is said to be able to protect the environment, as it protects and upgrades degraded soils. In addition to this, the net car-bon dioxide emissions from the Jatropha cycle are reportedly zero. Jatropha is now touted as a motor for economic develop-ment in rural areas and a tool to alleviate rural poverty by gover-nments and Non-Governmental Organizations alike.

Viridesco (www.viridesco.

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

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

Extensive research has been carried out on seed oils as alter-native fuel for diesel engines. During the past 3 years tests were made with CDI Merce-des cars in India using Jatropha curcas methyl ester in its need form with great success. Never-theless, the use of Jatropha cur-cas oil or methylester, as a new energy source, is in the very early stage. The next appoin-tment for JC will be JATRO-PHAWORLD 2008, Miami 10, 11 of June.

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

GOLD OF TOMMORROW JATROPHA CURCAS

31MAY 2008

by MARTA LANGIU

An ambitious project recen-tly came out from Macedonia: ‘Tree day – Plant for your future’. Independent from Yugoslavia only since 1995, still trying to build a solid organization struc-ture, Macedonia is still a develo-ping country that surely doesn’t lack in determination.

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

This initiative for afforesta-tion had no specific national, political nor religious affiliation. It was organized and realized by citizens from Macedonia and other European countries and consisted of planting more than 2 million tree seedlings. The amount of seedlings to plant on March 12 wasn’t casual, it cor-responds to the population of Macedonia.

For the purpose of this action an Initiative Board was crea-ted. Among the members of this board there were about one hundred renown citizens, distin-guished members of society,

representatives of the scientific milieu, artists and music stars.

Relevant institutions who-se support was requested gave it unconditionally, including the European Union, and in order to provide the necessary finan-cial means the Board submit-ted applications to several local and foreign ones. For instan-ce, necessary tree seedlings and logistic support was provided by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia.

To promote this initiative and in order to reach the desi-red number of citizens involved a series of actions were taken. The support of electronic and printed media was asked and meetings with mayors, citizens, representatives of municipal councils and education institu-tions were scheduled.

The beginning of the action was officially announced by the planting of 200 cypress trees at the Breznica site, near Katlano-vo, and was led by the promi-nent opera singer Boris Trajanov. He was particularly involved, and at the press conference he said: “We wish to show that good events may also take place on the Balkans and we will not allow for this noble idea to be overshadowed by the current political turbulences. We wish

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

The action also aimed at con-fronting the reduction of wood stocks, contribute to bio-diversi-ty, raise of environmental aware-ness and help remembering that forests and trees provide a home to several species and are part of a natural equilibrium.

Hopefully, this important step will show the strength of this developing country in the con-tinuous rising as well as enhanc-ing the importance of taking care of what surrounds us. Khal-il Gibran wrote ‘Trees are poems that Earth writes upon the sky. We fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness’.

IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIATREE DAY

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by MADDALENA DALLA MURA

A buzz word of our new millennium-sustainabili-

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

the ecosystem of our planet. Ongoing research for Advan-ced Life Support systems (ALS) is crucial for future human spa-ce missions.

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

and design studio Architectu-re and Vision (AV; www.archi-tectureandvision.com). In fact, no other planet in our solar system has such favorable con-ditions for life. Even the Moon, our satellite and nearest neigh-bor presents incredibly extreme environmental conditions. All resources have to be brought from the Earth to allow human survival there. For longer expe-ditions such as going to Mars-a two-year mission-the challen-ges become even greater.

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

EXPLORING EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL

ENVIRONMENTS

MARSCRUISERONE:

33MAY 2008

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space-habitat or rover. The con-cept of waste will be completely redundant on future long-dura-tion space missions: just like in nature, there will be resources in different states of processing. Everything will have to be reu-sed, by means of devices powe-red by solar energy.»

With a specific experien-ce gained in the field of aero-space design, AV has come to recognize resources and energy to support human life as a key issue, developing a resource-driven approach that is the also the guideline for the team’s ter-restrial projects, as exemplified in the “EcoUnit” (2003) mobile sanitation station or the extre-me environment tent “Desert-Seal” (2004).

The recent aerospace rese-arch project, “MarsCruiserO-ne” (2007) has been infor-med by this philosophy as well. Conceived in light of the NASA and ESA Mars mission planned for 2032, “MarsCruiserOne” (MCO) is the result of a num-ber of different development phases, begun with a concept

by EADS Space Transporta-tion and culminating with key contributions from AV working in conjunction with the Ger-man company Stephen Ran-som Consultancy, and the Ita-lian companies G-Engineering, Explora and Self Group.

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

35MAY 2008

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

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

The interior has been deve-loped to ensure maximum functionality and comfort for the crew. A main challenge is to organize in a small volu-me diverse and even conflic-ting functions like kitchen, toilet, shower, working and sle-eping zones. To save weight the rover relies on the recycling systems of the main habitat. Thus the systems can be kept very light and consume less energy. Liquid and solid waste are separated at the source. A resource compactor condenses renewable resources for pro-cessing in the main habitat. Managing the transport and processing of resources will be a major part of an astronaut’s day, along with keeping the life support systems running.

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

The concept for MCO has been presented at professio-nal aerospace conferences and public lectures in Europe and the United States, and sca-le models have been exhibited at numerous venues, including Air de Paris at the Centre Geor-ges Pompidou in Paris; 2057, a special event celebrating 50 years of space travel at Cité de l’espace in Toulouse; and as part of the landing site of the “MoonBaseTwo” model com-mission for the collection of Museum of Science and Indu-stry in Chicago.

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O n March 11th at Palazzo

Turati in Milan Ambien-

te Tv previewed this documen-

tary’s trailer at the opening of

the Energetica conference, the

annual meeting Repubblica and

Somedia devote entirely to ener-

gy issues.

Focus Documentaries, www.

focusdocumenaries.com a leader

in Italian and International docu-

mentary distribution, is currently

presenting the latest masterpiece

by well-known director and pro-

ducer Eugenio Manghi: “GOING

NORTH: global warming escape

routes”.

For which is currently holding

the exclusive international distri-

bution.

The only high-definition

documentary made in Italy about

climate changes and the “gre-

en highways”, the escape routes

Nature has found to offset global

warming effects.

GOING NORTH is the very

first movie produced in Italy with

GOING NORTH:GLOBAL WARMING ESCAPE ROUTES

37MAY 2008

climate emissions compensation:

all greenhouse emissions caused

by shooting the movie (travel,

helicopters, DVD, electric ener-

gy, supplies and waste) were cal-

culated, certified and compensa-

ted for as per the FILIERA CO2

criteria, i.e. taking care of green

areas and public reserves.

Entirely shot in Italy, Nor-

way, Northern Europe and Cana-

da, it was sponsored by many

prestigious institutions, inclu-

ding the Norwegian Embassy,

CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle

Ricerche – Italy’s National Rese-

arch Council), the Università di

Pavia, Antenna Media, Regione

Autonome Valle d’Aosta, Sviz-

zera Turismo and some of the

most important parks in Italy

such as the Ticino.

Global warming is creating

serious problems for Earth, and

scientific studies of ancient cli-

mate, climate on other planets

and climate models give us bet-

ter understanding of what is cur-

rently going on.

The exit from global warming

might coincide with a long hot

period but alternative hypotheses

raise the specter of a quick leap

towards a new glaciation which

would transform “our” world

into the remote one of the Inuit

(the indigenous Artic people).

In order for wild species to

survive, and to safeguard biodi-

versity, Mother Nature shows us

a possible solution though gre-

en highways: the biological cor-

ridors.

Along these habitats – true

natural passageways within the

segmented and densely popula-

ted world – animals and plants

have started “heading north”

(towards the northern hemisphe-

re) or in any case towards more

liveable and cooler climates.

Many species find in these bio-

logical corridors the only alter-

native to their extinction. In the

mountains, “north” is the peak

and the biologic corridor rises

from the valley floor to the alpine

meadows and snowy desert.

Glaciers are melting but this is

not the only phenomenon making

us worry about a water crisis and

the safety of alpine species.

In a hopeful finale, Going

North gives humans the chan-

ce to intervene positively in pro-

tecting the green highways, thus

guaranteeing a future for biodi-

versity.

The promotional trailer for

this fascinating journey along

the biological corridors will be

aired in upcoming weeks on the

Ambiente TV Entertainment

channel.

Eugenio Manghi – White Fox

Communications director and

producer, he won the 2006 Gol-

den Dragon at the Bejing Inter-

national Scientific Film Festi-

val with the documentary “The

predators of the blue river”, co-

produced by Paolo Fioratti Srl

(publisher of Itinerari e Luoghi)

and also internationally distribu-

ted by Focus Documentaries.

Eugenio Manghi’s creati-

vity ranges from journalism -

working with most prestigious

nature magazines - to nature

photography and anthropology,

interspersed with the publica-

tion of prestigious books, profes-

sional cooperation with Italian

and international institutions, the

ideation and creation of extraor-

dinary documentaries conceived

while travelling the world, and

work with national broadcasting

companies in editing reports and

surveys of naturalistic, environ-

mental and scientific interest. All

with just one common denomi-

nator: knowing nature’s assets in

order to preserve them.

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by FRANCESCA BERTANITranslation by Marta Langiu

T he occasion is the Inter-national Year of Planet

Earth, proclaimed by the Uni-ted Nations for the year 2008 in collaboration with UNESCO and IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences). An ini-tiative born within the Planet Earth Triennium, organized by the Onu for 2007, 2008 and 2009, with the aim of awake-ning citizens and institutions to a sustainable development culture.

In this perspective fits the proposal made by the galle-rists from Milan: an exhibition sponsored by the Italian Com-mittee for the International Year of Planet Earth, complete-ly dedicated to contemporary Russian art. The choice surely wasn’t casual, as Nina explai-ned: First of all, it’s an impor-tant country for the production of energy resources, it’s enough to think about the extension it has, gas and oil pipelines, besi-des from bordering on various seas. Overmore, we liked very

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

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

PLANET EARTHNature and its relationship with Man,

which transforms, misses, praises and spoils her. This is the main subject of the exhibition cycle organized between

January and June by the Nina Lumer Gallery of Milan, founded by Nina Lumer and Ludovica Colantoni.

39MAY 2008

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

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

ls me: “What kind of pictures do they take of you! What is that hair style, you look like a fool!”. But I reply: “if I take pictures loo-king too normal I won’t even look like an artist anymore”). A modern Leonardo, who reads Verne and Vernadsky, sketches on navigation charts everything that strikes him. Naval engine-er, ex sailor of the Soviet fle-et and then Officer of the mer-cantile navy, Ponomarev spent his life wondering about in the oceans searching for inspira-tion. Which he always found, precisely from the sea, from the water, a constant element of all his artistic production. He makes inventions, dyna-mic and visionary, a little like a mad scientist says Nina lau-ghing. Installations, canvases, videos (and open sea actions!) in which imagination and tech-nology merge together creating new and unforeseen perspec-tives. It is the case for the first “abstract Topographies”, geo-graphic maps of island, archi-pelago and imaginary territo-ries that reveal his passion for discovering new places (Sasha

travels a lot on scientific rese-arch ships, around the North and South Pole. There is whe-re he gives life to his projects. In the mean time he works among the crew!). Not to speak about the real submarine that Pono-marev borrowed from a Vice Admiral of the Russian fleet, to transform the camouflage war machine into a colourful carni-val work.

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

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by MARIA ELENA WISE

T he term eco fashion refers to stylized clothing that

uses environmentally sensi-tive fabrics and responsible production techniques.The Sustainable Technology Education Project (www.step.org) defines eco-fashion as clothes “that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the work con-ditions of people in the fash-ion industry”.

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

Designers have been play-ing around with organic and

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

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

WHY IS SO HOT?ECO-FASHION

41MAY 2008

Fashion. One of the highlights of Future-Fashion was a stun-ning pink and yellow skirt made from corn fibre by uber-cool Heartherette designer

Richie Rich.The party moved to the

West Coast in June 2005, when San Francisco culminat-ed its World Environment Day celebration with “Catwalk on the Wild Side”, an eco-chic fashion show sponsored by no profit Wildlife Works (www.wildlifeworks.com) featuring top models and designs from the likes of EcoGanik, Loom-state, Fabuloid and others. In Europe the movement has been a bit slower but is now going really fast. There are many example of Eco–Fashion in our continent. England and Denmark are the pioneers in this matter without any doubt. Denmark especially is in the process of becoming one of the main centres of fashion. Danish designers and enter-prises are busy specialising in a very particular niche: envi-ronmentally-friendly cloth-ing. Pesticide-free cotton, bio-

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

The European eco-label is an environmentally friendly certificate of European dimen-sion. It guarantees that the product bearing it has been made under the best possi-ble conditions for the envi-ronment and that its use has minimal impact on the natu-ral world. These criteria are drawn up at European level, within the European Union Committee for the Eco-la-bel (EUCEL), which brings together representatives of the European Commission, national bodies, environmen-tal NGOs, consumer associa-tions, trade unions, SMEs and distributors. The criteria then undergo a process of approval by the Member States and the Commission.

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

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clothes garnements are made by women artisans in Ain Leuh, an enchanting village perched high in the Middle Atlas Mountains, in Morocco. Amana works on a fair-trade basis, with their artisans developing long term partner-ship. The collection you can see on the web, and actually buy, right now, is fresh, very feminine and the collabora-tion with the print designer Jemma Ooi brought a precious orchid collection of printed silk dresses, camisoles and blouses. The collection is com-pose by pleated skirts from a luxurious hemp and Tencel blend fabric, crisp organic cot-ton jackets and a selection of beautiful cut organic cotton trousers.

Nathù Italian Biocou-ture was inspired by an idea of Marta Pietribiasi, to pro-pose a new mentality of lux-ury in the sustainable produc-tion of a beautiful collection made with organic textiles from fibres carefully select-ed all over the world and col-oured with organic certified dyes. It’s a fully “Made in Ita-ly” production and a sensu-al style, rich in glamour and with an exclusive personality, embellished by antique arti-sans details, for a sophisticat-ed and conscious female pub-lic. The collection that you can appreciate on their web has an astonishing good taste as only Italians can do, and a fresh-ness due to the quality of the fabrics used to compose this collection which breaks with the ancient image of the natu-

ral cotton kind of clothes. The inspiration is clearly Nature, with that touch of glamour and a comfortable use of volumes. Not to mention the accessories such as the Nathu bags made with the same materials used for the clothes, to complete a look total eco-chic.

Two different but convinc-ing examples that fashion and ecosystem respect can go together.

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

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

43MAY 2008

with crazy numbers!The process is very simple,

they buy used materials from the trucking companies when they update their fleet, next, the whales of traps are cut to a manageable size. Then, the pieces are washed in XXXL washing machines, washed and groomed, the taprs are cut by hand using transparent stencils. The individual fronts, sides, back and bottoms are arranged, sometimes rear-ranged and clipped together. They are now ready to become a bag.

The Freitag bag is in our days the icon of the urban fashion that cities like Barcelo-na are promoting and spread-ing all over the world.

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

Switzerland, France, Portugal and Tunisia in factories spe-cializing in sewing heavy-duty materials. Really durable, eas-ily repairable and even water-proof. Some are expandable. You can even build your own bag online! You choose what your bag will look like by plac-ing a pattern over a unique tarp (virtually).

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

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

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

The collection has sixty piec-es, each in a limited edition. The inspiration of this number comes from the EU objectives to avoid the planet heating: 20% of energy production has to come from renewable sourc-es, 20% improvement in ener-gy efficiency by 2020.

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

Maize, soya, seaweed and bio-cotton are the ingredients of this first collection of eco-sustainable t-shirts realized by two young designers, Giovan-ni Dario Laudicina and Agosti-no Fiume.

This fabulous collection is available on:

www.relight-up.it

The Web Tv totally dedicated to the environment

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

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

WE Live for what We believe

LEBANONSPECIAL

SPECIAL LEBANON

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W e, a group of the Leba-nese youth, representing

all universities in Lebanon from all regions, confessions and political backgrounds who par-ticipated in the “Youth Declara-tion on Environmental Policies” have convened together for sev-eral months in a constructive dialogue to present with unani-mous consensus the first “Youth Declaration on Environmental Policies”1.

This declaration comes in a time Lebanon is facing a politi-cal impasse. However, we the Lebanese youth have tried to agree on issues that concern the public. Hence, we have joined our efforts to tackle environ-mental issues because ‘environ-ment unites us’ and it crosses all political, regional or sectar-ian boundaries. Given that, the Lebanese people bare the same economic, social and health

impacts due to mismanage-ment of the environment that have reached very alarming levels and force us to immedi-ately take action. Consequent-ly, we believe that it is time to have a better understanding of our environment and more par-ticularly to work together with all those concerned on reduc-ing the risks leading to envi-ronmental degradation and the associated costs that will threat-en Lebanon’s future.

We will closely follow up and make every effort so that the declaration recommenda-tions would be fully integrat-ed within the environmental public policies. And since a sound environment is a basic human right that must not be violated, we have agreed on the following:

. National legislations: Pur-suit to enforce, implement and update environmental laws and develop new legis-lations in line with national and international considera-tions that help dealing with emerging environmental

issues at large while involving the youth and environmental civil society in the process. For instance, the competent ministries should issue the required application decrees as stated in the various relat-ed environmental laws.

. International Conventions: Comply with regional and international environmen-tal conventions and treaties and follow up compliance through developing needed legislations, decisions and regulatory decrees.

. Integrate environment and the various concepts of sus-tainable development in the core of the various public policies and a different pub-lic management levels due to the positive impacts of this integration that will help ensuring the wellbeing of future generations.

. Pursuit the integration of environmental issues within the various political groups and parties’agendas and the

YOUTH

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES DECLARATION ON

Project implemented by the Association for

Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC)

following an agreement with the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), within

the framework of the World Bank’s Lebanon

Development Marketplace 2006 “Youth and

Governance”.

1

51MAY 2008

development of needed insti-tutional setups to accommo-date them.

. Work hard to raise awareness so that environmental con-servation becomes a culture and a way of living for each citizen that will eventually lead to good citizenship.

. Urge politicians, societies and the public at large to recog-nize the special importance of environment that is shaped by the different economic, social and political concepts.

. Protect environmental issues from political disputes and influence. There is a need not to use environmental issues for political ends but rather use political means for sound

environmental management.

. Increase the budget alloca-tion of the Ministry of Envi-ronment and other concerned governmental institutions and support the environmen-tal civil society.

. Regularly conduct needed research on the state of the environment and ensure the full right of the public to information access.

. Work towards establishing or developing environmen-tal majors and curricula in all universities and academic institutions in Lebanon.

. Ensure that the mandates of the Ministry of Environ-ment are enhanced to fol-

low up the implementation of its own decisions through updating the law of the min-istry establishment and its amendments.

Youth’s position on environmental policies concerning the issues that were selected by the participants:

AIR POLLUTION. Issue needed decrees con-

cerning the transportation sector, more specifically those decrees related to the imple-mentation of laws number 341 and 444.. Control the chaos in the trans-

portation sector and disable political coverage for those violating the law.. Work on promoting the use

SPECIAL LEBANON

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

WASTE . Call for the adoption of a

comprehensive strategy for waste management in Leba-non to be supervised by an independent entity com-posed from all concerned institutions.. Rehabilitate old dumps espe-

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

WATER AND SEWAGE. Urge the water establish-

ments to launch campaign to reduce water consumption and to activate the subscrib-

ers’ services’ offices to ensure the access of safe and reliable water supply to all subscrib-ers that meets international standards for drinking water quality.. Call the water establishments

to work on reducing the amount of the unaccount-ed-for-water to reach levels accepted internationally.

LAND MANAGEMENT. Stop immediately issuing of

“administrative grace” per-mits for quarrying such as for

53MAY 2008

stock removal or something similar and adopt a master quarrying plan that comply with environmental safety requirements.. Adopt a protected and sci-

ence based monitoring sys-tem to follow up sand, rocks and gravel production as per given permits.

We, therefore, commit ourselves to the implementation of the following practical measures concerning the chosen declaration issues:

AIR POLLUTION. Promote and make use of

existing public transport means especially among uni-versity students, while mak-ing the buses transit times more accurate.. Request from the owners of

factories and power gen-erators to install filters that reduces air pollution.. Encourage the use of envi-

ronmental friendly resources such as fluorescent lights, hybrid cars etc.. Increase the green areas,

through planting plants and flowers on balconies and sup-port national reforestation campaigns and help protect-ing the planted trees.

WASTE . Promote awareness cam-

paigns and exchange of suc-cessful experiences as well as taking personal initiatives and get involved in environ-mental NGOs to encourage reducing waste through sort-ing, composting and recy-cling of waste.

WATER AND SEWAGE. Promote awareness for a

more rational use of all natu-ral resources especially water and electricity especially within universities in line with the existing UNDP ini-tiatives in energy efficiency.

LAND MANAGEMENT. Promote rural development

programs and organize eco and rural tourism trips for university students.. Call upon the Lebanese youth

to get actively involved in volunteering for forest fire-fighting and environmental conservation.

Hence, we, the participating Lebanese youth, have agreed on the following steps:. Ensure that the declaration

reaches all the decision mak-ers and the proper follow up of needed measures before it

is too late. The decision mak-ers include among others the President, Parliament, Gov-ernment, Ministers, Depu-ties, Municipalities, Politi-cal movements and parties, Media, NGOs Universities, Schools, etc.. Promote the declaration at

the local and national levels such as in universities, media, and municipalities etc. For instance, a promotional activ-ity shall take place in each of the universities during the upcoming academic year.. Present the declaration to the

Environment Parliamentari-an Commission and call upon the Parliament to adopt it.. Encourage municipalities and

local communities to adopt the declaration and imple-ment its articles as a pilot initiative in different specific areas and within a specific timeframe.

We hereby adopt and commit ourselves to the implementation and the serious follow up of the declaration recommendations hoping that the declaration be adopted and implemented by the different decision makers and the Lebanese Youth. The participating Lebanese youth will set a one year time-line to follow up the progress of the declaration implementation.

Project implemented by the Associations

for Forests, Development and Conserva-

tion (AFDC), United Nations (UNDP),

within the frameworl of the World Bank’s

Lebanon Development

Marketplace 2006

“YOUTH AND GOVERNANCE”.

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O n 13 July at around 4:23 a.m. a storage tank in

Jieh Power station (30 km South of Beirut) was directly bombed by Israel which caused a fire outbreak and led to the spillage of some fuel as well. The fire fighting team of the management of the power sta-tion and the Civil Defence was able to put out this fire. But, on July 15th, 2006 the Jieh Po-wer Station storage tanks we-re bombed again. This led to a new outbreak of fire that could not be contained because of lack of sufficient resources due to the air, land and sea barrica-de enforced on Lebanon. The power plant was re -threate-ned because the largest tank still containing around 25,000 tonnes of fuel was under thre-

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

These 2 attacks caused the oil spill crisis where approxi-mately 12,000 to 15,000 ton-nes of heavy fuel oil spilled into the East coast of the Mediter-ranean Sea. Its effect was felt on more than 70 sites (along 150 km of the coast of Leba-non) whether they were public or private, rocky, sandy, or peb-ble beaches, including cultural, historical and touristic resorts and harbours and fishermen’s wharfs. This was due to South West winds and water cur-rents, which carried the pollu-tion Northwards along the co-

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

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

To manage this crisis, the Ministry of Environment prio-ritized the work that needed to be done and divided it into two main phases:

. PHASE I

From August 2006 until March 2007 covered 70 sites.

The priorities of interven-tion for this phase were deci-ded based on criteria set by the Ministry of Environment

THE OILSPILL CATASTROPHE

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

Advance and do not fear the thorns

in the path for they draw only corrupt blood.”

Gibran Khalil Gibran “The Visit of Windows”

1

This article has been compiled from offi cial

press releases and publications of the Ministry of

Environment/Lebanon

1

55MAY 2008

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The environmental damage along the Lebanese coast.

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in order to make best use of the resources made available for Lebanon to alleviate the adverse effects of the oil spill and they were based on a complete shoreline survey and are as follows:. To capture and remove free

floating mobile oil that can remobilize and pollute new sites.. To follow the South to North

sea water and wind currents.. To prioritize where there is

direct human contact with the oil.. To prioritize where the oil

spill hampers economic acti-vities such as fisheries, tou-rism etc.. To prioritize where there is a

direct threat to environmen-tally sensitive ecosystems or culturally important sites.

. PHASE II

From April 2007 to date covers 30 sites that require higher le-vel of cleanliness and invol-ves the removal of remaining fuel oil off rocks and structures using High Pressure pumps.

After completion of Phase I work in March 2007 and to identify priority sites for Pha-se II work, a comprehensive survey of all polluted sites was carried out over the months of April and May 2007 and a map of these sites was produ-ced and circulated to all poten-tial partners.

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

Plant) until Abdeh (Akkar – the Northern Border of Leba-non). The preliminary results were that there was presence of some submerged heavy fuel oil in only two sandy stretches under water which are:. in a semi-enclosed site in the

South (site off Jieh), and. off a sandy beach facing hi-

gh rocks in the North (site off Byblos)

The priorities of intervention for this phase were decided ba-sed on the answers per site to the following questions:. Does the site have any eco-

nomical, environmental, cul-tural or social importance?. Is there any visible fuel on

the site?. Are there potential new th-

reats from the fuel seen on-site?. Can the site be used in its

normal capacity?. If present, what is the level

of pollution remaining on the site? . Is the site not easily accessi-

ble and has no environmen-

tal, social, economical or cul-tural importance and does not need work in Phase II?

The 30 sites identified whe-re then plotted on the map as shown in the figure.

Other major issues that ne-ed to be considered are:. Oil Spill Waste Manage-

ment. Oil Spill Costs, and. The latest developments.

With regards Oil Spill Waste Management:

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

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

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The marine invertebrates living on the beaches and the rochy shores in the

tidal zone were heavily affected by the effects of the “black tide”.

57MAY 2008

Basel Convention for the Trans-boundary Movement of Haz-ardous Waste and Disposal), the Ministry of Environment, as explained in its booklet pub-lished in 2007 on the memori-al of the passing of one year on the oil spill, is studying the fol-lowing methods of disposal:. Treatment of the waste in

one of the major world oil refineries as this waste is si-milar to what is generated by the refinery itself. Treatment of this waste in

developed countries with the available technologies – in the framework of the Ba-sel Convention for the Tran-sboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste. Use of this waste in electri-

city generating power plants of Lebanon, starting with Electricité Du Liban. Use of part of this waste in

the maintenance/laying of roads and pavements

The Ministry of Environment is continuing to look into the most feasible and environ-mentally sound Oil Spill Wa-ste Management solutions for Lebanon.

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

Latest Developments

Finally, so that we “shall not forget”, two major develop-ments have occurred which ne-eded to be highlighted.

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

The second was the produc-

tion of an award winning do-cumentary titled “The Oil Spill in Lebanon” which was funded by the Italian Ministry of Fo-reign Affairs and the IUCN and produced by Mr. Hady Zakkak) to imprint upon Lebanon’s and the world’s collective memori-es the size of the crisis and the preliminary interventions to mitigate its consequences2.

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

This video can be seen on

www.worldenvironment.tv in the Lebanon section.

2

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OIL SLICKSHORES: A UN REPORTON LEBANESE

This report includes an assessment of the impact of the oil spill

on human health, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism,

and implications for livelihoods and the economy of Lebanon.

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Beirut is a city in continuous

reconstruction.

59MAY 2008

A report, entitled “Oil Slick on Lebanese Shores”,

has been prepared by a United Nations inter-agency team, pur-suant to General Assembly res-olution 61/194, entitled “Oil slick on Lebanese shores”. In the fifth paragraph of the reso-lution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution at its sixty-second session under the item entitled “Sustainable develop-ment”. The report includes an assessment of the impact of the oil spill on human health, biodiversity, fisheries and tour-ism, and implications for live-lihoods and the economy of Lebanon; progress made in approaching the Government of Israel in assuming responsi-bility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Govern-ment of Lebanon; and an over-view of the financial and tech-nical assistance in support of the efforts to clean up the pol-luted shores and sea of Leba-non with a view to preserving its ecosystem.

The impact mainly consists on the release of about 15,000 tons of fuel oil into the Mediter-ranean Sea, leading to the con-tamination of 150 km of coast-line in Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. The resolution refer to “the adverse implica-tions of the destruction by the Israeli Air Force of the oil stor-age tanks in the direct vicinity of the Lebanese El-Jiyeh elec-tric power plant for the achieve-ment of sustainable develop-ment in Lebanon”, and the Assembly “considers that the oil

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

Several United Nations and other international agencies have been involved in assessing the implications This coverage permits a sustainable develop-ment approach to documenting adverse impacts, under the tri-ple headings of) Social (public health and safety); Economic (clean-up and monitoring, lost economic opportunities); Envi-ronmental (ecological and physico-chemical impacts) (for example the Food and Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Con-servation Union (IUCN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Pro-gramme (UNEP) and the World Bank). Taken together with the reports by the Government of Lebanon and UNEP/Mediter-ranean Action Plan/Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Med-iterranean Sea (REMPEC), the reports provided a prompt and reasonably comprehensive account of immediate impacts and response.

In October 2006, UNEP con-ducted a post-conflict environ-mental assessment of Leba-non. It should be noted that the UNEP report focused on assess-ment of environmental condi-tions (water, sediment, biota) in the near-shore zone, rather

than the littoral zone where oil-ing was heaviest and clean-up was ongoing at the time of the surveys (in October 2006). Summarized, the UNEP find-ings, released in January 2007,1 along with the recent United Nations inter-agency findings during the mission in October 2007, on the adverse impacts on the coastal and marine envi-ronment, consist on the oil spill resulting from the bombings of the El-Jiyeh power plant on 13 and 15 July 2006 which caused significant contamination of the Lebanese coastline and affected the El-Jiyeh seabed.

A proportion of the oil spilled covered the seabed over an area of a few hundred metres. The oil that did not sink either evaporated or was caught in the northbound current. Harbours, coves, caves and small natural bays were particularly affected, as the oil tended to get trapped there. The flora and fauna on rocks and sandy beaches that were directly exposed to the oil were also affected. Signifi-cant mortality, as result of tox-icity smothering, most probably occurred among littoral inver-tebrates such as gastropods, polychaetes, crustaceans and algae. The full recovery of these habitats is likely to take some years. Focused monitoring on a routine and long-term basis at different sites may be used to assess the remaining impacts of the oil spill in terms of status, trends and recovery. Oysters and fish were found to be similar to those in areas under anthropo-genic influence for the eastern part of the Mediterranean. The

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analysis of marine waters sam-pled three months after the spill detected traces of oil dispersed and dissolved in the water only in the affected areas. The bomb-ing of the El-Jiyeh power plant, a civilian utility serving the gen-eral population, occurred close to the beginning of the conflict. Hostilities were therefore ongo-ing during the critical early days of the oil spill, and secu-rity conditions severely ham-pered access to the coastline, as well as any potential large-scale oil clean-up response opera-tions. Remobilization by natu-ral wave action of the oil coat-ings on rock and man-made surfaces and of oil mixed with sediments back into the water is still possible, and may lead to temporary increases in oil con-centrations in the shallow near-shore and littoral zones.

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

In August 2006, UNDP ini-tiated a rapid environmen-tal assessment and identified 46 environmental impacts, of which 9 are marine oil-spill related. The severe impact con-sists of the littoral pollution

from oil spill (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years) and impact on marine biodiversity (long-term, or 10 to 50 years). The critical-significant concerns air pollu-tion from El-Jiyeh fire (short-term, or less than one year),4 marine sediment impact from sunken oil (medium-term, or 1 to 10 years) and soil pollution from deposited contaminants of fuel burning at El-Jiyeh (medi-um-term, or 1 to 10 years). Critical but non-significant is the impact on seawater qual-ity from oil spill (short-term, or less than one year) and soil impact at El-Jiyeh site (medi-um-term, or 1 to 10 years). A marginal impact regards the effects on plants and the eco-system from fuel burning in El-Jiyeh (short-term, or less than one year). There also is a Neg-ligible impact on coastal aqui-fers from oil spill (short-term, or less than one year).

The UNDP report also addressed the impact of the oil spill on cultural heritage, for instance, the basement stones of two medieval towers and some other ancient ruins were covered by a fuel layer. Due to the air and marine blockade enforced by the Israeli army as well as the lack of human, mate-rial and financial resources. Clean-up operations could not start until a few weeks after the ceasefire.

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

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The avifauna particularly

suffered the consequences

of the environmental disaster

occurered in Lebanon following

the bombing of July 13th

and 15th 2006.

61MAY 2008

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

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

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

From the outbreak of the

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

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

The World Health Organiza-tion (WHO) conducted a fact-finding mission and published a report. The WHO assessment looked at the health-care insti-tutions in districts that were pri-marily affected. Together with other international agencies, WHO supported the country in its recovery efforts and concen-trated its efforts on maintaining the provision of priority medi-cal and quality health interven-tions on essential drugs, medi-cal supplies and chlorine for water disinfection (distributed through the Ministry of Pub-lic Health); rehabilitation of health centres and re-establish-ment of health services; surveil-lance and control of communi-cable diseases; immunization campaign against measles and polio; safety of drinking water. Researchers of the National Council for Scientific Research and the French Research Insti-tute for Exploitation of the Sea found that the tissues of mus-sels in affected areas were heav-ily contaminated with a concen-

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The volunteers engaged in the area of Byblos, tired out at the sunset,

after a hard working day.

63MAY 2008

tration well above the relevant WHO guideline values. WHO is encouraged to continue sup-porting the recovery efforts of Lebanon, including environ-mental epidemiological studies to look into the potential long-term adverse health impacts on exposed populations.

The General Assembly called upon the Government of Israel to “assume responsibility for prompt and adequate compen-sation to the Government of Lebanon for the costs of repair-ing the environmental dam-age caused by the destruction, including the restoration of the marine environment”. All litto-ral states of the Eastern Medi-terranean are signatory to the only oil-spill response conven-tion. The International Conven-tion on Oil Pollution Prepared-ness, Response and Coopera-

tion (1990) entered into force in 1995 to facilitate interna-tional cooperation.

Israel, Lebanon and the Syr-ian Arab Republic should be strongly encouraged to take a leadership role in a thorough post-spill review of Convention-related activities in the East-ern Mediterranean Sea, hosted by Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea.

The Secretary-General com-mends the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese Government to address the impacts of the oil spill and urges the Govern-ment of Israel to take the neces-sary actions towards assuming responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon. The Secretary-General also com-mends the efforts of the United

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

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The fire affected the Jieh power plant for some days, even because of the lack

of materials and equipments due to Israil’s blockade.

The heat developed caused also the collapse of a third tank of the capacity

of an additional 15.000 m3.

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WAR IMPACTGROVES ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH LEBANONON FORESTS AND OLIVE

T he Association for Forests, Development and Con-

servation (AFDC), a Lebanese Non-Governmental Organiza-tion, was established in 1993 to achieve sustainable conser-vation of natural resources, raise awareness and build capacities to contribute to the national efforts for better envi-ronmental management. Fun-damental to AFDC’s mission is the pursuit of communi-ty-based conservation for the sustainable livelihoods of peo-ple. This comes from the idea that conservation will fail if local communities do not ben-efit from it. AFDC’s objectives include:. Developing local communi-

ties while maintaining con-servation and the sustaina-ble management of forests and natural resources. . Capacity building and pub-

lic awareness in fields and issues related to the envi-ronment and sustainable development. . Conducting and dissemi-

nating studies and research related to different envi-ronmental and sustainable development issues. . Lobbying for changes in

environmental and sustain-

able development policies. . Encouraging youth involve-

ment and participation in development practices including working towards the establishment of youth centers and hostels.

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

Reforestation, Rural Develop-ment, Eco-tourism, Environ-mental Education, Capacity Building, Media, Environmen-tal Monitoring, Project Devel-opment, Internships, Envi-ronmental policies, Faith and Conservation, Relief.

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

Besides the significant losses in civilian lives, houses and infrastructure, the Lebanese social, economic and envi-ronmental sectors were sig-nificantly affected during this war, especially in the South-ern villages where the attacks were mostly concentrated.

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

65MAY 2008

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

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

A total damaged area due to the direct effects of this war in the south of Lebanon was esti-mated to be around 1022 ha. Of the damaged lands, 713 ha were of natural forests mostly mixed and oak trees and 309 of olive groves. The largest affected green area due to the war was located in the “Caza” of Sour, followed by Nabati-yeh and Bint Jbeil.

Moreover, the Lebanese National Demining Office (LNDO) estimated the exist-ence of 2.8 millions cluster bombs. Until recently, only 60 % were exploded. As a result, most of these unexploded bombs still represent an obsta-cle between the local popula-tion and the surrounded for-est and rangeland areas. The average life of such bombs varies between 25 and 40 years making them an exist-ing threat for the new coming generations of the local popu-lation. The number of victims resulting from cluster bombs

and unexploded objects from 14th August 2006 (the date of cease fire) until 23rd July 2007 has reached 31 killed and 217 injuries. In addition to the direct risks of these cluster bombs there are negative eco-nomical, sociological and envi-ronmental impacts. People are restricted to access their agri-cultural lands and forests and therefore they are obliged to move away from their villages. Based on the statistics pro-vided by the LNDO there are 10 killed from 23 killed civil-ians (34.5%) because of agri-cultural, herding and wood cutting works. Moreover, there are 72 injuries from 204 civil-ian injuries because foot walk, playing outdoors, wood cut-ting in forest, agricultural and herding works.

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

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

Following the finding of this preliminary study, AFDC has started in collaboration with WWF-Italia and Ross Program of the Italian Coop-eration, a project aiming at restoring more than 50 ha of land in the regions of Jez-zine and Arkoub. The project is designed to assist local com-munities affected by the war restoring their forested areas by developing and implement-ing restoration plans, while at the same time empower-ing the concerned public and local entities to be able to reduce the impact of forest fires by providing 120 AFDC volunteers with the required equipment for early interven-tion in forest fires in cooper-ation with the Civil Defense and the Forest Guards Cent-ers. However, it will take sev-eral years and millions of dol-lars to only restore what was damaged and destroyed from forests and agricultural lands in few days.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

ASSOCIATION FOR FORESTS, DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION (AFDC)

Marinian Center, 8th floor, near AUH Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon Tel/fax: + 961 1 752670 /+961 1 752671 E-mail:[email protected] site:www.afdc.org.lb

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by SARAH MANSOUR

Beirut: Lebanon has received a 4.5 million

euro ($6.7 million) grant from the German government to fund environmental projects in response to the damage wrought on flora and fauna by the 2006 war with Israel. The grant, entitled the “Project of the Environmental Fund in Lebanon,” will fund projects proposed for the environmen-tal reconstruction and reha-bilitation of the country while keeping in mind the economic revival of its productive sec-tors. The fund comes through the German Technical Coopera-tion and is open to public and private establishments. It aims to help remedy the damage caused by the 2006 war and encourage the adoption of environmental measures from which institutions can benefit

economically. In the private sector, many ini-tiatives are taking place that aim to facilitate the adoption of energy-efficient measures to alleviate production costs, such as using less water and resources. “With limited resources, many in Lebanon have proven that environmental action is fea-sible and effective,” said pro-fessor Lamia Mansour, project team leader at the Council for Development and Reconstruc-tion (CDR), which is coordi-nating the project along with the Environment Ministry.

“The fund comes to support this action and showcase the magnitude of the efforts com-pared to the modesty of the resources ... This is the snow-ball effect.”

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

together to safeguard the envi-ronment for a better quality of life and for a better world.”

Attempts to alleviate envi-ronmental degradation in most advanced countries are revealed through changes in policies, plans and applica-tions regarding the environ-ment. “In Lebanon, we have achieved an important step toward the integration of the concept of environmental management and cleaner pro-duction,” Samar Malek, a spe-cialist in international law at the Environment Ministry, told The Daily Star.

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

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

GERMANLEBANON’S ENVIRONMENTMONEY WILL HELP

Grant aims to deal with damage from 2006 war.

67MAY 2008

environmental degradation for the entire year of 2000.

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

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

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

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

“Interventions are also tak-ing into account the concepts

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

A response from the Envi-ronment Ministry regarding environmental sustainability is “to establish plans and strat-egies for supporting feasible environmental investments taking into account the con-cepts of preventive action, the “Polluter Pays Principle,” sus-tainability of environmental resources, cooperation, partic-ipation and economic incen-tives,” Malek said. The “Project for the Environmental Fund in Lebanon” is applicable to pro-posals following those incen-tives.

“This vital project will pro-vide the needed technical and financial support for leading developmental projects hav-ing environmental, economic, and social benefit throughout Lebanese regions,” said Nabil Jisr, head of the CDR.

The fund is open to all institutions, from small and medium enterprises, non-governmental organizations, to governmental agencies, municipalities, and academic institutes established in Leb-anon for at least three years. Grants, between 25,000 euros and 200,000 euros, will fund no more than 80 percent of the total costs of each interven-tion. Proposed areas of inter-vention range from coastal

pollution remediation, clear-ance of environmentally sensi-tive sites from polluted media and demolition wastes in war-affected areas, rehabilitation of degraded land, to imple-mentation of environmental measures at reconstruction sites of war-affected areas.

The interventions are to fol-low a timeframe of 18 months.

The fund is equally con-cerned with environmental investments that economically benefit private enterprises. Proposed project interventions address the implementation of cleaner production and ener-gy-efficient assessments and options.

“We are aware of the impor-tance of developing and pro-moting the productive sectors, especially those which were damaged during the war in Lebanon, as this would also lead to a national economic benefit,” Malek said. “Find-ing a middle ground between development policies and environmental protection can ensure the attainment of sus-tainable development and will reflect positively on environ-mental, social and economic situations.”

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

“We wish for this project to attain its goal and be the start of a series of projects working on developing the productive sector in Lebanon and achiev-ing the participation of all con-cerned parties to reach a bet-ter environment,” Malek said.

“This project ... should be

SPECIAL LEBANON

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

The ministry plans to estab-lish a national fund for envi-ronmental initiatives and “The Project for the Environment Fund” intends to support them in reaching this goal.

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

Environmental priorities

as perceived by representatives

from the civil society, academia

and private sector in Lebanon

(Source: UNDP/MoE)

The cost of environmental degradation from the war

. The overall cost of environ-mental degradation resul-ting from the July 2006 hostilities was estimated at around $729 million, or about 3.6% of Lebanon’s gross domestic product in 2006. In comparison, the annual

costs of environmental degradation in 2000 were estimated at about $565 million or 3.4% of GDP. This implies that the damages caused by the 34-day hosti-lities exceed those caused throughout a whole year in times of peace.

Facts ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION FROM SMES

Environmental Priorities in Lebanon

Several initiatives provide gui-dance towards defining envi-ronmental priorities in Leba-non. The most recent analysis of environmental priorities conducted in 2005 by the Stra-tegic Environmental Asses-sment and Land Use Planning Project, which was implemen-ted by the Ministry of Envi-ronment, showed that the top environmental priorities are solid waste and wastewater management.

The cost of environmen-tal degradation in Lebanon is very high, as reflected through the following key facts:. The annual cost of environ-

mental degradation in Leba-non was estimated in the year 2000 at about $565

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

The project will finance

a wide range of initiatives

responding to environmental

damages of the July 2006 war

and to pollution

from Small

and Medium

Enterprises (SMEs).

The following facts illustrate

some environmental impacts

related to SMEs in Lebanon

and provide examples

of the issues which the Fund

will address.

69MAY 2008

million, which is equivalent to 3.4% of total GDP. The direct costs of the health

impacts of water pollution and treatment cost of illness are about US$100 million per year. The direct costs of the health

impacts of urban air pollu-tion are also US$100 million per year.

Environmental pollution from SMEs

. Lebanese industries genera-te about 188,850 tonnes of

industrial liquid, solid and hazardous wastes annually. . Industries generate about

12% of the total (domestic and industrial) wastewater stream in Lebanon. . In 1994, industries in Mount

Lebanon generated over 20% of the industrial wastewater effluents, while in 2020, it is expected that around 22% of the industrial wastewater effluents will be generated in the Bekaa area.

Project interventions to address pollution from SMEs

The lack of treatment of indus-trial wastes is an important technical constraint to the much needed solid waste and wastewater management in Lebanon. The Fund will direct-ly contribute to addressing this major environmental priority in the country, by introducing effective and enforceable pol-lution prevention and control measures at the level of SMEs. Such measures will also have economic benefits for the pri-vate sector.

Three levels of interven-tions can be directly funded through the Fund:. Pre-requisite cleaner pro-

duction/energy efficiency assessments . Implementation of Cleaner

Production and Energy Effi-ciency options. Installation of prelimi-

nary treatment for liquid effluents and where possi-ble, management/treatment options for solid wastes and air emissions.

Sources:

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

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

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

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

Sarraf, M., Larsen, B., and Owaygen, M., 2004. Cost of Environmental Degradation: the case of Lebanon

and Tunisia. Environment Department Paper No. 97. TheWorld Bank, Washington, D.C.

Industrial wastewater may

contain a wide variety of

pollutants depending on

the activity from which it

originates. It is often highly

contaminated with heavy

metals, toxic substances, and

waste oils, that pose a risk

to the environment, living

creatures, and public health.

Photo: Wastewater from marble

tile factories flowing into storm

water channels and a river bed.

(Source: Envirotech)

Photo: Disposal of waste from

asphalt and cement plants

into a flowing river. (Source:

Envirotech)

Sources:

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

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

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STATISTICALIN LEBANON FOR THE YEARS

FROM 2004 TILL 2007

ANALYSIS FOR FIRES

T his article summarizes a statistical analysis study

conducted by the Ministry of Environment for the forest fires that happened between 2004 and 2007.

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

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

71MAY 2008

Moreover, the Lebanese topog-raphy is characterized by a steep sloping terrain, which might accelerates and increas-es soil erosion and makes fire fighting more difficult.

During the period from 2004 till 2006, 390 fires occurred in the Lebanese territory. They burnt an area of more than 1900 ha. In 2004, 129 fires occurred with a burnt area of 585.63 ha, data for burnt area is available for 73% of fires. In 2005, the number of fires decreased by 9.3% to record 117 fires. 2006 was a catastro-phic year compared to 2004 and 2005.

2007 was a catastrophic and disastrous year on forests. Internal Security forces, ISF, recorded a total of 323 fires for the whole year. These fires happened in different types of land such as forests, cultivated lands and other wooded and non wooded lands. 133 fires consumed 2,284 ha of “For-ests”, 56 fires consumed 309 ha of “Cultivated Lands” while the rest, 95 fires consumed 1410 ha of “Mixed Lands” and “Other Lands”, taking into con-sideration that data for burnt land classification is available for 77% of the recorded fires. Total burnt area in 2007 is 4,197 ha, an increase of 380% compared to the previous year.

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

7.1% respectively.Most catastrophic fires

occurred in the months of Sep-tember and October. Plants in these two months are in a sta-te of extreme drought; this fact helps in the rapid spread of fires and generates difficulty in surrounding, controlling and putting down fires. Average of burnt area per fire in the mon-ths of September and October is 12 ha and 25 ha respective-ly. While the average of burnt area for July and August is 5 ha and 5.8 ha respectively.

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

“Private Property” constitu-ted 94.6% of burnt properties in 2007, an increase of 30% compared to 2006. Many que-stions can be raised here about

if the fires are accidental or incendiary.

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

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

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

More information is availa-ble on MoE website: www.moe.gov.lb

73MAY 2008

The LCECP is a project between the United Nations De-

velopment Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of En-

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

nanced By the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and

MEW, managed by UNDP and executed by MEW.

Its aim is to reduce greenhouse gases, which are a

major contributor to global climate change, by target-

ing the improvement of the demand side management

and energy conservation. The project was started in

April 2002 and the Centre ensures the sustainability

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

of the Lebanese Government handling all the national

energy efficiency and renewable energy matters and

coordinating with the relevant national stakeholders,

international organizations and donors.

LCECP undertook a multitude of partnerships with

both the public and the private sectors, namely with

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

a series of simple tips related to energy conservation

in the household, wrapped in the form of a brochure

which was distributed along with the electricity bill to

800,000 households all over Lebanon. EDL handled

both the printing and distribution of the brochures.

Another similar partnership was established with

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

lished the energy saving press ad on the back of their

electricity bills. This activity had a very positive feed-

back among the Aley residents. On another front,

LCECP signed a partnership with Libanpost, which

printed three sets of energy saving tips stickers

amounting to 90,000 stickers on their outgoing mail,

and sent the energy saving tips brochure to 22,000

P.O. Box subscribers; in exchange, LCECP supervised

and co-financed an energy audit for Libanpost head-

quarters. A Memorandum of Understanding was also

signed between LCECP and the Order of Engineers and

Architects in Beirut whereby LCECP has supervised an

energy audit for the Order of Engineers premises. The

energy audit highlighted the areas of energy waste

and appropriate solutions to save energy. In their turn,

the Order of Engineers committed to implement the

suggested solutions and promote the results of the

energy audit among subscribed engineers.

Energy Use in the Industrial Sector of Lebanon

During a conference held on January 19, 2007, LCECP

and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI)

launched the findings of the survey conducted to

study the energy situation in the Lebanese industrial

sector. The survey covered 627 members of ALI and

the respondents amounted to 293. The main findings

of the study revealed the following:

. 40% of the surveyed industries are not working at

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

their capacities.

. 72% of the Lebanese industries have export activi-

ties while 28% rely solely on the local market.

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

dustrial sector in Lebanon (represented by indus-

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

total EDL production (2001-2004).

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

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

standard fluorescent lamps and only 339 (0.1%) are

compact fluorescent lamps.

Knowing that a standard fluorescent lamp replaced

with a compact fluorescent one is energy efficient,

considerable savings up to 80% per lamp can be

achieved.

SAVING ENERGY REDUCING GREENHOUSES GASES IN LEBANON

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

ed Nations Development Program in Lebanon (UNDP)

launched through the Lebanese Center for Energy

Conservation Project (LCECP) an awareness campaign

on the benefits of solar energy for water heating, and

its positive impact on both the economy and the en-

vironment.

The campaign focused on the significance of solar en-

ergy as an alternative source to gas oil and liquefied

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

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

large sums of money should oil importation bills be re-

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

ment due to lower gas emissions, and would allow the

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

fects of global warming currently threatening our plan-

et. The awareness campaign targeted public opinion in

order to encourage individual, collective and govern-

ment initiatives that seek to help achieve economic

growth. Such growth would translate into improved

living conditions and a better future for everyone.

End-use energy conservation is emerging as a widely

accepted viable alternative to supply side expansion.

Lebanon finds itself today without the proper frame-

work to address end-use energy conservation issues

and strategies in a meaningful and comprehensive

manner. With power cuts and electricity rationing still

a reality, the Government is turning its attention to the

need to address the demand aspect of the electricity

sector and the need to rationalise electric demand to-

wards quantified conservation targets. LCECP is as-

sisting the Government of Lebanon, represented by

the MEW, in promoting Solar Thermal Water Heaters

in Lebanon on various levels: technical, awareness,

marketing, financial, policies and regulations. As per

the project’s objectives, solar thermal systems will

provide savings in the electrical energy consumption

utilized for water heating, especially in the residen-

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

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

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

lar energy is utilized for water heating applications, it

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

consequently, CO2 emissions. The actual area of so-

lar water heating systems installations in Lebanon is

still very limited despite the humble increase in the

installation of solar water heating systems during the

past decade. It is worth noting that the area of the

thermal solar rate in Lebanon is less than 4m2 per

1,000 habitants. Such low rate indicates that there

will be a potential demand for thermal solar systems

in the Lebanese market especially due to the prevail-

75MAY 2008

ing high energy prices.

. The survey also revealed that the Lebanese solar

market faces several obstacles to its development

and these are:

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

lack of financial incentives for solar thermal instal-

lations; c) technical problems related to manufac-

turing and installations; d) lack of Government sup-

port for the solar thermal systems.

LCECP is working closely with various stake holders to

promote solar thermal systems through the develop-

ment of solar penetration programmes in the Lebanese

market. The proposed solar water heaters installation

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

which aim at promoting the adoption of energy efficien-

cy technologies and practices in building construction

and renovation. UNDP had assigned LCECP as the tech-

nical party supervising the overall implementation of

the proposed solar water heater installations.

LCECP is in the process of preparing standards and

labels as well as financial and legal schemes for five

household appliances with the objective of under-

standing the Lebanese market and encouraging the

purchase of energy efficient household appliances by

creating adequate solutions and incentives.

The appliances are: Refrigerators, water heaters, A/

Cs, light bulbs and heaters.

LCECP has as well conducted in collaboration with

STAT Ipsos a retail audit to assess the availability in

the Lebanese market of the above mentioned house-

hold appliances, as well as energy efficiency.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH:

LCECP has conducted a socioeconomic research with

the objective of getting a complete

perspective on the Lebanese consumers’ attitude to-

wards energy consumption, purchase and usage hab-

its of electrical appliances, and the energy efficiency

concept. The research was done by STAT Ipsos in the

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

ers of 565 households throughout the Lebanese terri-

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

nese households are subscribed to a power generator.

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

month for the electricity company, and 44,000 LBP per

month for the generator which justifies the fact that

three quarter of the sample perceives the overall ener-

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

tions of saving energy but do not know exactly what

actions to undertake.

LCECP TAKES ENERGY EFFICIENCY

TO THE CLASSROOMS

The Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation Project

(LCECP), launched the Energy Efficiency School Promo-

tion campaign on February 5th at the Grand Serail un-

der the auspices and in the presence of Prime Minister

Fouad Siniora, the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms.

Marta Ruedas, the Minister of Energy and Water, the

Minister of Higher Education and the Secretary Gener-

al of the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO.

Also present were UN agency representatives, the me-

dia, and various school representatives.

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

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

been more ideal.

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

DP has focused mainly on Energy and Environment,

with an emphasis on raising awareness on energy con-

servation as a means to reduce CO2 emissions which

are responsible for climate change, encouraging ener-

gy audits on various facilities and buildings, and ad-

vising the use of renewable energy, specifically solar

energy, as an alternative way to heat water.

With the Energy School Promotion campaign, LCECP

aims to raise awareness among Lebanese students

on the benefits of energy efficiency, namely as a fight

against global warming. A joint collaboration be-

tween The Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation

Project (LCECP), The Lebanese National Commission

for UNESCO and the Ministry of Higher Education, the

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

dents and other Lebanese can incorporate into their

daily lives that can contribute to saving energy, hence

reducing the global warming effects. Already, the cur-

rent and above-mentioned campaigning by UNDP and

MEW through the Lebanese Centre for Energy Con-

servation Project (LCECP) has garnered results. With

impressive numbers of citizens willing to adopt ener-

gy-saving tips, this upcoming campaign promises to

A


yield an interesting outcome, as well. A documentary

showcasing LCECP’s works in Lebanon over the past

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

mass viewing and future reference.

Including the screening of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient

Truth” and the energy-conscious cartoons “Albert

Says” to secondary and elementary classes across the

country, the Energy School Promotion campaign will

follow-up with the distribution of school posters and

flyers detailing energy-efficiency and what students

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

LCECP will coordinate with the Ministry of Education

to include the energy-efficiency subject in students’

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

couraged to actively participate. Every single individ-

ual in the country can benefit from energy efficiency.

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

the effects of past decades of CO2 emissions.

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

doing something good that pays off. On an individu-

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

to unite in their efforts, the changes could mean we

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

generations.

SAVING ENERGY SAVES MONEY

During the summer of 2007, LCECP launched a target-

ed campaign under the slogan “Economy is not just

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

encourage the Lebanese institutions, both public and

private to conduct free of charge, an energy audit and

reduce their energy bill.

Effective energy management can lead to significant

cost and energy savings as well as increased comfort,

lower maintenance costs and extended equipment

life. An energy audit evaluates the efficiency of all

building and process systems that use energy streams

and quantify them into discrete functions, evaluates

the efficiency of each of those functions and identifies

energy and cost savings.

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

pressive. For instance, in lighting, replacing magnet-

ic ballasts with electronic ballasts of the fluorescent

lamps provides a minimum of 25% energy saving and

a bulb’s life span increases by 15%.

On the other hand, the installation of window sun

control films result in savings on cooling and heat-

ing costs. Though the window’s orientation plays a

major role, in many cases, annual savings reach 60

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

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

CRT computer monitor with an equivalent LCD compu-

ter monitor provides around 50% reduction of energy

consumption. As for the power management software

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

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

zation, meaning an average of 30 USD cost savings for

each one, every year.

Energy Audit Program: Latest Studies and Results

LCECP has supervised numerous energy audit studies

in the different sectors of Lebanon.

The results have shown that the proposed energy con-

servation measures would result in savings ranging

from 9.12% to 18.74%.

Most energy efficiency projects include the following

solutions:

power factor correction, addition of oil additives, light-

ing retrofit, installation of PLC controllers, HVAC cor-

rective actions, installation of motion detectors and

others.

In an effort to sustain proper energy management and

to motivate the industry staff to save energy, LCECP

designed and distributed 10,000 stickers to all energy

audited sites, which serve

as a reminder to turn off the electricity switches when

not in use.

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

ing hospitals, schools,

commercial centres, hotels, and public institutions).

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

gy audit studies which will include a number of indus-

tries selected in close collaboration with the Associa-

tion of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI).

Based on LCECP energy audit strategy, the Boiler

Energy Efficiency Enhancement Program has been

launched with the purpose of investigating the poten-

tial energy savings on the installed boilers in Leba-

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

boilers in around 50 industrial and commercial sites.

The first phase of the program ended in April, 2007

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

show that many tested boilers can be better tuned to

increase their efficiency by an average of 3%.

The savings that would result from the implementa-

tion would amount to 320,000 USD per year.

TECHNICORP S.A.L.

TECHNICORP TECHNICORP S.A.L.S.A.L.

SAVE ENERGY,

USE SOLAR HEATERS

+961 1 891023Tel: +961 1 873311 Fax: +961 1 884815 [email protected]

STREET 75 DORA SECTOR 4 P.O. BOX 90-140 BEIRUT - LEBANONCORNICHE DORA PINK BLDG 61

SPECIAL LEBANON

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by KLAUS WENZEL

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

gy demand has to be produced by generators. The total ener-gy bill was over 270,000 Euros in 2006. The CHN decided to conduct an energy audit that came out with the following recommendations:. Improved maintenance of AC

equipment. Energy efficient lighting . Thermal insulation of the

roof . Demand management system

(software for peak shaving and control/monitoring).

Results and potential for disseminationAfter implementing the above measures in 2007, the hospi-tal saves now 20% of its over-all energy consumption. This corresponds to a annual sav-

MED-ENECEFFICIENCY IN LEBANONPILOT PROJECT ON ENERGY

A hospital in Zgharta, Lebanon, saves 55,000 Euros yearly of energy costs with the support

of MED-ENEC, the European Union financed regional project for energy efficiency in buildings.

79MAY 2008

ing of 55,000 Euros and a year-ly reduction of CO2 emissions of 410 tons.

The needed investment of less than 60,000 Euros was subsidized partly by the MED-ENEC project. The pay-back time being estimated at slight-ly above one year only, the used technologies are replica-ble in most hospitals and sim-ilar buildings in Lebanon and in other countries in the region, even without any external financial assistance. CHN has already decided to use the pos-itive experiences of the Pilot Project for a new hospital build-ing that is being constructed in Jounieh, a coastal city north of Beirut.

Energy in Lebanon

Lebanon is extremely depend-ent on energy imports, about 97% of all energy had to be imported in 2005. Buildings are the second biggest con-sumer of energy with a share of about 30%, transport being on the first and industry on the third place. With the sharp increase in world market pric-es for energy, and with energy prices subsidized in Lebanon, the National Electricity Compa-ny EDL alone absorbed 21% of

the whole state budget in Jan-uary 2008 (L’Orient Le Jour, 11/03/08). Moreover, peo-ple suffer from frequent pow-er cuts due to insufficient and obsolete power plants and dis-tribution lines and have to bear significant additional costs for private generators.

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

MED-ENEC

MED-ENEC aims at boosting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in build-ings in 10 countries south and east of the Mediterranean. MED-ENEC has an integrated project approach, combining activities for the improvement of framework conditions such as laws, standards and incen-tive programs with demonstra-

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

The Lebanese Pilot Project has been implemented by the Lebanese Association for Ener-gy Saving & for Environment, ALMEE.

FOR FURTHER MED-ENEC PROJECT INFORMATION AND CONTACT:

MED-ENECPhone: 00216-71-860 472, Fax: 00216-71-860 719E-mail: [email protected] www.med-enec.com

Information in Lebanon:Lebanese Association for Ener-gy Saving & for Environment (ALMEE)Mr. Said Chehab, President, [email protected] www.almee.org

Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation Project (LCECP)Mr. Anwar Ali, Project Manag-er, [email protected] www.lcecp.org.lb/

Demand management system.

Thermal Insulation of roof.

SPECIAL LEBANON

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by KAMAL MOZAWAK

In a country of diversity and differences (that often lead to

war and conflicts) like Lebanon, what can bring people togeth-er better than food? If not reli-gion, confession, origin, politics at least tabouleh, kebbeh, lab-neh and man’oucheh are what Lebanese unanimously share! Food is not just a commodity, an ingredient to prepare three meals a day ... rather, an ingredi-ent to make a difference, a proof of belonging to a land, a histo-ry and a tradition. And good food has the best address today at farmers market.

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

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

adays as the one and only food supplier.

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

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

sion to food: its human dimen-sion. Fifty or a hundred years ago, we were producers of all, or at least part of our food. Today’s food production is mainly industrial: It is industrial farming, industrial agriculture, and industrial food processing ... machines producing “cook-ie cut” food, consistent in medi-ocrity! If we are not all able to go back to the fields, let us at least have a direct contact with the producer, and the people at the origin of our food. Farmers markets must be “producers-on-ly” markets, where the produc-er sells directly to the consum-er. No middle men or trader are allowed.

IT IS NOT ABOUT TRADE, BUT ABOUT EXCHANGE!

And so, food gets a face, a soul, a belonging, and con-sumption gets linked again to production: farmers and pro-ducers get a recognition. They receive better and fair pays (as all the pay goes to the produc-er) and above all they build a “family” relation with the con-sumer. The lattest, as an aware foodie, gets his “goods” with an extra dimension of: tradition

SOUK EL TAYEB:

AWARENESS AND ACTIONFARMERS’ MARKET,

81MAY 2008

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

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

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

local inhabitants but for tourists as well.

GREEN INITIATIVES

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

In this perspective, Souk el Tayeb developed projects like “Souk @school” (school and uni-versities awareness campaigns), “food & feast” (food and tradi-tion festivals in different Leba-nese regions), “CHT” (commu-nal homes of tradition, centers of tradition in different Lebanese regions, a project in partnership with the ILO international labor organization) and many oth-er initiatives directly linked to the environment, such as waste management, and recycling.

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

ECO MARKET

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

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

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

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B ird hunting is of increas-ing interest and concern

to millions of people who real-ized that it has become one of the most ardently current de-bated issues. Today, bird hunt-ing advanced to kill more birds and became one of the widest extensions of the 20th century activities practiced worldwide, and the global area of hunting increased massively. The po-tential impacts of bird hunt-ing on the environment, econ-omy and society are complex issues that people developed different attitudes towards bird hunting and consequent-ly brought about controver-sies that pointed in different directions without providing any resolving solutions to the problem. On one side, there are those who argued in favor of bird hunting claiming that

it presented some benefits to the environment and fed large numbers of starving people. On the other hand, there are those who argued against hunting revealing their con-cern to accompanied risks, en-vironmental impacts and eth-ical issues including animal welfare especially that hori-zons widened with a greater interest and increased aware-ness to this problem.

Above all, there should be an awakening to the fact that to shoot birds people need to take responsibility for its con-sequences because profession-als are starting to fear the very real dangers of the upsurge of bird hunting. In addition, bird hunting is practiced by people with no concern to humans and their environment, nei-ther to ethical and moral con-

siderations, reflecting their need for education and aware-ness on the hunting issue.

In order to determine the prevailing attitudes of peo-ple towards bird hunting, a survey on bird hunting de-signed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Leb-anon (SPNL) was conduct-ed on citizens of different re-gions of Lebanon during the period of June 2005 to Feb-ruary 2006. This survey was prepared through the Sustain-able Hunting Project which aims at managing bird hunt-ing through reducing exces-sive indiscriminate shooting of birds, and promoting more sustainable practices in com-pliance with rules and regula-tions regarding the conserva-tion of birds. The survey was a collaborative cross-sectional

FIRST HUNTERSURVEY IN LEBANON

Building capacity for sustainable hunting

of migratory birds in mediterranean third countries.

83MAY 2008

study based on fieldwork, and the sampling method applied was random sampling tech-nique, which was adopted in favor of easiness and time ef-ficiency. A structured, self-ad-ministered questionnaire was chosen for the implementa-tion of the survey.

The data analyzed were col-lected on a study population composed of a total of 2000 respondents with ages rang-ing between 10 and 75 years of age. The graphs below rep-resent distribution of respond-

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

Speaking of the major find-

ings of the study, the most sali-ent findings show that the ma-jority of the respondents are currently or have previously

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85MAY 2008

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

On the other hand, a sig-nificant percentage of the re-spondents do not perceive bird hunting as valuable, and this requires focus as it chal-lenges the opinions of the vast majority of people.

Another important finding

is the high percentage of re-spondents giving importance to laws and the role of govern-ment in managing the exces-sive and indiscriminate hunt-ing practices. These responses were addressed in terms of regulations and conventions that involve approval and eth-ical concerns organizing bird hunting practices. Finally, be-ing an important aspect, bird hunting and its main features

must be further studied and developed.

It should be noted that at the stage of data analysis, con-cerns were alleviated due to lack of awareness and educa-tion clearly demonstrated in participants’ responses, not to deny the fact that findings as such were not up to the expec-tations and requires embrac-ing efforts so that hunting non-game birds comes to an end.

In conclusion, the results of the questionnaire show that there is much work to be done to provoke sustainable hunt-ing. Some changes are rela-tively easy to accomplish and should be implemented as soon as possible. However, other modifications might pro-voke resistance from hunters as they might limit their free-dom while hunting. This will require immediate regulatory or legislative action, and some will require additional con-sideration, evaluation or in-put from the community that is looking forward to the pros-pects for future improvements, especially that the high levels of hunting, coupled with the lack of capacity and resourc-es for the development of eco-nomically feasible alternatives and the security situation, de-ter international tourists and discourage foreign visitors from coming to the country; thus blocking economic bene-fits and undermining the de-velopment of ecotourism.

* This project is funded by

the European Union Project Ref:

LIFE 04 TCY/INT/000054

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by JAQUELINE SALLOUM

T he Society for the Protec-tion of Nature in Lebanon,

SPNL, is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that was established in 1986. As a national partner of Bird Li-fe International, SPNL focuses on the conservation of natu-re and natural resources, birds and biodiversity in Lebanon.

SPNL also strives to spread education and awareness tar-geting the promotion of su-stainable development and the provision of better living conditions for the present and future, through calling for the conservation of different areas of Lebanon, involving the lo-cal community in order to eco-nomically empower them and encourage them to find alter-natives to environmental da-maging activities.

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

It will be a concert featuring young talents aged between nine to sixteen. Each will be proposing a “green” message for a healthier environment and singing a pop track.

it draws upon pop songs performed by young peo-ple. This event addresses so-cial issues and is dedicated to building understanding of the support for the ideals of the environmental cause and vital work of SPNL. As well as en-tertaining the public with the performance, we are planning to base the theme of this event on commitment to environ-ment protection, particularly through carrying out aware-ness campaigns addressed to the children, to help them ap-ply environment friendly prac-tices and live in a healthy en-vironment. SPNL thought of simple messages as such be-cause environmental issues are a way of life and could be easily revealed through the in-nocent laughter of children.

The messages will be:

. Don’t pluck and give each other flowers; enjoy their beauty in the wilderness in-stead!. Thriving between walls of

brick and walking on as-phalt pavements? No! I’d rather wander on natural footpaths. . Take care of the tree and it

will take care of you.. Take nothing pictures of the

magnificence of mountains. . After a visit to the beach, le-

ave nothing but footprints.. All animals better alive than

dead. . The rose has thorns only for

those who would gather it. . With tooting, howling, scre-

eching, crashing, screa-ming, whistling, booming and grinding, self sereni-ty became the past and fru-stration came into present and future. . Never doubt that a group of

young committed children can heal the world and ma-ke it a better place for you, for me and the entire hu-

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTIONOF NATURE IN LEBANON IS ORGANIZING

A CONCERT TO LAUNCHA “GREEN” MESSAGE

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

87MAY 2008

man race. . People have the right to cle-

an air that they and their children can breath without fear. . Indoor air pollution is a he-

alth risk that you can do so-mething about. . If you want endless prospe-

rity, plant trees. . Don’t overuse electricity be-

cause it’s so energy waste-ful. . Stopping tree choppers is

the fastest, easiest and che-apest solution to climate change. . Parks are the home of natu-

re’s beauty and fountains of human life. . Recycling waste is a good

thing. It makes people fe-el good to do it and solves trash problems. . The sea and the river are

restful … and not sewers. . The urban sprawl is sprea-

ding so fast that people are losing touch with nature. . Water and air have become

garbage cans. . Zoos are a distorted image

of how animals once were in their natural habitat.

Thus, the concert will help make a global impact start-ing at the local level, educat-ing the future generations on green behavior and the preser-vation of wild life in Lebanon and for the world.

Particularly that environ-mental protection is a uni-versal responsibility of all of us; the participation of par-ents will be as well a way of informing and educating the mature crowd of ways to go green and preserving the plan-et earth.

At a wider perspective, this public concert is an innovative approach that engages chil-dren in the promotion of global knowledge and a reflection of current world issues, especial-ly those that are closely linked with maintaining balance in nature and cherishing its value. Thus, through classical music,

the performers and attendees will help strengthen environ-mental values, enhance aware-ness of community concerns and needs, and foster respon-sibility and a lifelong relation-ship with nature. It is a simula-tion of a serious issue whereby children chant songs in a way that promotes, within the high-est standards, a setting for mu-tual exchange. This is because we live in an advanced age, and the public is not satisfied with pure entertainment an-ymore. They want to attend a realistic event with a strong so-cial message, which they like to recognize themselves.

After all, we will be mak-ing an important gesture to the world in demonstrating our global concern, while at the same time; we will be con-tributing on a small but sig-nificant scale, to the environ-mental cause. With no other ambition than to entertain, the concert could achieve its purpose beautifully. The thou-sands of people who will be there could simply share the importance of environment protection through daring young children. A huge under-taking! Making a difference in one’s community is what we all want to do, and if you can entertain people and help the environmental conservation cause at the same time, this can be one of the most reward-ing moments in a lifetime!

JAQUELINE SALLOUM

Member of SPNL Committee

www.spnlb.org

[email protected]

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by JACOPO MONZINI

I n Lebanon, responsibility for waste management is as-

signed to municipalities. How-ever, lack of funds, weak tech-nical know-how, absence of sufficient sanitary landfills and a weak tax system have caused most municipalities to pay only minimal attention to this issue, leading to a widespread envi-ronmental problem that will only worsen with time. As a re-sult more than 700 illegal and unsafe dump sites have been registered troughout the coun-try and some of the largest ones are becoming a major problem for Lebanon both in environ-mental and economical terms. Only few municipalities are equipped with sorting facilities and only few of them are still

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

municipalities dispose of their waste in dumps without un-dertaking any other activities. The rest, 9% has sorting and recycling units for urban solid waste but due to management constrains only a few of them is actually working. Around 40% of the municipalities dispose of the waste on public properties, 39% use private land, while 21% do not know or do not want to provide information relative to the characteristics of the dumpsite.

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

MUNICIPALITIES

MANAGEMENT IN LEBANONAND WASTE

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

Lack of funds, weak technical know-how, absence of sufficient sanitary landfills and a weak tax system have caused

most municipalities to pay only minimal attention to this issue.

89MAY 2008

protect the environmental com-ponents, particularly the soil, water and human health. In most cases, rather than speak-ing of landfills we should speak of “garbage piles.”

Alongside the survey of mu-nicipal waste management sys-tems, the Environment experts of the Italian Cooperation Office

in Beirut conducted a full mar-ket analysis of recyclables. The recyclable market in Lebanon is extremely vivid and interesting and is in fact characterized by a high demand. What is interest-ing is that despite the high pro-duction of waste, its availabil-ity in the market remains low. Waste is dispersed due the ab-

sence of specialized waste man-agement systems in the munici-palities and appropriate market strategies. Waste and recycla-bles are collected and disposed of in the following ways:. They are placed in dumps. They are recovered in a sepa-

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

In the second case, the waste is collected and transported to the separation unit that is man-aged by the municipality or by a private entity (always in collab-oration with the municipality). Whereas in the first case waste management is only a cost to

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the municipality, in the second case the municipality can profit from the sale of recyclable ma-terial. Nevertheless the absence of proper planning and man-agement largely reduces the rentability of recycling for mu-nicipalities. This weak manage-ment leads to a high demand by recyclers for metal, car bat-teries, plastic and paper which are nonetheless low in availa-bility. In fact when recyclables are sold unclean and not well separated, the product is of sec-ondary quality and is sold at a lower price leading to reduced income (or even losses) for the municipality. This can be drasti-cally diminished when separat-ing waste at source.

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

Italian the NGOs COSV-CISP and UCODEP. The Italian Coop-eration funded a pilot project in four locations of Sothern Leba-non (Kherbet Selim, Bent Jbail, Kfar Sir, Aytaroun) that aims at addressing some of the core problems of waste manage-ment, thereby creating a sus-tainable system that will ben-efit the local communities, the municipalities and the environ-ment.

The rehabilitation and strengthening of existing Se-lection-Sorting-Disposal (SSD) Units through provision of spe-cialized equipment will be cou-pled with a wide “sorting-at-the-source” awareness campaign for the local populations and used as pilot in order to demon-strate that SW has to be sorted and managed as a resource, for the benefit of all involved.

Following the color scheme laid out by the Ministry of En-vironment, different colored bins will be distributed in the three towns to stimulate ef-fective sorting of organic and non-organic waste. The thus-sorted waste will then be chan-

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

The key aspect of the Ital-ian Cooperation’s strategy is therefore the search for profit-ability and reduction in man-agement costs so that this im-proved system may last in time and the municipality will have a genuine interest in maintain-ing it. With this in mind, part of the compost will be used locally while the remaining compost and the recyclables will be sold (through a bidding procedure) to various users and recyclers in Lebanon.

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

Averda Group is a pioneer in the city cleaning, municipal

solid waste management, and manufacturing sectors through

its affiliates Sukleen, Sukomi and Leeds International.

Sukleen is specialized in city cleaning services. Having origi-

nally started in Beirut, the company now covers the Greater

Beirut area and most of Mount Lebanon, servicing more

than 2,000,000 citizens.

Sukleen’s activities are handled by two main departments:

The City Cleaning Operations for the municipal solid waste

collection, street sweeping, recyclable material handling, in

addition to special operations, and the Vehicle Maintenance

& Repair. Both departments operate with the common ob-

jective of providing the best quality services for the commu-

nity, in conformance with the ISO 9001 quality standards.

We work closely with many public and private environmen-

tal and social associations and institutions to support recy-

cling initiatives in the Lebanese community. We also perform

school and university visits and welcome more than 1200

students yearly to enhance their environmental awareness

and promote recycling benefits.

As part of environmental awareness, Sukleen has launcheda

door-to-door collection of recyclable materials collected

at source, by using the source separated color coded bins

distributed free of charge by the Company to various par-

ticipating institutions. Today, Sukleen is proud to have over

700 participants from the public and the private sectors in

Lebanon.

Sukleen has built a strong partnership with the community

it serves. It has allocated 24-hour hotlines to answer the

citizens’ queries in the best way possible. Moreover, Sukleen

welcomes school and university students’ visits to its camps

to introduce them to the company’s scope of work, city

cleaning activities and recycling benefits.

Sukomi handles the treatment and sanitary disposal of mu-

nicipal solid waste, encompassing three divisions: Sukomi

Waste Treatment for the sorting and composting opera-

AVERDA GROUP: PIONEER IN THE CITY CLEANING

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

Center for Environmental Research and Testing (CERT).

Sukomi’s commitment towards high quality services and

environmentally sound practices is exemplified through

conformance to the ISO 9001 & 14001 quality and environ-

mental standards.

Sukomi treats around 50% of the waste stream produced

in Lebanon. The treatment process starts by combination

of manual and mechanical sorting of the waste components

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

terials.

The sorted recyclable materials (glass, PET, HDPE, LDPE,

wood, Aluminum, tin and metallic components, paper and

cardboard) are sent to the recycling industry where they

are used as regenerated material.

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

cellent soil enhancer. Compost is distributed to the farm-

ers in Lebanon and has demonstrated exceptional results in

enhancing soil amendment and fertilization.

The final disposal of waste rejects and bulky items takes

place at the Naameh and Bsalim sanitary landfills, operated

and managed by Sukomi as per international norms related

to quality, safety, environmental monitoring and risk man-

agement.

Both Landfills were designed, constructed, operated, man-

aged and controlled according to the European waste man-

agement standards and codes of practice, to accommodate

the waste deposits of the city of Beirut and parts of Mount

Lebanon. All factors resulting from or affecting the landfill,

such as gases, leachate, surface and ground water, have been

carefully studied, managed and treated at source to provide

a safe and clean environment.

Once the landfill sites are completed, they will be capped,

vegetated and restored, and will no longer be recognizable

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

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

dro seeding vegetation

custom developed to re-harmonize the landfill with the

original flora type and colors.

For smooth operations in all Sukomi sites, the maintenance

Department is dedicated to providing a high-level service

through immediate response time, minimal down time, reli-

able quality services, data analysis and effective decisions.

Leeds International is a thriving company in industrial de-

sign, fabrication, and recycling.

Leeds international includes three main departments: De-

sign for conceptualization and drawings, Fabrication for

process engineering and installation of steel structures, and

Recycling of post-consumer plastic waste.

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

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

the SO 9001 international quality standards.

THE GROUP ALSO BELIEVES THAT EX-

CELLENCE CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED

THROUGH CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT,

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND

OUR ULTIMATE TARGET IS THE COMMU-

NITY AND HOW TO BEST CONTRIBUTE

TO ITS WELFARE, WHILST INCREASING

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS.

AVERDA’S ETHICS RELY ON CARRYING

OUT THE BUSINESS WITH THE HIGHEST

STANDARDS OF INTEGRITY AND PRO-

VIDING THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF SER-

VICES TO ITS CLIENTS.

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by ROGER G. ASHI*

T he Chouf region encom-passes the largest natu-

ral reserve in the country “The Chouf Cedar Reserve” , which surround and is part of the fol-lowing villages of the Higher Shouf region: Bater, Niha, Jebaa, Mrous-ti, Khreibi, Maaser el Chouf, Moukhtara, Baadarane, Aam-atour, Haret Jandal, Ain Qa-ni, Butmeh, Barouk & Ain Zhalta.

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

One of the aspects of com-mon concerns is the environ-ment issue on which there is a consensus among all concerned parties. They have decided unanimously to actively collab-orate in protecting nature and develop and promote eco-tour-ism, which best suits our area, through sharing the below ad-vantages, in this sector:. The Chouf Cedar Reserve

covers about 5% of Lebanon’s territory and is home to more than 250 bird and endan-gered animal species. It has been declared a Protected Ar-ea by the Government of Leb-

anon and declared part of the natural heritage of the na-tion. In addition, it includes the largest forest in Lebanon of the World known ancient Cedar trees of Lebanon. Dur-ing the last 20 years, full-time experts and supervisors have safeguarded the protection of this unique forest.. The availability of a unified

vision in the community that the tourism product will be nature-based and to build on the cultural and historical as-sets in the region. All munici-palities and the management of the “Chouf Cedar Reserve” work very closely togeth-er and meet on a regular ba-sis to assess rural, economic, tourist and environmental in-

itiatives.. Natural environment and lo-

cal villages were much better preserved than many parts of Lebanon. Illegal construction had been limited if not for-bidden as the local authori-ties decided to spare the re-gion from the random, illegal and uncompleted structures the plaque the rest of the countryside. The above was topped by an intensive effort in the reforestation and tree planting activities.. The Chouf in general and

the Higher Chouf in par-ticular, contains some of the most unspoiled, natural landscapes in Lebanon, un-touched by industrial/com-mercial development or the

THE HIGHER CHOUF Environment and tourism assessment.

95MAY 2008

civil war. The snow-capped peaks of its cedar forests of-fer dramatic views unrivalled in other regions. Much of the forests in the re-gion are considered virgin territory, untouched and un-spoiled by human activity. They provide vast unexplored territory to a variety of tour-ists and recreation seekers who appreciate natural beau-ty, a restful environment, an interesting terrain and wild-life. In addition to its nature and beauty, the Higher Chouf also benefits from several well known destinations that attract a potential number of tourists among which, cas-tles, palaces, grottos and sites of religious, historical and ar-cheological significance.

By taking into consideration what has been stated above, tourism in the region has been slowly reviving in recent years. The natural advantages of the region are becoming an as-set to the people, and as such the natural environment could become and is being consid-

ered as an income-generating source, whereby people are considering commercial activi-ties related to the environment. However, visitors are mostly day-trippers who do not spend much time exploring the vil-lages, the mountains and the countryside, due to the lack of proper infrastructure projects and mainly the inexistence of B&B facilities in the region.

But the Higher Chouf beau-tiful and natural environment was in peril due to the lack of a proper wastewater and sol-id waste management strate-gy/plan, which was threaten-ing health and environment.

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

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

Based on the above, it has become a must to adjust the ac-tual situation and put a long-term strategy that will take in-to consideration the below:. Build on the actual and abun-

dant advantages that nature offers in a way to establish a

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sustainable environment that will be the foundation of a vi-able economic growth. Envi-ronmental preservation and careful management of re-sources are particularly impor-tant for our region and should be extended beyond natural resources to the social impact on society, mainly in segments such as eco-based or nature-based or agri-based tourism. Such tourism activities ben-efit the local community in a healthy and sustainable way.. Establishing a common plan

and joining efforts and work for implementing in eve-ry concerned village a sew-age pipe network and a treat-ment plant, in order to stop polluting nature and limit the bad consequences that this might cause to the commu-nity, in health, economic and environment aspects.

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

The partnership was late-ly established with the USAID (United States Agency for In-ternational Development) who

showed a great interest in im-plementing a project of build-ing 8 sewage treatment plants and 12 Km of sewage pipe net-work to cover the initial needs of all concerned villages at a cost of 3,5 million Dollars.

Therefore, 8 sewage treat-ment plants has been built in the following villages:. THE MAASER EL CHOUF

STATION: With a capacity to serve 3000 residents, built on a tiercery treatment stages following the conditions and specifications of the Ministry of Environment, due to its existence in the higher part of the Chouf region. Elec-trical power needs is 64 KVA.. THE KREIBI STATION:Same as above specifications.. THE MROUSTI STATION:Same as above specifications, but serving 1500 residents. Electrical power needs is 38 Kva.. THE JEEBA STATION:Same as the Mrousti station specifications.. THE AAMATOUR STATION:With a capacity to serve 6000 residents, built on secondary treatment stages following the conditions and specifications of the Ministry of Environment, due to its existence in the low-er part of the Higher Chouf re-gion. The water could be used for irrigation purposes. Electri-cal power nedds is 61 KVA and it serves 4 villages.. THE BATER STATION:Same as the Aamatour Station specifications and it serves 3 villages.. THE BAADARANE STATION:Same as the abovestation but it

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

Also it is good to mention that all treatment plants has introduced for the first time in Lebanon, the trickling fil-ter concept which naturally re-duces the BOD to half with-out the need for any electrical power consumption. Therefore electricity bills will be reduced to half.

In parallel, a 32 Km of sew-age pipe networks has been im-plemented by another donation of 2,4 million Dollars by the CDR, to complement the local networks executed by the lo-cal municipalities, thus cover-ing about 70% of all residential areas and there is still a need to build about 30 Km of addition-al networks to cover the rest of the region.

Only by completing such vi-tal and important infrastructure projects, the Higher Chouf who has clear advantages so far of having preserved its nature bet-ter than in most part of Leba-non, could turn environment in-to a sustainable issue. Its natural beauty, its preserved, protected and pollution free environment could be the key selling point for a nature oriented tourism that could trigger and generate wide economic opportunities for the local community.

* President of the Federation

of Municipalities of the Higher Chouf

(F.M.H.C).

Moukhtara, January 23rd , 2007.

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INTEGRATED

OLIVE OILWASTE MANAGEMENT FOR THE

Olive oil production in Lebanon

Agriculture contributes to 5.8% of GDP in Lebanon (MOET, 2002) and employs about 6.7% of the total labor force (Caspar-ian, 2003), 57% of which are olive growers. Olive trees cover 57.6 thousand hectares of the Lebanese territory producing 83.2 thousand tons of olives per year (MoAg, 2003). The olive cultivated area is sustain-ing a growth rate of 3% annu-ally (SRI, 2004).

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that around 70% of the total olive production is transformed into olive oil. Olive oil production represents a common and traditional busi-ness that is mostly run by fami-lies in rural areas.

The average yearly per cap-ita consumption of olive oil in

Lebanon is about 2.5 kg (3.12 liters) and the total yearly con-sumption of olive oil reaches 9,500 tons. During low pro-duction years, the local market demand for olive oil exceeds local production and Leba-non reverts to olive oil import. During high production years Lebanon becomes a small net exporter of olive oil. For exam-ple, in 2002 (a high production year), Lebanon only exported about 3% of its total olive oil production (SRI, 2004).

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

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

Olive Mills’ Distribution & Status

The IMOOPW project con-ducted a survey for olive mills and their complementary industries. The results of the survey showed that Lebanon has 492 olive mills and around 36 complementary industries including soap, coal, packaging and composting. The major-ity of the olive mills (45.73%) are located in North Lebanon, followed by Mount Lebanon

PRESSING INDUSTRIES

99MAY 2008

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

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

Olive Oil Extraction Methods

There are mainly 2 methods for oil extraction: the tradi-tional system and the continu-

ous system. The traditional system is a

discontinuous system consist-ing of pressing the paste by means of hydraulic presses. The continuous 3-phase sys-tem uses horizontal centrifuga-tion (decanter) to separate the oil from the mass. The result of the process is the oil, veg-etable water and spent olives. The continuous 2-phase sys-tem uses a decanter that sep-arates the oil and mixes the spent olives and the vegeta-ble water in one phase called humid olive kernel or moist spent olives. The table below shows the different steps in the 2 extraction methods.

Olive Mill Wastewater: A Blessing or a Curse?

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

organic materials and polyphe-nols. Olive mills are usually associated with emissions of odorous volatile compounds. OMW cause deterioration of water bodies reflected as reflected by coloring, appear-

Reception Milling Malaxation/Mixing

Oil extraction Centrifugation Storage

Traditional

Continuous

OLIVE OIL EXTRACTION

“...OMW may also

be regarded as

an economic resource

such as the use of OMW

as soil conditioner,

biomass fuel, compost,

or as starting material

to obtain

valuable products

such as antioxidants,

enzymes

and biogas fuel”.

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ance of an oily shine, and increased oxygen demand. They also affect the soil qual-ity, are toxic to plant life, and create odor nuisance when dis-posed into the soil.

The main problem regarding the disposal of OMW is to find an environmentally friendly and economically viable solu-tion. Due to the presence of toxic organics these wastes are toxic to bacteria and direct biological treatment is not pos-sible. In addition, these wastes are mostly generated from small enterprises having lim-ited financial resources and usually distant, which creates difficulty in establishing cen-tral treatment and disposal facilities.

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

In order to avoid the eco-nomic and social chaos lead-

ing to potential crisis in olive production due to the require-ments of very expensive OMW treatment investments, several provisory legislation and min-isterial decrees were promul-gated and strategic plans were applied in some countries. One of them has foreseen spreading of wastewaters on land, such as in Italy. Spain, for example, almost totally changed the pro-duction techniques from press and three-phase (oil-water-paste) continuous systems to two-phase systems to produce less waste. Extensive field stud-ies and research indicating the high fertilizing and soil con-ditioning value of OMW were carried out in Spain and Italy. (Azbar, N., 2004).

Health Effects of Polyphenols in Olive Oil

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

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

Intervention periods were 3 weeks preceded by 2-week washout periods. The results showed that the higher the phenol content of the oil, the higher the HDL “good” choles-terol and the higher the level of antioxidants in the blood.The antioxidants prevent dam-age to LDL . Olive oil’s phenolic content can also provide ben-efits for plasma lipid levels and oxidative damage.

Which Olive Oils have higher polyphenols?

Hasbani river, South Lebanon,

becomes black during the olive pressing

season because of OMW discharge.

“When competent companies adopt

the principle of eco-efficiency they turn out

important innovations. . .

It will not just be about

technology and economics

but also about framing the market

and about creating new partnerships

across the traditional boundaries

of business and politics.”

Claude Fussler , WBCSD, 2002.

101MAY 2008

Phenol content in olives depends on several factors: . Variety: Specific types of

olives, such as the Tuscan varieties (Frantoio, Coratina, Lucca, Pendolino), will have higher polyphenol values. Time of picking: Most olives picked earlier in the year will have more polyphenols. Polyphenol concentrations increase with fruit growth until the olives begin to turn purple then begins to decrease. . Processing method: Mixing

the olive paste in the pres-ence of the oxygen in air will lower the polyphenols. Refined oil is low in polyphe-nols. . Storage: As oil sits in stor-

age tanks or the bottle, the polyphenols will slowly be oxidized and used up. This process speeds up when the oil is heated or exposed to light.

OMW: From Environmental Problem to Source of Wellness

Lachifarma, a pharmaceuti-cal industry in Lecce, Italy has developed a new technol-ogy that allows the treatment and valorization of olive mill wastewaters. The technology consists of using a series of membrane filtration starting by microfiltration, followed by ultra-filtration, nano-filtration and ending by reverse osmosis. The treatment generates valu-

able by-products as follows: Out of 100 L. of OMW:. 68% water suitable for agri-

cultural uses. . 26% of low molecular weight

products that can be used for animal feed.. 6% of hydroxytyrosol, a pow-

erful antioxidant used in the pharmaceutical and cosmet-ics industries.

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

Olive Pomace in a fight against HIV

The Bionat team, from the Uni-versity of Granada, headed by Prof. Andrés García Granados, senior lecturer in Organic Chem-istry, have been working on the extraction of maslinic acid from dry pomace produced in olive oil mills. Maslinic acid inhibits serin-protease, an enzyme used by HIV, to release itself from the infected cell into the extracel-

lular environment and, conse-quently, to spread the infection into the whole body. These scientists from Granada deter-mined that the use of olive-pomace can slow down AIDS spread in the body by 80%. Maslinic or crataegolic acid is a pentacyclic terpene with anti-oxidant and anticancer effects found in olive skin, alongside oleanolic acid. Maslinic acid innovative properties stem from its powerful protease-inhibition activity, it is also a very active compound in opportunistic parasitic infections seriously affecting HIV patients. (Medical News Today, 23 Dec. 2006, A Compound From Olivepomace Oil Gets 80% Slowing Down Of HIV Spread).

Pomace produced in a traditional

olive mill.

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Do Extraction Techniques Affect Olive Oil Quality?

Olive oil quality depends on several factors including olive variety, region of cultivation, climate, stage of maturation, storage conditions, etc… Sev-eral research projects were conducted worldwide to study the effect of olive oil extraction techniques on olive oil qual-ity. Ben Miled et al. (2000) used two types of mills: a dis-continuous system (press-ing) and a continuous system (decanter) to extract oils from 2 olive varieties from Tuni-sia. Some parameters of olive oil quality and stability, acid-ity, polyphenol content, fatty acid composition and triacylg-lycerol molecular species were followed at different intervals. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil which contains appreciable amounts of polyphenols acting as antioxidant substances and contributing to it a greater sta-bility against oxidation during storage.

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

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

Phenolic substances not only affect olive oil stabil-ity but also contribute to oil flavor and aroma, especially to the typical bitter taste of olive oil, which is a positive attribute in the sensory anal-ysis of olive oil. The inten-sity of bitterness was statisti-cally higher in 2-phase than in 3-phase mills.

Organoleptic Preferences of Oil in Lebanon

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

tify the sample extracted by pressure. 157 visitors partici-pated in this tasting experi-ence and the results came as follows: 56% of the partici-pants were able to identify the sample extracted by pressure.

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

Training Needs Assessment for the Olive Oil Production Sector

The project team organized five focus group meetings in the different Lebanese regions clustered as follows: 1. Mar-jeyoun, Hasbaya, and West-ern Bekaa. 2. Nabatieh and the South. 3. Zgharta el Zaw-ieh, Koura, and Batroun. 4. Tripoli, Menieh, and Akkar. 5. Mount Lebanon. The focus group meetings aimed at assessing the training needs of olive mill owners and farmers to improve the olive oil sec-tor. The following points were highlighted: . Irrespective of the milling

technique, the quality of the oil primarily depends on the farming cultural practices and harvesting and post harvest handling of olives. In this regard, mill owners still lack the access to or the

103MAY 2008

tools to disseminate sim-ple yet essential functional knowledge to farmers; to include olive variety selec-tion and compatibility.. The traditional milling sys-

tem is still in demand and easily operated. However, this system tends to be hygi-enically poor and generally produces oil low in quality. The mill owners also recog-nized the need to rehabili-tate their mills with higher hygienic standards through cost-effective and energy efficient methods. . 3-phase mill owners real-

ize the importance of their adopted technology, but are facing considerable tech-nical and environmental issues that are affecting the efficiency of the produc-tion process. Based on this, the 3-phase mill owners expressed their interest to have access to knowledge for use and maintenance of their equipment as to where it minimizes the use of inputs and energy and maximizes the quality of the

produced oil. . 2-phase mill owners are

quite pleased with the tech-nology when it comes to effi-ciency. But when it comes to calibration and mainte-nance, they feel that they lack knowledge that is affect-ing the profitability of their operations. Another limiting factor for them was the orga-noleptic characteristics of their oil are not acceptable by the local market. From their perspective, they need to have access to knowledge and skills as related to the operation of their equipment and most importantly, orga-noleptic training for them to be able to cater for the mar-ket demand .

From an Environmental Problem to an Economic Opportunity

Olive cake is the waste byprod-uct of some 16,000 Moroccan small, traditional-olive mills. Until now, these cakes have had little economic-value. Some are-burned in boilers or used to-heat homes, but most of-them are dumped in the-environ-ment, where they-may be con-taminated by-fungi or release toxic compounds.-As a result, fungal-toxins or polyphenol compounds-that resist bacteri-al-degradation can leach out,-posing a risk to human and-en-vironmental health.-With fund-ing from IDRC,-IAV Hassan II,

and other-institutions, Dr Ismaï-li -Alaoui set out to help mill-owners transform olive-wastes into useful products.-Pomace is shoveled into a-small trac-tor powered-sheller, the pits are separated-from the moist mash,-which is then placed in an-ordi-nary cement mixer. Water,-mo-lasses, and a powdered-fungus starter are-added. Poured into plasticlined-trays, the resulting-slurry is placed on shelves in-the fermenter. Within a day-or two, the protein content-can be boosted to close to-20%. In 72 hours, the mixture-is dry. This meal can-replace up to half of commercial-feeds in animal rations.-This simple technol-ogy-can turn an environmen-tal-problem into a sustainable-

Focus Group meeting held

in the Chamber of Commerce,

Industry and Agriculture

for Mount Lebanon & Beirut.

Plastic sheet solar greenhouse

designed to facilitate fermentation.

Olive Pomace.

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source of income-and employ-ment in rural-areas.-As the researchers worked-on per-fecting the animal-feed, they noticed that the-fungus used to ferment the-mixture produced large-quantities of enzymes-(lipases and esterases) that-break down the fat in the-ol-ive mixture. These enzymes-can catalyze many-reactions to produce a-broad range of com-pounds-for the cosmetic,-food, and pharmaceutical-industries. One of the most-interesting - and potentially-marketable - products-are natural aromas.-The team succeeded in-synthe-sizing a number of-natural aro-mas, including-apple, banana, and pineapple.-Natural aromas of-this type sell for anywhere-between CAN$10 and-$340 a kilogram on the-world market. The fungus-spores also have potential-as organic pesticides-against various plant pests-and diseases. (Ref: http://-www.idrc.ca/en/ev 30619-201 1 DO_TOPIC.html-re-

trieved April 20, 2007).

Olive Cake as a Renewable Energy Source

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

panies each carrying out sep-arate activities. Secaderos de Biomasa, S.A. (SEDEBISA) is in charge of all processes for obtaining olive kernel oil.

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

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

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

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

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

An understanding

of the business value

to be gained from

efficient use of natural

resources is an important

first step toward

sustainability:

toward building a world

in which resources

are managed to meet

the needs of all people now

and in the future.”

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

Reactor for electricity production

from Biomass (Olive waste).

105MAY 2008

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

Olive Waste Management: a potential for CDM Projects

The Clean Development Mech-anism (CDM) is an arrange-ment under the Kyoto Pro-tocol allowing industrialized countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment (so-called Annex 1 countries) to invest in emission reduc-ing projects in developing countries as an alternative to what is generally considered more costly emission reduc-tions in their own countries (UNFCC).

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

bic sludge treatment, to an untreated wastewater stream.

Anaerobic treatment of vegetables water with meth-ane recovery and combus-tion could be a potential for a CDM project. Another poten-tial project could be related to the reduction of CO2 emissions through using biomass fuels for energy and electricity genera-

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

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

Lazarieh Building

P.O.Box: 11-2727

Beirut, Lebanon

HTTP://OLIVEPRESS.MOE.GOV.LB

Phone: +961 1 976555

Fax: +961 1 976530

E-mail: [email protected]

Olive cake produced by traditional olive mills in Lebanon.

Waste Management System designed by AquatechOlivia.

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F irst long-distance moun-tain trail in Lebanon: a

combination of footpaths and agricultural dirt roads. Attrac-tions include natural reserves, ancient monasteries and her-mitages.

What is the Lebanon Mountain

Trail? Can you describe the trail?

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

Who delineated the trail?

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

cultural roads and irrigation canals that make up the trail have been in use for centuries. Working closely with seasoned trekkers, tour operators, and local residents, ECODIT delin-eated and test-walked the trail to ensure that it is enjoyable and safe.

What will hikers see on the LMT?

Why is the trail so unique?

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

LEBANON MOUNTAIN TRAIL

107MAY 2008

Where can hikers sleep on the

LMT?

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

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

You say that the LMT supports

rural development. How?

The main objective behind the LMT was to expand economic opportunities in rural moun-tain communities. By improv-ing the livelihoods of rural

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

How can people support the LMT?

There are many ways to sup-

port the LMT. For example, you can join the LMT Associa-tion (for online applications, go to www.lebanontrail.org/applicationform.asp); make a donation to the LMT Associa-tion, donate land near the trail to the Association for long-term protection, and volunteer to clear and upgrade the trail. The easiest way to support the LTM is by telling your friends about the trail.

Where can hikers fi nd informa-

tion on the LMT?

ECODIT and the LMT Associa-tion have recently published A Guide to the LMT (104

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

The LMT was conceived and developed by ECODIT with a donation from the American People through the US Agen-cy for International Develop-ment.

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by HALA KILANI*

A t its peak, the hima was what con-servation professionals around the

world have striven to accomplish since many years.

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

The literal meaning of hima in Arabic is “protected place” or “protected area.” It is the most widespread and longstand-ing indigenous and traditional conserva-tion institution in the Middle East and perhaps on earth.

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

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

AL-HIMA A WAY OF LIFE

111MAY 2008

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

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

Conservation sites managed by cen-tral government have often failed due to exclusive policies that left local com-munities out from benefit and manage-ment decisions pertaining to protected areas. Himas, on the other hand, which are managed by and for the people living adjacent to them, succeeded in achieving core objectives in conservation and sus-tainable development. Himas have prac-ticed centuries ago concepts – such as sustainable use, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation - that were only recently introduced to the environ-mental management vocabulary.

Thanks to himas, as they were re-in-troduced by the Prophet in the Arabian Peninsula, five- hundred-year-old Juni-per forests, important wildlife like the Ibex and natural oases can still be found today in Saudi Arabia. This biodiversity survived in a land that was particularly prone to degradation and desertification and constantly roamed by nomadic herd-ers who could have easily destroyed all signs of green and life had there not been a solid system of protection with defined rules and sanctions like the hima.

The first hima declared by the Proph-et was Mecca followed by Al-Madinah where a certain zonation system was introduced and hunting and tree cut-ting was prohibited within a radius of

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four and 12 miles respectively around the haram (the sanc-tuary).

Himas then flourished, prospered and spread in har-mony and rhythm with Islam. For centuries, local inhabitants

of the rural and nomadic lands successfully established envi-ronmental planning and man-agement strategies that bal-anced the growth of settle-ments and the use of natural resources according to Islam-

ic law and tribal self-govern-ment. Local communities con-tinued to manage himas until the first half of the twentieth century. This was the case in the Ottoman dominions, which at various times included what

113MAY 2008

is now Jordan, Syria, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In Lebanon, the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNL), which has worked on establishing protected areas in the country since the 1990s,

came across old maps carrying the word “hima” while study-ing a site, which is a forested communal land in south Leb-anon. This Arabic word that holds the meaning of protec-tion and that is quite rooted in the language of old people living in rural areas, intrigued the conservation professionals of SPNL. The team researched the word further and unveiled the treasure of knowledge and history behind it.

Since that discovery, SPNL has been working on reviving this system that has more to offer than the imported pro-tected area system usually fol-lowed nowadays widely in the Middle East and consists in establishing Nature Reserves that poorly demonstrate the value of conservation to local communities and rarely seek their participation.

Since 2004, SPNL estab-lished three himas in close col-laboration with local authori-

ties and communities. The first is Ebel es Saqi a 38 Ha pine forest in south Lebanon that was discovered to be a bottle-neck area for migrating birds. The second is hima Kfarzabad in the Bekaa region, a wetland part of a wider system of wet-lands that was degraded out of ill knowledge for the val-ue of wetlands. Farmers and other local community mem-bers along with the municipal-ity participate in the manage-ment and sustainability of this hima. The most recent hima is in Qoleile in South Lebanon, a marine site in which fisher-men participate in conserva-tion activities and relinquished using unsustainable fishing methods like dynamite. Qoleile was established after the 2006 war on Lebanon despite com-plete destruction of the village and stands as a symbol of the himas’ resilience.

The revival of himas in Leb-anon is proving to be suc-

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115MAY 2008

cessful and municipalities are showing commitment and tak-ing the initiative in contacting SPNL to establish himas on their natural sites.

After the July 2006 war, a team from the Internation-al Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the largest conservation organization in the world, came to Lebanon to assess the war impacts on the environment and people’s livelihoods.

The IUCN team found that, during the war on Lebanon, himas proved to be resilient systems of conservation that

can stand in the way of con-flicts and crises as they are managed by communities liv-ing adjacent to them and apt to protect them in the most difficult situations especially when conservation organiza-tions succeed in establishing solid links with these people.

During the war, hima Kfarzabad received a large number of displaced. Farm-ers’ access to their land was dangerous and resources were scarce. This posed an impor-tant threat to the wetland, pan-ic was about to drive farmers to divert the wetlands’ water

to the farmland. But when SPNL secured humanitarian aid to the village and the dis-placed it hosted through con-tacts with IUCN and BirdLife International, the people of Kfarzabad rushed to show their appreciation to these conservation organizations through investing time and effort to reinforce the hima with infrastructure that they built themselves with modest funding that came from the conservation partners.

Again, when humanitari-an aid reached the people of Qoleile via the same conserva-

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tion organizations, they hur-ried to declare a hima on their coastal area despite immense problems and destruction left by the war that they had to tackle.

Seeing the potential of the hima and its resilience, and noting its importance in a region plagued by wars and conflicts, IUCN called for a regional meeting that it organ-ized in Lebanon with mem-bers like SPNL, the Ministry of Environment, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan, BirdLife International, Hanns Sei-del and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.

The meeting, which gath-ered more than 50 partici-pants from Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen and Europe shed light on the hima and resulted in a regional net-work and road map that set the way forward on advancing the hima agenda.

The main gap noted was in

the knowledge that conser-vation professionals lacked on this rich, important and successful system. To which extent did the hima spread? What were the mechanisms of management within it? How were decisions taken to use or set the resources aside and when? Based on what? Many questions that if answered can bring immense knowledge to conservation communities worldwide.

Since then, several impor-tant conservation organiza-tions adopted the hima as part of their conservation strate-gies in the region including IUCN, BirdLife International and MetWet.

These organizations not-ed that the word “hima” as opposed to “Mahmia” the equivalent of protected area was familiar and deep-ly engrained in the collective memory of rural communities living in the Middle East and North Africa region, which made himas readily accepted

by these communities while “mahmias” or protected are-as are not. It will be therefore easier to accomplish conser-vation through establishing himas rather than protected areas in this region.

The word hima is present in traditional expressions and sayings, in national anthems such that of Tunisia and in old Egyptian movies.

Unfortunately, while the hima is being revived in Leb-anon, the system is disappear-ing in other places including its original birthplace. The number of traditional himas in Saudi Arabia dropped from 3,000 in the 1960s - near-ly every village was associat-ed with one of more himas - to a few dozen in present times and only a few of those are still managed by local com-munities. With the passing of himas from local to more cen-tralized ownership, degrada-tion to important nature sites is occurring with bewildering rapidity. What has taken cen-turies to preserve, is being destroyed in a few years or even months.

IUCN and its partners are committed to developing pol-icies, knowledge and capac-ity to save the remaining of these traditional himas which constitute a precious wealth in resources and knowledge held by communities that are equally slowly disappearing.

* IUCN West Asia/Middle East Poverty,

Equity and Gender Programme

Coordinator

[email protected]

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SHOUF OVERVIEWBIOSPHERE RESERVE

119MAY 2008

T he Shouf Biosphere Re-serve (SBR) was declared

a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2005. Within the Biosphere Reserve is the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve (the largest in Leba-non) which was declared a pro-tected area by law in 1996 by the Government of Lebanon.Tourism is a major activity in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve and is on the increase. Visitors arrive at one of four entrances namely: Barouk Forest, Maas-er Forest, Ain-Zahalta/Bmo-hrai Forest and Niha Fort. The total number of visitors was 20,772 in 2003 and 28,067 in 2004. This annual increase is expected to continue provid-ed that the tourist facilities are expanded to meet the in-

creased demand.The Shouf Biosphere

Reserve covers about 5% of the overall area of Lebanon and extends along the ridge of the western chain of Mount Lebanon from Dahr-el Baidar in the north to Jezzine in the south and overlooks both the Bekaa valley to the east and Shouf region to the west.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve includes twenty four (24) villages and two pro-tected areas, Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve and Ammiq Wetland, both of which are fast becom-ing major natural attractions for Lebanon and the region. The altitude of the Reserve varies from about 1000 meters to about 2000 meters above

sea level and encompasses a number of important vegeta-tive zones.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve is also the southernmost limit of the cedars of Lebanon (Ced-rus libani) and represents one of the few remaining natural landscapes of Mount Leba-non that were described in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament as well as in count-less documents throughout history. BirdLife International designated the area as an IBA (Important Bird Area).

SBR is managed by Al- Shouf Cedar Society (ACS), which was established in 1994. ACS founds and manages the Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve (ACR) since 1996.

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Main characteristics:

. Largest Nature Reserve in Lebanon. Globally southern limit of

cedrus libani. Important Bird Area (IBA)

ACS main objectives:

. Natural and Cultural Herit-age Conservation

. Research and Monitoring

. Rural Development

. Eco-Tourism

. Environmental Awareness

. Capacity Building

Main Programs:

. ECO-TOURISM PROGRAMThe aim is to facilitate a rewarding visitor experience by the provision of secretarial

opportunities and experiences, consistent with no degradation or net loss of heritage value of the reserve. . The Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve receives yearly more than 20,000 visitors (60% Lebanese nationality and 40 % various foreign nationalities) through 4 entrances:. Entrance of Maaser Cedar

forest (7 hectares).

121MAY 2008

. Entrance of Barouk Cedar forest (400 hectares).. Entrance of Ain Zhalta-

Bmouhray Cedar forest (110 hectares).. Niha Fort entrance (histori-

cal site).There are many eco-tourism activities: Accommodation (Guest Houses), Walking, Hik-ing, Trekking, Bird watching, Animal observation, Biking,

Climbing, Rope games, Educa-tional activities, etc.. RESEARCH AND

MONITORING PROGRAMThe vision of the Research & Monitoring Program is to supply high quality scientific information and expertise to facilitate informed and respon-sible management of Shouf Biosphere Reserve by under-taking, promoting and sup-

porting appropriate scientific research and monitoring, and to become a national training centre.

. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS PROGRAM

The vision of the Environ-mental Awareness Program is to introduce and make clear to greater number of com-mon people the importance

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of conserving the nature and the ecosystem, in particular the reserved zones and to cre-ate the environmental motive among them.

. RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Al-Shouf Cedar Society has undertaken the Rural Devel-opment Project since Febru-ary 1999, aiming to conserve and develop raw materials and hand made provision.

The project had since then contributed in granting aid to 40 families by producing more

than 70 products that are pro-moted on the main entrances of the Reserve which receive yearly more than 20000 visitors from different nationalities.

Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve shows visitors the patrimony and traditions of the local community through its food products such as marmalade, herbs, jams, beverage, distilled waters and craftworks.

The program is developing by establishing three ateliers for women and beekeepers in Mrusti, Baadaran and Jbaa vil-lages, equipped by the neces-

sary materials to produce the rural products.

. CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM

Since the beginning of the protected areas (PAs) project- Lebanon in 1997, there was a need for the capacity building of Nature Reserves’ teams, as a ACR’s management team we started our training through the PAs project by cooperation with the IUCN that was the technical support in addition to the participation in many national, regional and interna-

123MAY 2008

tional workshops and training courses that organized by pro-fessional institutions, univer-sities, NGOs in different Arab countries, Europe and USA. After that, during the year 2000 and when our programs began to develop especially that related with our different local stakeholders (Munici-palities, Herders, Beekeepers, Women, Schools, Volunteers, and etc) we found the necessi-ty to establish our own capac-ity building program.

Through this program we organized by cooperation with

different local and regional partners, many training cours-es about the basic concept of protected area management, nature conservation and pro-tection, biodiversity monitor-ing and identification espe-cially (plants classification and identification), environmental education and interpretation, eco-tourism guiding and visi-tor management, income gen-eration, grazing management (nutrition and diseases control for the goats), rural develop-ment (production, packaging, promotion of the traditional

food products) and sustain-able use of medicinal, edible and aromatic plants, forest fire fighting, etc.

ACS PARTNERS: Local NGOs: . Association for For-

est Development and Conservation(AFDC). Society for Protection of

Nature in Lebanon (SPNL). Terre – Lebanon. NGOs that manage the PAs

in Lebanon

UNIVERSITIES: . American University of Bei-

rut – AUB. Lebanese University – LU. Balamend University (BU)

EMBASSIES: Italian, American, Japanese and Canadian Embassies

RESEARCH INSTITUTION: National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR)

NATIONAL COOPERATION:. Council for Development

and Reconstraction (CDR)

REGIONAL AND INTERNA-TIONAL COOPERATION:. World Bank (WB). Royal Society for Conser-

vation of Nature - Jordan (RSCN). World Wide Fund - Italy

(WWF). Agence française de devel-

opment (AFD). Swiss Development Coop-

eration (SDC) . The World Conservation

Union (IUCN).

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CREATION OF A

PARK IN AKKARNATIONAL NATURAL

“We feel that environment protection and equilibrated socio-economic development

has to be tackled hand in hand in order to achieve our goals”.

125MAY 2008

by CLEMENT NADIM ZAKHIA

M ada is a non-govern-mental organization es-

tablished in Lebanon in year 2000, with the aim of reenforc-ing the relationship between the local communities and their natural environment for the satisfaction of their subsist-ence needsIn the pursuit of its aim, Ma-da is committed to promote all endeavors that respect the tra-ditional modes of life and de-part from pre-set concepts of development.

In order to achieve Mada’s mission statement, our organ-ization has developed a specif-ic strategy to address poverty and environmental degrada-tion in the mountains of north Lebanon.

We feel that environment protection and equilibrated so-cio-economic development has

to be tackled hand in hand in order to achieve our goals.

Since 2004 we started to work on the creation of a na-tional natural park including the biggest green Lebanese res-ervoir and 14 municipalities linked to that territory we see our role on the meso level be-tween governmental bodies, the donors’ communities and

local actors especially munici-palities.

We have engaged ourselves in undertaking the necessary studies that will help in the elaboration of a land use ap-proach that will be negotiated with the different communities and municipalities; our work is divided in four parts:. Scientific studies and elab-

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oration of a zoning plan on scientific bases. Negotiations with local ac-

tors to build a consensus on a final draft. Elaboration of socio-eco-

nomic development plan to be integrated to the creation of the national natural park. Lobbying with government

bodies and donors to set up the national natural park as agreed in the final draft.

In order to achieve this goal and strengthen trust with lo-cal actors, the scientific stud-ies and the negotiation proc-ess goes hand in hand with the development of different small pilot projects related to income generating activities that will be later integrated in the socio-economic plan.

We also see our role as a cat-alyst to attract different NGO’s, donors and actors in the devel-opment field to the area trough Mada or directly with local ac-tors, as well as offering our services and contacts to munic-ipalities in order to help them in their constituency concerns.

It is essential to position our-selves as an NGO that shares the concerns of municipalities as we feel that environment protec-tion can only be achieved when tackling other more immediate socio-economical needs in such poor areas.

Many of the farmers in the zone are confronted to an ag-riculture that no longer ena-ble them to satisfy their ba-sic needs, we have developed small agro-farming projects that would try and satisfy their subsistence needs whilst devel-

oping other pilot projects that would enable them to market their production.

The agricultural sector is in poor condition in Lebanon and only specific state policies

can improve this sector, so far such policies are not in place. We believe that the creation of a national natural park with specific agricultural guidelines could increase the quality of

127MAY 2008

production and will provide a branding of this agricultural or processed production that will increase it capacity to reach new markets at better prices.

We would rather tackle pro-duction in terms of increase in quality than increase in pro-duction as the actual produc-tion is already saturating the local markets.

SO FAR OUR WORK IN THIS SECTOR HAS BEEN AROUND DIFFERENT SECTORS AS FOLLOWS:

. Introduction of new agricul-tural plans. Introduction of behaving in

some communities. Introduction of new goat

species. Trainings on (alaff) produc-

tion. Testing of bio production. Financial support to 12 co-

operatives. Support to production coop-

eratives. Strengthening school capac-

ities. Support to eco-lodges

PILOTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

. Agro processing project

. Agro forestry production

. Consultation and training with farmers

All the developed pilots will enable us to from the les-son learned to extend these projects on the National Park territory under the final NP framework.

Other projects have been developed in the education,

income generating, water and tourism sectors.

We realize that to implicate municipalities on such a Na-tional Park strategic objective is a difficult task as these mu-nicipalities have immediate concerns concerning there ba-sic needs such as potable wa-ter, swages and agricultural sector development in general.

It’s only by addressing these concerns that we will be able to reach the trust level needed to move forward with the park development.

Implicating municipalities in the National Park strategy is undergoing as follows:. Signature of cooperation

protocol with 4 munici-palities for different stud-ies on the field. Training and employment

of 26 persons selected with the municipalities to work on these studies. Organization of a confer-

ence on the topic with 14 municipalities and differ-ent governmental actors

. Encouraging direct ex-change between protect-ed areas in Europe and the municipalities. Restitution of scientific in-

formation to municipalities. Creation of a technical

park comity appointed by municipalities

NEXT STEPS

. Meetings with municipal-ities to discuss land use and agree on :. Zoning. Management plan. Infrastructure and socio-

development activities to be integrated. Meeting with municipal-

ities to discuss the legal framework and lobby for modifications at govern-ment level. Restitution of final nation-

al Park suggested frame-work. Elaboration of a common

strategy for lobbying with government.

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INTERVIEW BY CATHY TYAN

1. What is culturally sustainable real estate development?

Culturally sustainable real estate development is one which

does not disturb its surrounding and environment. It is a

development which is in harmony with its architectural

and natural environment; a development that respects the

way people live within the area. In other words, a cultur-

ally sustainable development does not impose itself on its

surrounding but rather integrates itself and adds cultural

value; it is a new property that respects the area’s herit-

age and which potentially will be part of the heritage in

the future.

2. What is according to you the best way to integrate a build-

ing into its environment?

The cornerstone to having a culturally sustainable devel-

opment is a developer willing to integrate his property in

its area and convince / impose this aspect as a project con-

straint on the team of architects and engineers. Therefore,

choosing an architect sensitive to this dimension will facili-

tate discussion and exchange of ideas.

As soon as this concept is adopted as a common lan-

guage between all parties, knowing and understanding this

environment is of dire importance; feeling and understand-

ing the area’s history and tradition as well as its character in

terms of morphology, topography, density…

These findings should be converted into practical com-

ponents, rules and constraints which should be integrated

with other economical, technical or legal constraints.

These mixed findings will ensure the best outcome for

integrating the construction into its environment.

3. Why do you believe that integrating yourselves into your

surroundings helps the environment? And is integration the

only way you can preserve the environment?

By integrating ourselves into our surrounding we help the

environment by not damaging and distorting it; we have a

reflex of enhancing rather than damaging the architectural

and cultural heritage.

Our strategy does not merely focus on integrating our-

selves by developing one or two buildings in the area; we

focus on developing several nice properties to enhance and

revive the area thus creating certain dynamics which cre-

ate benefits for the entire community. We like to add val-

ue wherever we are in hope that we can be an example to

other developers.

For example, BREI has adopted this approach for the

Gemayze Area. Mr. Bassil has believed in this area’s poten-

tial and was the first real estate professional to develop cul-

turally sustainable real estate developments there. Ten years

ago, Gemayze was almost an abandoned area. Our 5 CON-

VIVIUM projects were totally integrated into the existing

constructions and have made Gemayze the place to be.

4. How do you think culturally sustainable developments

benefit this generation? Do you think it serves future gen-

erations as well?

A Culturally sustainable development is a link between the

past, present & future. We try developing our properties

in this spirit, hoping that our projects will be a part of the

area’s heritage in the future.

By adopting this culturally sustainable attitude we give

At Byblos Real Estate Investment

offices (BREI) in Gemayze, a beautiful

and traditional neighborhood of Beirut,

WE MAGAZINE met

with Mr. Karim Bassil founder and Chairman of BREI,

and Mr. Antoine El Khoury,

the General Manager.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

129MAY 2008

particular attention to archeology which may be embed-

ded in the potential development’s plot. BREI is known

for being a proactive real estate developer in terms of

archeological research and cooperation with the archeo-

logical authorities. Archeological studies on the plot start in

the very early stages in the project’s conceptual phase; this

allows archeologists to plan and carry out their research in

an optimized manner.

In addition to handling and protecting the archeological

findings as well as trying to expose and maintain them with-

in the landscape of our projects, we have a golden rule for

preserving old trees even if it is at the expense of profits.

Therefore, the mix of preserving trees, exposing arche-

ological findings and creating culturally sustainable prop-

erties serves both the current and future generations by

giving a sense of continuity between the past, present and

future.

5. Do you think culturally sustainable developments are

more expensive than normal developments? If yes, how do

you offset the cost?

Definitely, culturally sustainable developments are more

expensive than normal developments. Cultural sustaina-

bility is a quality parameter which has additional costs, both

direct and indirect.

For example, direct costs can be a result of the high ceil-

ing, using certain noble material, recycling and reusing old

material from existing old constructions such as old tiles

and hand-made balustrades… whereas indirect costs can be

a result of sacrificing certain proportions of the property’s

development rights.

It is worth noting that BREI has already developed

properties where only 50% of the development rights

were used just to have construction heights and densities

in harmony with the surrounding. Moreover, as previous-

ly mentioned, our strategy to preserve old trees and our

commitment to help the archeology authorities leads to

incurring indirect costs.

On the other hand, there are certain economical ben-

efits in developing culturally sustainable properties. By

adopting this strategy we have differentiated ourselves from

our fellow counterparts in the market and have established

a unique brand, CONVIVIUM, which clients are willing

to pay a premium to be part of this exclusive community.

Moreover, in terms of image building and communication,

this strategy has led us to create a niche which people, cul-

turally sensitive or even investors, believe cost is offset by

quality and on-hand experience.

6. While reviewing Cityscape Abu Dhabi Conference Bro-

chure, we realized you were going to be speakers. In your opin-

ion, why was BREI chosen to participate in the conference?

True, Cityscape conference organizers have chosen BREI

to share our experience with regional developers and inves-

tors in the development of culturally sustainable develop-

ments after they had a look at our website. They felt our

concern regarding culturally sustainable development.

Although we are still small compared to regional devel-

opers we acquired our reputation as developers concerned

about culture and the environment.

7. Do you have any actual or future major real estate devel-

opment project that will be implemented with “green” spec-

ifications?

Although we are aware and sensitive to green develop-

ments, this is not yet our field of specialty but we are plan-

ning to develop this aspect within a mountain community

which is currently under study. Certain parameters such

as energy saving, renewable energy techniques and water

treatment techniques have been selected and are being

studied by the engineering office.

8. As a real state developer, do you have any dream project?

Every project is a dream where project is designed to fulfill

the needs of the people. We try to create new communi-

ties which are culturally integrated with their surrounding,

and where people can enjoy living, breathing fresh air and

interacting with their surroundings.

Dreams move us forward and BREI organization trans-

forms our dreams into down-to-earth realities.

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DESCRIPTION

The E-Caravan-Phœnix is a fully equipped mobile compu-

ter and internet school, aimed to empower the local com-

munities of South Lebanon through teaching computer

and IT skills, especially for youth, women and persons with

disabilities. In January 2006, Fondation Saradar in partner-

ship with UNESCWA launched the E-Caravan project. The

project builds on the original E-Caravan project the vehicle

which was destroyed on 29 July 2006 while parked at the

Intermediary School of Ayta Al-Shaab in South Lebanon.

The new E-Caravan is equipped with a network of ten

PCs with flat screens, one laser printer, one LCD projector

with screen, two satellite connection modems, an air-con-

ditioning system, a water dispenser, and other accessories.

The E-Caravan-Phœnix also includes a ramp that facilitates

the access of physically disabled persons and special soft-

ware to provide the blind and the visually impaired with

the necessary IT knowledge. The content of the different

training sessions is based on the needs of the target popu-

lation. The courses range from ones specifically for begin-

ners to courses for future trainers and for small and me-

dium enterprises. Sessions will be offered 6 days a week,

and will last for two to four hours. Sessions will include up

to eight participants at a time, allowing for a close learning

relationship between the trainer and the participants.

A website network will be created through 4 public li-

braries affiliated to the Ministry of Culture to link not on-

ly the cazas of Tyre, Nabatiyeh, Marjeyoun and Bint Jbeil

together but also to the rest of the country and the world.

The project is implemented in partnership with private

companies involved and in collaboration with the con-

cerned municipal councils, existing local and international

organizations and UN agencies.

The project will be managed and executed by Fonda-

tion Saradar in cooperation with UNESCWA, Italian NGOs

operating in South Lebanon, UNIFIL, and other potential

partners which could provide additional resources to the

project. The main local partners of the project will be the

municipal councils of the various villages. The municipal

councils are expected to provide administrative support,

coordination and networking with the selected participat-

ing municipalities, security arrangements and power sup-

ply. Partnerships will also be created with private compa-

nies and existing local and international organizations.

BACKGROUND

Compared to other regions, the post-occupied region of

South Lebanon is inhabited by a young population. For ex-

ample, 45% of the population in the Cazas of Tyre and Bint-

Jbeil are under 19. Illiteracy and unemployment rates are

the newE-CARAVAN-PHŒNIX

131MAY 2008

significantly higher than the national average and there

are disproportionate numbers of orphans, disabled, and

ex-prisoners. Female-headed households make up about

18.5% to 21%, compared to a national average of 14%.

The communities of South Lebanon face many chal-

lenges, not the least significant of which are IT related.

Although efforts are being made to improve the Infor-

mation and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastruc-

ture, there are still significant unmet needs, especially in

remote areas where accessibility is rather difficult. There is

also a scarcity of accredited technical institutions available

to provide training and certification for those who seek it.

The areas hit during the war were already the most im-

poverished in the country. The juxtaposition of the geog-

raphy of poverty and the geography of destruction neces-

sitates special reconstruction programs aimed at building

local capacities for poverty alleviation and employment

creation. The proposed mobile computer school will help

the rural communities in the devastated areas of the

country to upgrade their skills in information technology

and thus provide them with more job opportunities and

increase in income.

To tackle these challenges, The Italian Cooperation

for Development - Embassy of Italy, UNESCWA & Fonda-

tion Saradar identified the need to introduce IT-related

assistance, and thus initiated the new E-Caravan-Phœnix

Project.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the project is to combat the lack of IT

awareness and IT education amongst underprivileged

communities in South Lebanon; especially, youth, wom-

en and persons with disability, who are at a disadvantage

in the job market. In cooperation with ESCWA and the Ital-

ian NGOs operating on the ground, the project will ensure

the access of populations in remote regions to cultural

and educational activities/events though the Internet.

In addition, the project will seek to disseminate collec-

tive security information and advice relevant to post-war

situations through public awareness campaigns.

CALENDAR

The E-Caravan will be deployed according to a tentative

itinerary, subject to change. The first scheduled stations

are Deir Qanoun El Nahr, Barish, Srifa, Nabatyeh, followed

by Marjeyoun, Houla, Majdel Salem, Aytaroun and Bint

Jbeil. Each of the stations is expected to also serve users

from neighbouring villages.

E-CARAVAN-PHŒNIX PARTNERS

The Italian Development Cooperation – Ross Program,

Embassy of Italy in Lebanon

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for

Western Asia (UNESCWA)

Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Embassy of Canada in

Lebanon

Fondation Saradar

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INTRODUCTION

It goes without saying that it is vital for developing

countries and emerging economies to rely on technology

to better their situation. For small countries with limited

natural resources such as Lebanon, the development of

human capital remains the greatest strength and source

of potential.

Information Technology (IT) in particular, is instrumen-

tal and fundamental in any capacity-building programme.

At a time when Information has become the key word for

sustainable development, its importance, impact and

advantages need no justification. Nonetheless, in Leba-

non, access to the World Wide Web is limited to the few

privileged. For women and children and populations

living in remote or rural areas access is especially limited.

This proposal presents an opportunity for private

enterprises to engage in community programmes and

promote corporate social responsibility in Lebanon. This

project, initiated by Fondation Saradar is part of a larger

mission, that is the consolidation of social cohesion in

Lebanon, based on:

. the support of the active participation of underprivile-

ged populations in achieving social integration;

and

. the establishment of an effective and durable part-

nership between Business and Civil Society in human

development.

The Saradar Mobile Computer School was designed by

architects especially commissioned by Fondation Saradar to

develop a customized model adapted to the specific needs

and objectives of the project. The Caravan is equipped with

ten networked PCs with flat screen, a projector and a prin-

ter, a laser printer, a LCD projector with screen, a split unit

(A.C/heater), a water dispenser and other accessories.

A NEW CONCEPT

The ‘Saradar IT Programme®’ is a unique initiative to

introduce the world of Information Technology to com-

munities who do not have access to computers and the

Internet because of income, education and/or location

constraints.

Based on the principles of ‘equal opportunities for all’

and the ‘right to access information’, this project aims at

facilitating access to technology, by delivering IT skills

training in disadvantaged areas of Lebanon. The project

focuses on the marginalized social groups and disadvan-

taged regions, such as the internally displaced popula-

tions in the cazas of Baabda, Aley, the Chouf and Jezzine,

people with additional needs, juvenile delinquents, rural

populations, and specifically, women and children.

The ‘Saradar IT Programme’ can contribute to ‘Bridging

the Digital Divide’ in Lebanon by helping develop human

resources primarily among school and college students,

as well as educators who will be encouraged to apply IT in

every stage of their life.

a corporateCITIZENSHIP INITIATIVE

133MAY 2008

The project intends to address young men and women

and marginalized groups particularly who lack basic com-

puter skills, and who consequently find themselves lag-

ging behind and at a disadvantage in the job market.

The SITP project has no negative impact on the envi-

ronment: no engine to pollute the air and no gas emis-

sions. As a mobile school its stay in the targeted regions

remains short. Its parking locations are always selected in

areas environmental risk free.

SERVING PEOPLE WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

THE BACKGROUND

Among the most exposed groups to poverty are disabled

people and their families, as the high rate of disabled

unemployment shows. According to a study undertaken

in 1996 by the Ministry of Social Affairs, in Lebanon only

17% of disabled of working age actually work, against an

international percentage of 30% and the economic trend

shows that this percentage is getting lower.

This exclusion of disabled people from the labour market

is due to multiple causes:

. Lack of facilities in working places

. No access to education

. No access to vocational rehabilitation programs

. Cultural and social obstacles

. Lack of experience in both public and private sectors.

THE PROJECT

The Saradar IT Programme launched on June 2nd, 2003,

‘The Accessibility Programme’, a programme dedicated to

provide basic knowledge of Computer and Internet to peo-

ple with disabilities through a mobile school. This initiative,

a first in Lebanon and probably in the region, is intended to

include eventually various kinds of disabilities.

The caravan has been equipped with demountable

slope and handrails to be able to cater to special needs of

disabled persons.

THE OBJECTIVES

The Saradar ‘Accessibility Programme’ seeks to offer the

opportunity to people who have disabilities to acquire

the necessary skills and knowledge in order to achieve

their basic economic right, the right to employment:

. Build the competitiveness of job-seekers with disabili-

ty on the labour market by developing their computer

skills, and creating links between disabled people and

the private sector: enabling people with disabilities to

access the labour market in the Bekaa region, through

promoting self-development and interpersonal skills

and increasing their abilities to provide for their families

and community;

. Increase the awareness of the Lebanese civil society

and private sector on the potentiality of people with

disability.

A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

There is a strong gender component of underemploy-

ment among the disabled. Although women graduates of

care institutions (specialised for people with disabilities)

have higher levels of educational attainment than men,

they are less likely to be employed. Only 35 percent of

women were employed, compared to 52 percent of men.

Disabled women face double discrimination in the Leba-

nese labour market.

Due to this double discrimination that women with

disabilities face, the project will be targeting women with

disability as well as ensuring their participation and equal

opportunity in the work place; specific measures needed to

meet women’s needs would be taken into consideration.

INTERNSHIP & RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES

In conformity with its set objective to link training to

employability, the “Accessibility Programme” 2004, throu-

gh and in addition to its training activity, an awareness and

mobilisation campaign targeting enterprises established

in this part of the Bekaa Valley on the rights of people with

disabilities, mainly in the area of employment. Companies

were encouraged to offer internships or job opportunities

to handicapped persons: a first step towards achieving

their complete socio-economic integration as active and

productive members of the Lebanese society. The reac-

tion of some institutions approached by LPHU was imme-

diate and unequivocal: ‘Al-Mayss’ Hospital, the Municipa-

A


lity of ‘Bar Elias’ and companies such as ‘Lamartine’, ‘Efco’

and ‘Domanco’, spontaneously expressed their readiness

to take one intern each while ‘Conserves Chtaura’ offered

two internship opportunities. On the other hand, BLOM

Bank branch located in the region recruited one disabled

person as a full-timer.

PROJECT PRESENTATION

The Adaptive Technology Programme (ATP), a first in the

country and in the region, proposes an IT learning and

capacity-building activity dedicated to the visually impai-

red in Lebanon. This programme is delivered through two

mobile computer schools, the ‘Saradar IT Programme’ and

the ‘E-Caravan’, which roam clusters of villages to introdu-

ce the world of Information Technology (IT) to marginali-

sed social groups. Training sessions range from beginners’

courses to courses for future trainers. The ATP beneficiaries

are mobilised by a network of competent NGOs in Beirut

and in the regions supervised by the Youth Association of

the Blind - Lebanon (YAB). Both mobile hubs have been

equipped with special hardware and software featuring

Arabic contents developed to facilitate the access of blind

people to computers and the Internet.

During the first phase of the project, from July 2006 to

April 2007, the ATP will be delivering one Trainers session

in Beirut and three other courses in Tripoli (North) and

Nabatieh/Tyre (South). Trainers will then relocate to ensu-

re the required training in the mentioned areas. The trai-

ning activity is implemented in cooperation with YAB.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

At a time when Information has become the key to sustai-

nable development, we must recognize that people with

special needs in Lebanon are still standing on the other

side of the river since they don’t have access to Information

Technology or any other source of information. Given the

increasing spread of Information Technology worldwide

and the availability of Adaptive Technology for the blind

even on the Lebanese market, we have initiated this project

in order to create a link between this disadvantaged group

and certain means of socio-economic integration: first in

the capital where the number of visually impaired is very

high, and then in remote areas and rural towns which are

particularly disadvantaged or affected by poverty and iso-

lation (such as Tripoli, Jounieh, Jbeil, Saida, Damour, Iqlim

el Kharroub, Nabatieh and the Bekaa Valley). Women and

children are the most marginalised categories among this

population with additional needs. Their exclusion shows at

two levels: 1) they initially belong to vulnerable groups in

the current socio-economic context; 2) they are disabled,

which makes their integration even more difficult.

The ‘Saradar IT Programme’ (SITP) and the ‘E-Caravan’ will

seek to address the digital divide among people with disa-

bilities. In order to reach them efficiently, Fondation Sara-

dar has initiated the ‘Adaptive Technology Programme’

(ATP) in partnership with the YAB.

THE PARTNERS

The Canadian Fund for Social Development

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)

Oxfam-Québec

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U SAID, the United States Agency for International

Development, is an independ-ent Federal Government Agen-cy. It is the main US help pro-vider agency active around the world.

USAID has its headquarters in Washington and missions in many countries.

Lebanon is one of the coun-tries that benefits from this development program, among them we find, the DHIAFEE Program – implemented by the American Near East Refu-gee Aid (ANERA) – which rec-ognizes the outstanding poten-tial for tourism to contribute to the economic development of communities throughout Leba-non. In a country rich with sites that appeal to a wide variety of travelers, the DHIAFEE Pro-gram believes that visitors will enjoy the opportunity to stay in local communities where they can gain an authentic experi-ence of life in Lebanon.

The DHIAFEE Program is also working with Al-Kafaat Foundation to enable them to

THE DHIAFEEPROGRAM

A USAID project in Lebanon

137MAY 2008

enroll more students in their Catering and Hospitality Man-agement Schools and provide them a higher quality educa-tion. Young people graduat-ing from Al-Kafaat will receive assistance in finding good qual-ity jobs in the tourism sector. At the same time, Al-Kafaat Foun-dation professionals support the DHIAFEE Program with their technical expertise – contribut-ing to the development of the cottage inns of Lebanon.

This program conducted a detailed assessment of the available cottage inns through-out Lebanon (outside Beirut) reviewing around 95 cottage inns in nearly all geograph-ic areas of the country includ-

ing bed and breakfasts, youth hostels, religious lodgings and camping sites. Based on this assessment, the DHIAFEE Pro-gram chose around 50 cottage inns to work with.

The Lebanon Water Poli-cy Program (LWPP) is anoth-er USAID projects. This project of utmost importance will help the Lebanese save water for future generations. Thus, and although water in Lebanon is relatively plentiful the misman-agement of this vital resource causes 50 percent of the coun-try’s water to be lost. If this trend is not fixed, Lebanon will face severe shortages within the next 25 years. Thus, USAID focuses on water management issues and works in partnership with the South Lebanon Water and Wastewater Establishment (SLWWE) and the Beirut & Mount Lebanon Water Estab-lishment (BMLWE).

This project includes training employees, introducing compu-terized monitoring and infor-mation systems, and install-ing consumer meters. With more efficient operations, Leb-anon’s water institutions should

be able to raise revenues and attract private investors.

The Organic Agribusiness is another project that was developed with funding from USAID. This ongoing program aims to establish a profitable and sustainable farming sys-tem for rural Lebanese com-munities and focuses on organ-ic agri-business in the North, Beqaa, East Sidon, Marjeyoun, Bint Jbeil, Akkar and Mount Lebanon. Activities include developing a local coopera-tive BioCoopLubnan to become an independent and capable organization with developed extension, production, services, and marketing capabilities. The cooperative currently includes 120 certified member farmers involved in the niche market of organic agriculture. The pro-gram benefits more than 1,500 agriculture professionals, farm-ers, as well as school and uni-versity students. Organic farm-ing currently provides secure marketing of farmers’ yields and increases farmers’ income by an average of 20%.

The Solid Waste Project in Zahle is a program that aims at improving, enhancing, and operating the waste manage-ment facility in Zahle. This will enable it to manage the exces-sive load of incoming munic-ipal waste and the increasing amounts of leachate generated from the landfill, while increas-ing at the same time the lifetime of the landfill itself and gain additional environmental and public health benefits as well as economic gains from the green waste and recycled materials.

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T he National Ozone Unit (NOU) was established in

1998 to assist the Ministry of Environment to phase out ODS effectively and efficiently, to adopt policies and regulations, to monitor procedures, and to oversee the projects and acti-vities specified in the Country Programme in order for the go-vernment to meet their com-mitments under the Montreal Protocol.

The National Ozone Unit is supervised jointly by the Di-rectorate General office at the Ministry of Environment and the UNDP country office. The NOU’s main objectives are as follows: . Develop and increase in na-

tional awareness on dangers of ODS.. Dissemination of information

on new technologies and ODS substitutes to the indus-trial sector in the country. . Monitoring and evaluation of

progress of implementation of ODS phase-out activities. . Development and enforce-

ment of legislation in sup-port of effective monitoring and control of ODS.. Reporting, evaluation and

analysis of ODS consump-tion & importation.. The link between govern-

ment and responsible inter-national agencies, informa-tion exchange with other parties. . Implementation of the Na-

tional Phase-out Manage-ment Plan for a 5-year dura-tion (Fund 2,091,420 $ US Dollars) with the following objectives:

a) To achieve complete phase-out of Annex-A, Group-I substances (CFCs) in Leba-non by 2009.

b) To enable Lebanon to meet its obligations of phased ODS reductions in ac-cordance with the control schedule of the Montreal Protocol.

c) To ensure timely, sustaina-ble and cost-effective CFC phase-out, through devel-opment and implementa-

tion of a combination of in-vestment, technical support, training and policy/manage-ment support components. Mainly through: . Conversion of (45) indus-

try in the Aerosol, Foam and Refrigeration Sector to Ozone friendly produc-tion.. Provide assistance to the

Workshops working in the refrigeration service sec-tor.. Training for Master Train-

ers and Technicians work-ing in the refrigeration service sector.. Establishment of policies,

licensing system, codes of practices and others.. Increase awareness on

ozone depletion problem in Lebanon. . Other activities in invest-

ment, training, institution-al support and technical support components.

Lebanon’s consumption of ODS in 1993 was estimated at 917 metric tonnes with consump-

THE NATIONALOZONE UNIT

Institutional strengthening project for the implementation of Montreal protocol in Lebanon

139MAY 2008

tion largely concentrated in the aerosol, foam, and refriger-ation sectors.

In 2005, Lebanon has suc-cessfully achieved the 50% re-duction in compliance with the Montreal Protocol control measures (CFC consumption < 362.5 MT) through the smooth implementation of funded ap-proved projects. And in 2007, the CFC consumption reached 72 metric tones.

The NOU is in charge of complying to the obligations under the MP ensuring that they are met through a com-bination of awareness, techni-cal and financial support. The success of this programme is translated operationally by the volume of investment and non-investment projects mobilized in support of the industrial sec-tor in Lebanon.

In order to ensure sustaina-bility of its work and credibil-

ity of its operations, in Leba-non, towards the international community the project has set a regular monitoring tool.

This tool is represented in the reporting mechanism that is maintained with the ODS us-ers, manufacturing enterprises and importers through annual reports that describe the trend of their use/imports of ODSs and their alternatives.

The NOU undertakes as an annual exercise the collection and updating information on data of ODS consumption and importation for the entire coun-try by substance, enterprise, sector and region. As well de-signed format is used and dis-tributed to all ODS users/im-porters for their actions, where the data collected are compiled in a data base.

Over and above, the office prepares all necessary doc-uments for the engagement

of new personnel, National and International consultants, or outsourcing of any of the project supporting activities.

Another activity that the NOU undertakes is the intern of University students during the summer. Several interns from a number of universities joined the NOU since its inception un-til present, assisting the team in several operational tasks.

Currently, the NOU is imple-menting all the components of the NPMP with a total fund-ing of US$ 2,091,420 provid-ed in annual tranches, which will phase-out the remain-ing consumption of controlled substances (CFCs) in Lebanon over the period of 2004-2009. Noting that, a total fund of US$ 12 million was approved until now for the whole conversion process in Lebanon.

One of the NOU’s mandate is to increase the level of un-derstanding of the Ozone De-pletion problem among in-dustries, the Government and Non-Government insti-tutions, the universities and schools, as well as the pub-lic at large. Therefore, the NOU was able to play a ma-jor role on the awareness rais-ing front through the distri-bution of several booklets, brochures, flyers, notebooks, awareness tools such as UV Beads, Caps, T-shirts and UV Sensors Stickers. Also exhi-bitions, workshops, seminars and lectures have been con-ducted, a number of TV spots have been produced, and sev-eral press releases and TV in-terviews were conducted.

The campaign’s billboard Apr-Nov 2007

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By NADIM AUDI

T YRE, Lebanon For mil-lions of years, Mediter-

ranean sea turtles have been coming to this shore in what is now southern Lebanon to lay their eggs. Every summer since the time of the dinosaurs, their babies have hatched and literally run for their lives on the strip of sand that separates their nests from the sea.

An endangered species, they had been largely ignored in this war-torn stretch of Leb-anon until six years ago, when two women set out to protect their fragile nesting dance.

The inspiration was a walk on the beach by Mona Kha-lil when she was visiting her homeland. She had flown in from the Netherlands, where she worked as a porcelain restorer. Her family’s house, abandoned during the Leba-nese civil war in the 1980s, sat between Tyre and Naqoura, dangerously close to the buff-er zone that the Israeli Army occupied at the time. Still, she risked a walk along the sand,

IN TROUBLED LEBANON,

ZONE FOR SEA TURTLESA SAFETY

Nesting Site

Sea Turtle Tracks

141MAY 2008

and came upon the turtles. “The first time I saw them,

it was completely by acci-dent,” Khalil said. “I sudden-ly heard a noise. It was a tur-tle creeping through the sand, coming to lay her eggs.”

That beach was one of only three remaining nesting sites in southern Lebanon. Upon learning that the turtles were close to disappearing from her country, Khalil decided to “come back and do something about them.”

The next year, 2000, she returned and teamed up with Habiba Fayed, who shares her passion for the environ-ment. They opened a bed-and-breakfast in the Khalil home to finance their efforts, calling it the Orange House in honor of the Netherlands. Guests could simply vacation or, in the spirit of ecotourism, they could help the owners protect the turtles’ nests and keep the beach clean. That was key. According to Medas-set, a local marine wildlife group, if a turtle finds a gar-bage-strewn shore when she comes to lay her eggs, she will drop the eggs in the water, condemning her offspring to certain death.

Two species of large sea turtles nest in the Mediterra-nean, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), which has been declared critically endan-gered by the World Conserva-tion Union. They can live for more than 100 years, taking 50 years and 30 years, respec-tively, to reach adulthood and

Attempt at locating the eggs

Taking measurements of the egg chamber

Green Turtle Nest

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start producing eggs. Female turtles travel to the

exact spot where they were born decades earlier to dig their nests in the sand, laying an average of 70 to 100 eggs. The reptiles, about a meter, or three feet, wide, seem to be “in a trance when they lay their eggs,” Khalil said. They then go back to the sea. They will have no further part in the lives of their offspring.

This is the moment when the women intervene. They protect the nests from preda-tors like foxes, wild dogs and crabs by burying an iron grid in the sand above the eggs. This prevents animals from attacking during the month it takes for the eggs to hatch. The spaces on the grid are large enough to allow the baby turtles to emerge and find their way to the sea. “We become their surrogate moth-ers,” Fayed said.

A major reason Mediterra-nean sea turtles can still be found in southern Lebanon is the Israeli occupation, which kept the area untouched from 1982 and 2000. Construction has destroyed most of their habitat in the rest of the coun-try.

The recent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah did not affect the turtles, even when shooting in the area around the Orange House grew so intense that Khalil, 57, and Fayed, 48, had to flee. “Hezbollah was shooting rockets from very close,” Khalil said. “We were in danger and escaped to Bei-rut for two weeks.”

Protecting the nest with wire-mesh

Green Sea Turtle hatchlings emergingfrom the nest

Egg chamber

143MAY 2008

When they returned, they found that their house had been hit by an Israeli shell. But only one nest had been destroyed by predators. And 30 new nests had appeared, the women said, making 2006 the best season since the project started. Nonetheless, the pro-tection of the nests is far from assured in this troubled land, where animals must coexist with armies, dynamite fishing and pollution. To protect the

turtles, Khalil and Fayed have become the de facto police of their shore.

The pollution of beaches in Lebanon has various sources, from hospital waste to facto-ry chemicals and plastic bags. Its impact on the turtles is direct: shorter life expectancy and high cancer rates. Much of the garbage that lands on the shore near the Orange House seemed to come from the headquarters of Unifil, the

United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, a few kilom-eters to the north.

“They are not environmen-tally conscious,” Khalil com-plained. “We’ve had Italian, Spanish and French garbage washed up on the shore eve-ryday.”

Khalil met during the sum-mer with a UN officer who promised to try to curb the pollution. While swimmers and fishermen still find the occasional Italian water bot-tle or French mustard jar, the amount of garbage dumped has been reduced, she said.

In a country where animals and the environment are far from top priorities, the Orange House is a unique place. It was built in the 1970s by Khalil’s grandfather, who intended it as a house where the family’s children could come and play. While the civil war prevented this, the “summer vacation” spirit remains.

Though word of a guest house on a beautiful beach with nesting turtles has spread in Lebanon, most visitors to the Orange House are foreigners.

“Our guests are mainly Europeans who work in Bei-rut - French, Germans,” Kha-lil said. “The few Lebanese are often married to Westerners. The rest ignore us.”

Khalil and Fayed would like to see this change, hoping that environmentally conscious Leb-anese youth will maintain their legacy by protecting the turtles. But how likely is that?

Khalil smiled. “I’m optimis-tic.”

Mona releasing the rest of the hatchlings

Hatchlings on their journey to the sea

Documents

World Environment Magazine, Issue 1