©Simba Russeau. Beirut, Lebanon
By: Simba Russeau
Beirut, July 2008 – Zena el-Khalil, a Lebanese recycling artist and environmental activist, wanted to create a sacred memento for her brother’s wedding. To counter the carbon emissions she joined an ongoing tree awareness project initiated by the American University of Beirut’s Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures, (IBSAR) – aimed at raising the guests’ interest in Lebanon’s environment.
“Growing up in Nigeria my brother Nidal and I developed a special connection to the land,” says Zena el-Khalil. “Since we were flying people in from around the world I thought it would be a great idea to plant trees for each of the over 200 guests attending my brother’s wedding.”
The whole idea started while Zena and Nidal were making preparations for the wedding.
“Nidal was worried about all the waste we were creating and we started to question what we were doing because we’ve always been concerned about aiding the environment rather than destroying it,” adds Khalil.
After Nidal hinted at the idea of planting a forest, Zena immediately decided to contact IBSAR’s outreach coordinator, Arbi Sarkissian to assist in planting 1,000 trees.
Speaking to IBSAR, while driving along the natural scenery of the Shouf Mountains on her way to her brother’s wedding reception, Khalil highlighted the importance of awakening Lebanese consciousness to environmental issues in her native country.
“We wanted to start a trend and usually trends in Lebanon start with drinking and dancing but we thought with the trees we could make the idea interesting enough that it would inspire others,” says Khalil. “The brochures and small wooden tree silhouette souvenirs, donated by IBSAR, aided us in raising the consciousness of our guests.”
Deforestation
©Simba Russeau. Beirut, Lebanon
More than 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of Lebanon’s forestry were destroyed in October 2007 after almost 240 fires engulfed Lebanon’s southern, central and northern regions.
“October and November are the most dangerous months here for fires because the land is neglected and with drought the bio mass becomes a dangerous fire fuse,” Monir Bou Ghanem, head of the Association for Forest Development and Conservation, told the daily As Safir in an interview last year.
According to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA, 2005), deforestation continues at an alarmingly high rate – about 13 million hectares per year. Sustainable management of forests (SFM) is a crucial method in the agencies collective fight to alleviate poverty worldwide.
Trees play a key role in the environment’s natural landscape due to their ability to prevent erosion and specific weather-sheltered ecosystem in and under their foliage. Trees also aid in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as moderating ground temperatures.
Native trees and plants characterize the natural and cultural heritage of the land. Currently, Lebanon is facing a decline in its biodiversity; resulting in a loss of indigenous and endemic plants and animals.
“This is mainly due to factors such as unrestricted development, overexploitation of natural resources, agricultural expansion and the introduction of foreign or alien species from abroad,” says Dr. Salma Talhouk, Director of IBSAR. “The diverse species of native trees and shrubs, many of which are relics and currently either threatened or endangered, should be preserved before they disappear forever.”
Citizen Action
©Simba Russeau. Beirut, Lebanon
To preserve Lebanon’s biodiversity and natural heritage, IBSAR has proposed a campaign to plant 50,000 native trees by 2010.
What differentiates this project from other deforestation initiatives is that the campaign is aimed at community planting within towns, with the objective of planting the largest variety of native Lebanese trees throughout Lebanon.
For the past five years IBSAR has been producing native trees and highlighting their use. Educational activities have been conducted in Anjar, the Beqaa, Jwar El Hoz and the Metn Area.
According to Sarkissian, educating the community on the essentials of developing a relationship with the environment will not only raise awareness of Lebanon’s diverse trees but also stimulate communities to become guardians of biodiversity in their villages and region.
Currently, IBSAR is cultivating over 30 different species of trees to aid in maintaining Lebanon’s biodiversity.
“Planting trees gives hope to the Lebanese people because they can witness the fruits of their labour,” says Sarkissian. “We want to encourage the next generation, even in times of war, through the use of land art activities, tree identification workshops and various other tree planting events.”
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