News dalla rete ITA

30 Maggio 2023

Libano

LEBANON: MOE UPDATES ITS NATIONAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FOREST FIRES

The Lebanese Ministry of Environment (MoE) has updated its national strategy in order to combat the growingrisk of recurrent forest fires and to reduce their severity. This strategy aims to preserve Lebanon’s nature andforest and its success depends on the cooperation of the local population.  The strategy is being implemented through awareness-raising initiatives which aim to bring people closer  to their environment, the launch of an emergency fund with the cooperation of the World Bank to support  firefighting efforts as well as a US$ 4.5 million project funded by the Global Environment Facility in order to  support the efforts of local communities and regional groups to improve their readiness to reduce the risks of  fires and to extinguish them when they arise.  According to the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Lebanon (UNDP),  forest fires affects a variety of sectors in Lebanon in parallel to their environmental toll. The program has  equipped dedicated operation rooms in various parts of Lebanon with the necessary tools and supplies to  ensure their proper operation in the event of a forest fire or other crises.The UNDP, in cooperation with the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Lebanon, the Lebanese Caretaker Ministerof Social Affairs and the Director General of Civil Defense have opened a civil defense facility in Jezzine recentlywhich aims to protect its pine forests. This protection directly benefits 300 Lebanese families that own pinetrees, 40 farmers and their families that invest in collecting and processing pine, 120 workers in the pine industryas well as 65 civil defense and volunteer personnel, as per the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Lebanon.As per the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon, circa 14,460 forest fires were recorded in the lastfive years which lead to the deforestation of thousands of hectares in Lebanon. The main drivers behind thesefires are rapidly changing weather patterns which may make conditions favorable for forest and vegetation firesas well as acts of intentional arson.  It is worth noting that according to a survey by the army’s directorate of geographical affairs, unlicensed quarry  and crusher sites have been revealed to excess in terms of depth sometimes reaching 70 meters. In parallel,  distortions and mountain cutting have been recorded. This left the total affected area across the country at  approximately 65 million square meters. (ICE BEIRUT)


Fonte notizia: Bank Audi, Lebanon Weekly Monitor, 22-28 May 2023