Donor: The Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation
Partners: Istituto OIKOS in Italy – "Jabal MoussaBiosphere Reserve - Mount Hermon Reserve
Objectives:
Contributing to strengthening mechanisms with the aim of raising capacities for better sustainable planning and management of natural resources to confront the effects of climate change on communities associated with nature reserves in Lebanon, through ensuring environmental protection and sustainable management in reserves (Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve and Mount Hermon) and improving the service capacity of reserves at the social and economic levels while preserving biological diversity.
The activities:
• Developing sustainable management plans based on the principles of landscape restoration (FLR) which include determining the priorities in conservation , sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems and related services, and transferring practices that were used in the Shouf Reserve to the reserves of Jabal Moussa and Mount Hermon.
• Enhancing the capacities of local institutions in order to develop effective mechanisms for the management plans of reserves.
• Restoration of agricultural land and forest sites, implementation of preventive activities to reduce the risk of forest fires.
• Applying activities to improve the water balance in agricultural and forest lands.
• Working to support innovations and practices that contribute to the management sustainability of pastures and traditional practices, taking into account the adaptation to climate changes.
• Assisting the initiatives related to the agricultural and forest sector with renewable energy systems in addition to the equipment of two buildings in Jabal Moussa and the Shouf Biosphere reserve with biomass heaters.
Duration: 36 months: November 2022 - October 2025