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Annaul Report 2023

Brief project description The project Saving Water Growing Crops: remote-controlled irrigation system to address water scarcity and promote preservation of available freshwater resources is funded by the European Union and the Swedish Postcode Foundation and implemented by Istituto Oikos in partnership with Al-Shouf Cedar Society (ACS), University of Trento (UniTrento) and Association for Community and Environment (ACE). The initiative is focused on promoting a new irrigation technology that could lead to significant water savings and thus increase the resilience of the communities to climate change. The project takes place in Lebanon, in the municipality of Mrusti, in the buffer zone of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR), and Ammiq, in the Beqaa valley

The Barouk – Fraidiss village is one of the most famous villages of the Shouf region for more than a reason. Nested on the slopes of Mount Lebanon between 1000 and 1900 meters, it is home to one of the largest cedar forests in Lebanon. The Barouk water source, located in the village, is renowned for its abundant water and its purity. On the historical and cultural sides, the village is the birth place of the Honorable Cheikh Abou Hassan Aref Halawi, a historically prominent religious figure, and the hometown of the great poet Rachid Nakhli, author of the Lebanese national anthem.

Brief project description The project Saving Water Growing Crops: remote-controlled irrigation system to address water scarcity and promote preservation of available freshwater resources is funded by the European Union and the Swedish Postcode Foundation and implemented by Istituto Oikos in partnership with Al-Shouf Cedar Society (ACS), University of Trento (UniTrento) and Association for Community and Environment (ACE). The initiative is focused on promoting a new irrigation technology that could lead to significant water savings and thus increase the resilience of the communities to climate change. The project takes place in Lebanon, in the municipality of Mrusti, in the buffer zone of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR), and Ammiq, in the Beqaa valley

Guidelines Manual For sustainable agriculture

In July 2005, UNESCO declared the Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve a “Biosphere Reserve” called the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) with an area of approximately 50,000 hectares – or 5% of the total area of Lebanon. The SBR includes the: • Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve (established in 1996) and located in the Shouf mountains of central Lebanon, • Ammiq Wetland, east of the Shouf in the Beqaa Valley. Ammiq is a Ramsar site and one of the last remaining wetlands in the Middle East, and • Twenty two villages surrounding the Nature Reserve from the eastern and western sides of the Barouk and Niha mountains.

The starting point is the Information Center in the village of Batloun, located at a 1073 m. altitude. The trail then heads east towards Batloun Valley through an ancient footpath linking its upper and lower parts, until it reaches the villages of Barouk-Fraidis, Maasser el-Shouf and finally Botmeh.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2005. It includes: the Al- Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve (established in 1996), the Ammiq Wetland Protected Area, and twenty four (24) villages surrounding the biosphere from the eastern and western sides of the Barouk and Niha mountains.

Several studies have been conducted on water resources in Lebanon that investigate the effects of climate change and confirm the need for adaptive measures. However, none of the studies focused specifically on the use of meteorological data to understand the climate change trends and to design specific initiatives that would act as pilot interventions for the amelioration of water management on a larger scale.

This guidance reference is part of a series of publications through which the Shouf Biosphere Reserve aims to share the expertise gained with relevant partners in forest management and with other natural reserves. Forest protection and management in Lebanon are governed by a number of policies and laws that constitute its framework. Therefore, this reference includes a list of laws available to local authorities and relevant stakeholders to give forest landscapes value and viability.

Restoration of traditional agriculture stone terraces for improvement of the cultural landscape values and rural livelihoods through sustainable value chains of local plant species.

The document provides a long list of bibliographic references and technical annexes, including the criteria for species selection and the nursery production protocols, that can guide and inspire institutions, organisations and private citizens who wish to engage in the challenging but fascinating endeavour of Forest Landscape Restoration.

The advocacy project “Less to Throw, More to Sow” funded by USAID introduced concepts of backyard composting and Zowedet Bokra (doggy bags) in the three targeted villages. A series of hands-on training workshops on backyard composting including construction of composting units, their operation and implementation were conducted. An awareness raising campaign was organized targeting inhabitants of the villages and local restaurants. It included visiting the restaurants and distributing flyers and Zowedet Bokra boxes.

Because of their great importance among bee colonies, queens are reared using several methods; which in turn are under continuous development day after day. Not to mention that every beekeeper can develop these methods according to his experiences and abilities.

Aitanit is well known for its numerous archaeological sites, for its traditional stone houses, its old alleys, its abundant waters, and extensive agriculture. The construction of the Litani dam and lake, in the second half of the 1950’s, expropriated 3,000 dunums of Aitanit’s agricultural land, and led to the emigration of many villagers.

This book is a water assessment of the needs and gaps in the Shouf region that would provide a sound basis for guidelines on water management and conservation – not just for human consumption, but also for ecosystem restoration, wildlife, agriculture, and firefighting. It was conducted by ANTEA Group, in collaboration with local stakeholders, under the supervision of the SBR team. Nestle Waters, supported the whole process.

The town of Qabb Elias – Wadi el-Delem is located at the entrance of the Bekaa Valley in the district of Zahleh and is one of the largest towns in the Bekaa after Zahleh and Baalbek. Due to its strategic location, linking the western and central parts of the Bekaa Valley, and linking both the districts of Aley and Shouf to the Zahle District, visited by caravans and armies for thousands of years, Qabb Elias has played an important role in the history of the region. It is also well known for the abundance of its waters.

The Mediterranean environment is characterized by hot dry summers and cool to cold wet winters and faces recurrent extreme events, such as drought and heat weaves. Throughout the millennia Mediterranean ecosystems and their inhabitants developed adaptation strategies to cope with water scarcity and environmental risks.

Mediterranean Mosaics:strengthening the resilience of Mediterranean landscape to socio-economic and climate change The ‘Thermal Biomass for Lebanon’ project aims to develop new methods to improve the use of local raw materials in a sustainable way, with a focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation

The natural environment provides the foundations of our society and our economy. It not only makes life possible on Earth but it makes it worth living. This is the first ecosystem services evaluation conducted in Lebanon, under the leadership of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve.

Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve was declared in 1996 The largest nature reserve in Lebanon A biosphere reserve (5% of Lebanon territory) Southern limit of cedrus libani An important bird area (IBA)

This report is an Annex to the Fresh Water Assessment Report (FAR) for the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) published in November 2019. The report concluded that climate change in the SBR is real and an adaptive management of resources is needed. FAR proposed a number of adaptation measures aiming at increasing the resilience of the local population and ecosystems to climate change and improving management of the water sector within SBR. This Annex describes the methodology used in the selection of climate change adaptation projects, and details six selected projects (out of thirty-two) whose implementation methodologies could act as guidelines for replication in other areas.

The Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) handicraft program was initiated in 2014 with the support of CEPF through a project titled “Enhancing Sustainable Livelihood and Promoting Community Management of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve”

The Italian Cooperation project “Risk Prevention and Management Support to Al- Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve in Lebanon” began in 2009 and was based on the urgent need to develop a stronger capacity in preventing and fighting forest fires in Lebanon. From 2005 to 2008 forest fires burned almost 30% of Lebanon’s forests despite the efforts of both public and private sectors. The Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve needed a more professional approach to minimize the risk from forest fires.

Al Shouf cedar society launched its Rural Development Program in 1999, to support local communities by providing training and marketing outlets for their products. Some of these products are (jams, honey, syrups, distilled water and other)

The term “mushroom” means any fungus which produces a fleshy fruiting body. Instead of seeds, reproduction in fungi is accomplished by means of microscopic reproductive units called spores. In this study the word mushroom will denote all larger fungi, or macromycetes. Most of the mushroom species are members of the class Basidiomycetes and a few are members of the Ascomycetes, but the two classes are closely related to each other.

ACS launched its Rural Development Program in 1999, to support local communities by providing training and marketing outlets for their products. However, the program did not generate a lot of revenues, primarily because it developed and expanded spontaneously over the years. It was also hampered by the volatile political and security situation in Lebanon, which negatively impacted the ecotourism sector in Lebanon and the Reserve. In view of the current situation, ACS selected ECODIT to conduct a marketing and business plan for its rural products in order to improve the program and increase revenues to ACS and the local comunity.

Studies were commissioned by the SBR in 2010 in preparation for the 2012-2017 Management Plan. The findings and recommendations of these studies played a major role in developing the vision and objectives of the management plan.

This report is a cost benefit analysis on restoration of abandoned agriculture terraces in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) and Qadisha Valley in Lebanon. The report was prepared by Al-Shouf Cedar Society (ACS) through the Forest and Landscape Mechanism (FLRM), an initiative implemented by FAO and Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).

ACS launched its Rural Development Program in 1999, to support local communities by providing training and marketing outlets for their products. However, the program did not generate a lot of revenues, primarily because it developed and expanded spontaneously over the years. It was also hampered by the volatile political and security situation in Lebanon, which negatively impacted the ecotourism sector in Lebanon and the Reserve. In view of the current situation, ACS selected ECODIT to conduct a marketing and business plan for its rural products in order to improve the program and increase revenues to ACS and the local comunity.

“The Happy Bird Day” is a campaign initiated by “Jabalna” Association, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Environment to describe the birds of Lebanon and their importance to biodiversity and the environment. This campaign aims to safeguard Lebanese birds and provide information for future generations. “Jabalna” Association’s objective is to raise awareness and promote environmental topics. Its role is to guide and educate the general public on conservation and environmental preservation issues.

As part of the environmental awareness program implemented by the Shouf Biosphere Reserve with the surrounding official schools in the villages extending from Niha in the south to Ain Zhalta in the north

The word Niha means quiet and peaceful in Syriac. The village of Niha is located on the slopes of Mount Niha (Jabal Niha) on the western slope of Mount Lebanon. The altitude varies between 1050 meters at the center of the village up to 1850 meter on the peaks of Mount Niha. The area of the village is 22000 hectares equivalent to 2% of the total area of Lebanon. Niha is located 65 km from Beirut, is located between three departments (Mouhafazat): Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, and South. This village was occupied since the Romans, the Crusaders, Mameluks, Ottomans and prospered under the Lebanese Maan emirs. Area is rich in tombs and a cave fortress. Niha is also rich in water and water sources.