Reviving the environment in Lebanon
By John Marsh
Friday, September 13, 2002

With world attention still focused on the recent Rio+10 conference in Johannesburg on sustainable development, it seems worth mentioning that many people at Trent are involved in efforts to support sustainable development, especially in developing countries.

Why would a Trent professor, especially a recently retired one like myself, get involved in such matters in Lebanon? After all Lebanon is perhaps best known today, unfortunately, for its recent civil war, and various continuing roles in the troubled Middle East. Partly because of this situation, it has been a source of immigrants to Canada, including Peterborough. But in the past, the capital Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East, an attractive tourist destination. For centuries the country has also been renowned for the Cedars of Lebanon. The tree is featured on the flag of Lebanon, like the maple on ours. The Cedars of Lebanon were mentioned in the Bible, being used for the construction of Solomon's temple. The Roman emperor Hadrian declared the Cedars a protected area, an early example of conservation. Subsequently, like most forests around the Mediterranean, and indeed many in Canada, the Cedars were seriously depleted.

In the wake of the civil war, the Lebanese government has committed itself to a whole range of environmental improvements. These are explicitly recognized as a means of "national reconciliation." Improving the environment is one thing most of the population can agree upon. Over the last five years one project has involved the designation of three protected areas to conserve their ecological values, provide local recreation, and encourage tourism. Two of the areas preserve the interior mountains and forests, especially the famous Cedars of Lebanon, while another protects several islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

For many of these endeavours, outside aid and expertise has been sought from agencies such as the United Nations Development Program, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Conservation Union. As chair of the Union's Task Force on Training for Protected Areas, and as an environmental scientist specializing in protected areas, conservation and ecotourism, I was asked, in 1996, to assist in the preparation of management plans for the protected areas. I also helped train those involved in their management.

I will be returning next month to offer courses on environmental impact assessment and nature interpretation. As in Canada, conservation will not succeed without professional staff, scientific research, and the support of environmentally sensitive citizens, especially students.

The protected areas have all sorts of potential as nature reserves but face many challenges. The southern section of the mountainous Al Shouf protected area, near the Israeli border, is under military control. This means we cannot get access to it, or maps of it, for research and planning purposes. However, the restrictions on public access, grazing and resource extraction, have given the ecosystem, its vegetation and wildlife, a chance to recover. Several military training areas in Canada, such as one at Suffield, Alberta, have similarly enabled ecosystem recovery.

As with many protected areas in Canada, there have been debates about the type and scale of tourism to be allowed. Should there be hunting in the protected areas, logging, ski resort development, jeep trails, visitor centers etc.? The Palm Islands protected area has long been popular for recreation, and has tourism potential, but this may compromise the protection of birds and endangered marine life, such as turtles. As here, the balancing of nature protection, tourism and community development is difficult. But community development must occur or conservation will not be supported.

Progress is being made, albeit slowly. The cedar forest is expanding, wolves reappeared in Al Shouf, school groups are learning about nature, more foreign tourists are arriving, and local businesses are catering to them. Increasingly, Lebanon is recognizing the need to protect the environment not just for its own citizens but for a global constituency of nature and people. Consideration is being given to conservation of more areas, including the threatened Amiq wetland in the Bekaa Valley, a crucial area for birds migrating between northern Asia and Africa. Likewise, the global community is recognizing the role Lebanon plays in the conservation of the world's natural and cultural heritage. Recently, this was emphasized with the declaration by UNESCO of the Quadisha Valley, a significant natural phenomenon and archeological treasure, as a World Heritage Site.

When I return next month I look forward to seeing the progress, to seeing the impact of the planning and training, and to renewing professional associations and friendships. I hope this will contribute not only to the conservation of threatened ecosystems, but to community economic development, as well as optimism and peace in the future.

More information on Lebanon, this project and training for protected areas is available on these Internet sites: www.moe.gov.lb, www.trentu.ca/academic/tfpa, or from the author, jmarsh@trentu.ca.

John Marsh is Professor Emeritus in Trent University's geography department.