IBSAR

Ibsar Participates in Agriculture October Exhibition

2011-11-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

The WAAAUB FAFS Alumni Charter and the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences organized on Oct. 15th and 16th an Agriculture and Food Industry Exhibition in the outdoor area facing the Agriculture Department.
Ibsar participated in this event out of the conviction of a need to open networks for connections, communications, and exchange of expertise on a local level. About 30 different participants hoisted their booths around the designated area. After the opening ceremony, everyone took to their booths as visitors started flooding in.
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Ibsar @ Green is a Red Line 2011

2011-11-03T23:49:00.002-07:00

In light of preserving our green space, Ibsar participated in Green is a Red Line, an event organized by the Green Party of Lebanon on September 8, 2011 at the Beirut Hippodrome. The event came as homage to nature conservation and included the participation of various NGOs catering to nature.
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Aarsal Festival 2011

2011-11-03T23:49:00.001-07:00

“Sharing nature & knowledge” 2nd Festival in Aarsal in collaboration with the American University of Beirut (AUB), September 5 – 14, 2011
The municipality of Aarsal (Bekaa) is organizing a festival “Sharing nature & knowledge” (مهرجان العلم والتواصل) in collaboration with Ibsar (Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures, (مركز إبصار لحماية الطبيعة من أجل مستقبل مستدام) , the Civil Engineering Society (CES) and the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) between September 5 and 14, 2011 with the main aim of relaying findings of research conducted over the past year by the American University of Beirut and the University of Ottawa, sponsored by the International Development Research Centre, Canada (IDRC).
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Nature Captured Exhibition 2011

2011-11-03T23:48:00.002-07:00

Power of Youth Behind a Camera

Nature Captured represents the work of 60 young Lebanese youth – all boys and girls under 17 – trained to take photographs, write testimonies and share their views of what life in their towns is really like with regards to nature. The workshops which took place in the years of 2010 and 2011, taught them valuable digital media skills as well as unconventional ways of expressing themselves.

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Ibsar at the Volunteer Fair 2011

2011-11-03T23:48:00.001-07:00

The Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) at AUB in collaboration with the Office of Students Affairs and the Student Representative Committees organized the Annual Civic and Volunteering Fair on Wednesday April 27th and Thursday April 28th near and around West Hall at AUB. More than 30 NGOs and centers from AUB and outside AUB participated in this event. Ibsar’s stand was among the most attractive stands. Along with pictures of its various events and activities, the stand had lots of pictures, taglines, and logos of its six current programs: Nature Conservation, Exploring Medicinal Properties in Living Organisms, Power of Planting, Food and Biodiversity, Nature Lab, and IBDAA.
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Nature Conservation launching event March 2011

2011-11-03T23:47:00.001-07:00

Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures, launched its program Nature Conservation or 3al Tabi3a, which is funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation at the Agriculture Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

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Ibsar Launches the Biodiversity Village Award (BVA)

2011-11-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

Ibsar launched its Biodiversity Village Award (BVA) or “Baldati Beati” on June 9, 2011, at the Commodore Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon, under the program Power of Planting. This project which is funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation was conceived to stress the significant contribution of villages to nature conservation through various local environmental efforts and actions. For this first year of the project, Ibsar invited 21 towns to participate in the competition on account of their previous reforestation collaborations with the center. The participating towns along with Ibsar team will engage in participatory mapping workshops which will guide village communities through a self-assessment process resulting in the development of green village portfolios. These portfolios will include environmental, social, and cultural layers of the town.
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Open Poster Forum - Food & Health in Rural Lebanon, sponsored by the International Development Research Centre

2011-11-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Ibsar organized an open poster forum for AUB community on February 17th, 2011, during which faculty, research assistants and students from AUB and the University of Ottawa, Canada, presented their preliminary findings following two years of field research within the context of a project entitled “Food and Health in Rural Lebanon”. The interdisciplinary team follows an ecosystem approach to human health, known as Ecohealth, and works closely with the communities of Aarsal, Batloun and Kwakh, villages constituting the focus of this three-year project.

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RSS Feed

2010-12-15T03:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends, volunteers, Partners and ibsarians World wide,

we have added an RSS feed to the blog: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ibsar
please feel free to register so that you recieve updates whenever we post a new article or picture.

Happy Plantings!

Mohamad

"Ta3a Ne7ke" with Ibsar # 3- "Who’s Responsible for the Indifferent Destruction of Lebanon’s Nature?"

2010-12-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

Topic:
Who’s Responsible for the Indifferent Destruction of Lebanon’s Nature? The Media, People, Environmentalist Groups, or the Government?

Date:
Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Event Duration:
5pm - 6pm

Location:
Auditorium B, West Hall, AUB

Guest Speakers:

Dr. Jad Melki: Research director of International Center for Media and the Public Agenda and Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at AUB

Dr. Rima Nakkash: Assistant Research Professor of Health Promotion and Community Health at AUB

Mr. Mazen Abboud : Environmentalist, Free Lance Journalist, and Businessman

Ms. Sobhiya Najjar: Environmentalist and Future TV Correspondent

Moderator:
Dr. Salma Talhouk: Professor, Landscape Design & Ecosystem Management Department, AUB

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136472616410222&ref=mf

"Ta3a Ne7ke" with Ibsar # 2- "The Art of Healing; Western or Alternative Medicine?"

2010-12-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

By Lojine Kamel

On Monday, November 29th, ibsar sponsored the second of a series “Ta3 Nehke” debates. Hosted in West Hall from 4 to 6 pm the debate, entitled The Art of Healing: Western or Alternative Medicine, featured a diverse panel of lectures, each of whom represented a western, alternative, or integrative medicine perspective. The event’s mediator was none other than Biology professor and Natural medicine and cancer researcher Dr. Hala Mohtaseb, who has been working with AUB for 17 years. The panel consisted of Mrs. Farida Abou Khizam, Dr. Fuad Ziyadeh, Dr. Jamal Hoballah, and Dr. Edmond Ibrahim.
Professor Mohtaseb began by introducing the speakers and the topic at hand. She described the differences between Western and Alternative medicine, or CAM (Complementary Alternative Medicine), the former being more surgery and drug oriented and the latter being more holistic. An intermediate between the two, called “integrative medicine” mixes both approaches, using both surgery and natural healing techniques. The panel was split between the two approaches, with Abou Khizam and Ibrahim favoring a more alternative/integrative proposal and Hobollah and Ziyadeh supporting western/integrative medicine.
First to speak was Mrs. Farida Abou Khizam, an Australian qualified pharmacist, Reiki master, and advocate of integrative and humanist medicine. Criticizing Western medicine for its symptomatic treatment of clients, Abou Khizam began her lecture with a quote by Plato, saying “Physicians separate the soul from the body.” Lamenting the fact that today’s doctors treat the patient as a symptom instead of a person Abou Khizam turned to Reiki, a biological medicine that uses energy circuits as a medicinal technique. Reiki allows for an electromagnetic field to trigger a greater cellular response for healing (amplification). Abou Khizam spoke of the benefits of Reiki, saying it provides for pain relief, detoxification, insomnia, wound healing, and cancer care, as well as being used in over 800 hospitals in the U.S. However, remarked Abou Khizam, “Unlike modern medicine, alternative approaches do not toxify the body with chemicals, but detoxify it. Reiki allows the mind, body, and soul to heal and express itself naturally in the true spirit of Plato.”

Following Abou Khizam was Dr. Fuad Ziyadeh, Nephrologist and Chairman of the department of Internal Medicine in AUB-MC and a specialist in the molecular biology of kidney diseases, of which he has authored more than 100 publications. Ziyadeh declared himself an avid supporter of Western medicine, remarking, “Death is inevitable. There is so much hype about alternative medicine but it is not scientifically sound, nor evidence based.” Ziyadeh backed up his claim with a study done on alternative treatments by the NSF in 2002, which experimentally determined that none of the treatments were proven effective, and were rather a “pseudoscience,” instead of a science. He cited the controversy behind some alternative treatments, mentioning the unproven efficacy of herbs like St. John’s Wart and ginkgo biloba, while simultaneously lamenting the lack of evidence and quality control in the industry. Ziyadeh also emphasized that sources of funding for many of the treatments remain unclear, saying “Many of these treatments are not only unproven, but disproven.” Several studies have pointed to significant amounts of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic in several treatments, causing more harm than initially was present. “It is a big fallacy to assume that what is natural is good,” said Ziyadeh, “natural can be toxic.”
Third up was Dr. Edmond Ibrahim, a special cist in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Ibrahim studied in China for 10 years, and currently practices alternative medicine. Ibrahim discussed the benefits of holistic medicine, saying it studied a large variety of sciences, such as biology, physiology, and pathology, and incorporated each of them into its unique alternative medicine approach. To obtain a PhD in Chinese Medicine, a minimum of 11 years of study is required in the heart of China, to fully understand its techniques. However Ibrahim underlined that there were many similarities between the two approaches, asking “Do we have to study western medicine before Chinese? No, we can do both at the same time.” Advocating an intermediate integrative approach in order to best treat his patients, Ibrahim declared “Chinese medicine isn’t alternative. It’s 5,000 years of history.”
Last to speak was Dr. Jamal Hoballah, Vascular surgeon and Chairman of the department of surgery at AUB-MC. Hoballah delved directly into the main issue with his opening statement, clearly asserting his opinion: “I am not against CAM. I am against quackery and health fraud. Unfortunately most of the CAM practitioners fall in the quackery category.” He spoke about the principle rule of medicine; “do no harm,” which he believes is too often violated in CAM treatments. With serious surgeries and structural diseases, such as aneurisms and heart problems, CAM rather eliminates the chance of cure for, according to Hoballah.” Hoballah turned to scientific evidence, or in the case of CAM, lack thereof, saying “CAM just masks symptoms temporarily,” The lack of standardization makes alternative medicine more susceptible to fraud, and, said Hoballah, the ignorance of the patient even more so.
After the panel presented their opinions about the corresponding medical approaches, the audience was invited to share their own thoughts in a Q&A session. The first question of the night was from Medical Information Specialist, Aida Farha, who asked about the extent of which either practice had evidential superiority over the other. Said Ziyadeh, “No one has a monopoly over evidence. Modern medicine is evolving all the time, and it adopts new things proven to be beneficial to the patient.” From the alternative medicine corner, both Ibrahim and Abou Khizam replied that modern medicine has roots in alternative, with Abou Khizam remarking “modern medicine has evolved from alternative.” Another notable question came from Civil Engineer Youmna Nasser whose own experience with CAM stemmed from her disappointment in western medicine. Said Nasser, “Western Medicine only treats diseases, but it’s the human being that needs to be treated. I really look forward to a breed of healers that convey both western and alternative techniques that would address the human being. Western treats the consequences, never look at causes and reasons.” The panel responded from a moderately unanimous perspective, clarifying that there is pressure for doctors, pharmacists, and other medical professions to provide treatment in all cases, and medical short comings, in the form of poor interpersonal relations between the doctor and patient are too often present. Ziyadeh summed up this notion, stating “Medicine is an art as much as a science.” One of the last questions of the evening was from Gastroenterologist Dina Zeidun, who criticized the lack of scientific evidence and standardization behind CAM, as well as saying “Good medicine is not only western, it is international, yet scientific.” Her opinion tied directly with the responses of Ziyadeh and Hoballah, who attributed CAM effectiveness to placebo affects and chance occurrences. Abou Khizam agreed with standardizing CAM, but remarked “before you can regulate something you need to have acknowledged it.”
The final part of the debate consisted of closing remarks from each of the panel members, as well as the mediator. Said Abou Khizam, “We need to treat the whole person; psyche emotions, and the physical body. That is real treatment.” Ibrahim concurred with Abou Khizam’s statement, adding “Have evidence. Don’t just focus on U.S techniques, for medicine exists all over the world.” Hoballah and Ziyadeh took a different approach, stressing that evidence is the most important thing when it comes to medicine. Mohtaseb ended with her own comments, stressing that the point of the debate was not to choose one form of medicine over the other, but to make sure the medicine is evidence based, and contextual. Chronic and acute issues differ in their types of treatment, and the choice of approach should take context into account. Ziyadeh concluded his own segment with a quote by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins that comprised the debate quite nicely: “There is no alternative medicine. There is only medicine that works, and medicine that doesn’t work.”

Additional Comments from the Panelists:
Dr. Fuad Ziyadeh:
Dr. Ziyadeh argued that Alternative Medicine (AM) is popular because the public is always after a magic bullet. Unfortunately, there is little scientific evidence that AM is reliable, effective, efficacious, safe, or even cost-effective. The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency in the USA, defined AM as ‘All treatments that have not been proven effective using scientific methods’, ie, AM is ‘a form of pseudoscience’. Many of the treatments of AM, especially botanicals, are not only unproven but also disproven by randomized clinical studies that were funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCAAM) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA. Also, what is natural is not necessarily good; natural can be toxic. Examples were presented of
harmful botanicals, contaminated concoctions, and instances where certain herbs can seriously interact with conventional prescription medications. The whole AM industry needs regulation and control including banning direct-to-consumer marketing in the media. The government needs to step in to protect the public, especially vulnerable populations such as the seriously sick or children, from unsafe and wasteful practices and products.
Dr. Jamal Hoballah:
The three points stressed in the debate were-
1. The need to focus on the patient as whole and not as an organ
2. The need for governmental regulation of CAM practitioners
3. The need for governmental regulation on non-pharmaceutical medicaments

As to the concept of implementing integrative medicine, I think we did not reach a consensus on that among the debators nor among the spectators. My reservation on that relates to what Dr Ziyadeh and I kept stressing on which
is we do not know what of the CAMs modalities available work and what does not. How can we implement teaching CAMs to health care providers when we still do not know what works? I may be willing to agree to say that for chronic conditions where traditional medicine has not been effective a trial of CAM may be appropriate as long as done by qualified individuals.
Dr. Edmond Ibrahim:
We cannot put the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) within CAM and generalize. Chinese Medicine, as well as Chinese and modern pharmacology, have their own systems, basic theories, diagnoses, physiologies, and pathologies, along with treatments such as acupuncture, herbal medicine (which is recognized in all over the world, such as USA, Australia, Europe and all the far east,..), Tuina massage and others.
We also cannot say that TCM does not have an academic value while we are teaching it here in Lebanon in some medical faculties in Beirut as a DU (Diploma University).
In addition, TCM has too much scientific evidence and proof, and I think we need another debate or lecture in ibsar to mention this evidence.
According to what I mentioned before, TCM can treat both chronic and acute disease in some cases, but often times, we need the help of the Modern medicine for emergency and acute diseases, and even sometimes with chronic diseases.
So, I still support my idea, that we have to combine both medicines, Modern and TCM, and, in some cases, under the supervision of modern medicine.

Mrs. Farida Abou Abou Khizam:
Ms Abou Abou Khizam firmly agrees that modern medicine and medicinals have an important role in medical care. This is especially the case in diagnosis, referrals, necessary drug prescribing; testing; emergency care and surgery. She also suggested the need for regulation of CAM practitioners and the introduction of Integrative Medicine into Lebanese hospital practice. Indeed, many Western doctors, psychologists, nurses, physiotherapists etc., are embracing & learning CAM as part of their professional training. Wisely, they are not ignoring the growing worldwide trend towards disease prevention and treatment with CAM. They also know that “textbook doctors”- those who primarily focus treatment on the physical body- will become extinct medical dinosaurs of a foregone era. However, the main points the panelists agreed on was
1.The need to learn how to treat the whole person (mind, body and soul) by medical , nursing & 2.paramedical practitioners in Lebanon
3.The need for implementing Integrative Medicine into Lebanese hospitals and medical/paramedical practice
4.The need for governmental regulation of CAM practitioners
5.The need for governmental regulation on non-pharmaceutical medicaments

Tree Planting in Miniara, Akkar, Saturday, December 4th , 2010

2010-11-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

Event Invitation:
Dear AUB community,

The Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures (IBSAR) at AUB, in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS), is planning a tree planting activity in Miniara, Akkar, Saturday, December 4th 2010, as part of its “Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow” project and “Power and Planting” initiative which has been running consecutively for the past 3 years, thanks to the participation of our dedicated volunteers.

Kindly take note of the following information and logistics:
1- Meeting at 7:00am in the morning at AUB Medical Gate where the bus will be waiting.
2- The bus will leave at 7:30am sharp and will not wait for latecomers.
3- The bus should return to AUB Medical Gate at 5:00pm (max).
4- Wear comfortable, practical clothes (preferably jeans and work boots)- dress in layers in case the temperature alternates.
5- One meal and refreshments will be provided.
There is no fee for joining the trip which is co-sponsored by IBSAR and CCECS and supported by the Municipality of Miniara, Akkar, our partner in the activity.

If interested, you are kindly requested to confirm your attendance as soon as possible by Thursday Dec 2nd, 2010 (9:00am) by e-mailing to CCECS (ccecs@aub.edu.lb) and providing the following information:
- Full Name:
- AUB ID:
- Affiliation (Year/Position/Department) with AUB:
- AUB e-mail (and other e-mail if you wish):
- Cell Phone:
Note that the number of volunteers will be limited to 30; therefore attendees are selected on a first come first served basis. Those who register late will be placed on a waiting list.

" لو " Book Signing in Biel - ibsar

2010-11-30T02:48:00.000-08:00

Dear friends, I would love to see you during " لو " book signing event Saturday December 4, 6-8 pm in Biel. Please share with friends. Note that proceeds from the sales of the book will help us produce more nature related children books in Arabic.

Sincerely, Dr. Salma Talhouk.

"Ta3a Ne7ke" with Ibsar # 2- "The Art of Healing; Western or Alternative Medicine?"

2010-11-23T07:06:00.001-08:00

The Art of Healing:
Western or Alternative Medicine?

Date:
Monday, November 29th, 2010

Event Duration:
4pm - 6pm

Location:
Auditorium B, West Hall, AUB

Briefing:
The following questions will be tackled:

What is Chinese Medicine? What is Reiki Treatment?

Are we actually treating the humans or just treating diseases?

What about medicinal plants and their benefit?

Do we get sick because of contact with independent agents or because of unbalance in the surrounding environment?

What are discrepancies in the therapeutic
language and practices used by today ’s healers?

Guest Speakers:

Dr. Edmond Ibrahim: Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor

Mrs. Farida Khizam: Pharmacist and Reiki Master

Dr. Jamal Hoballah: Vascular Surgeon, Chair of Surgery Department, AUB-MC

Dr. Fuad N. Ziyadeh: Nephrologist, Chair of Internal Medicine Department, AUB-MC

Moderator:

Dr. Hala Mohtaseb: Professor, Biology Department, AUB
Facebook Event Link:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=137763849608293&index=1

Tree Planting in Dahr al Ahmar, Saturday & Sunday, November 27th & 28th, 2010

2010-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Event Invitation:

Dear AUB community,

The Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures (IBSAR) at AUB, in collaboration with the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS), is planning a tree planting activity in Dahr al Ahmar (near Rachaya) this weekend Saturday Nov 27th and Sunday Nov 28th, 2010, as part of its “Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow” project and “Power and Planting” initiative which has been running consecutively for the past 3 years, thanks to the participation of our dedicated volunteers.

Kindly take note of the following information and logistics:

1- Meeting at 7:00am in the morning at AUB Medical Gate where the bus will be waiting.
2- The bus will leave at 7:30am sharp and will not wait for latecomers.

3- The bus should return to AUB Medical Gate at 5:00pm (max).
4- Wear comfortable, practical clothes (preferably jeans and work boots)- dress in layers in case the temperature alternates.
5- One meal and refreshments will be provided.

There is no fee for joining the trip which is co-sponsored by IBSAR and CCECS and supported by the Municipality of Barouk, our partner in the activity.

If interested, you are kindly requested to confirm your attendance as soon as possible by Thursday Nov 25, 2010 (9:00am) by e-mailing to CCECS (ccecs@aub.edu.lb) and providing the following information:

- Full Name:

- AUB ID:

- Affiliation (Year/Position/Department) with AUB:

- AUB e-mail (and other e-mail if you wish):

- Cell Phone:

Note that the number of volunteers will be limited to 30; therefore attendees are selected on a first come first served basis. Those who register late will be placed on a waiting list.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Those enlisted on the trip will receive a reconfirmation e-mail in due time by Thursday afternoon (3.00pm), and are expected to show on time on Saturday morning. In case you cannot attend for whatever reason, please inform us immediately so that we can pass your place to another volunteer from the waiting list. Last minute no-show are undesirable and hamper our mission and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation on the matter.

While tree planting trips are planned on “good” weather conditions, it could be unpredictable during this season and, for those who will be reconfirmed, you are strongly advised to check your mail on the afternoon (Friday 3:00pm) before the (Saturday) trip for any forced cancelation due to last-minute adverse weather.

For more information, you can call CCECS at 4430/1 and, for urgent matters, you can call Arbi from IBSAR at ext 4509 or at (03) 024 967. You are also welcome to visit IBSAR’s website (www.ibsar.org) to know more about the Power of Planting initiative or other IBSAR activities and projects.

We would like to thank all of you who participated and contributed to the success of previous tree planting activities.

Keep planting, for a better community J

IBSAR and CCECS teams

Tree Planting Maintenance

2010-07-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

Dear AUB Community and Tree Planting Volunteers,
Following our warm gratitude for your commitment to the tree planting activities that took place last semesters, IBSAR & CCECS invite you to join the activities for watering, weeding, stone-mulching and general maintenance of the trees. For Details, go to
Ibsar Officail Website

“Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow”: Season II (December 2009 – March 2010)

2010-02-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

Despite cold weather and winter in general taking its sweet time to reach Lebanon, stuck like ice in most of Western Europe, our planting season got off on a late start, and the weather was partly responsible. One of the main difficulties we face when tree planting is the weather. Rainy and muddy conditions hamper this activity tremendously, but more importantly, the chances of survival of seedlings drops when planting in extremely wet conditions. It is, once again, becoming clearer to us that the most ideal period to plant trees in Lebanon is in the month of November leading into the beginning of December, generally before the rains begin (from Dec-Mar).

There were a number of obstacles that delayed us from planting early this season which began with the prolonged holdup in contacting the municipalities. Our strategy this year was to have an official call to the municipalities announcing our program through the Ministry of Interiors and Municipalities. We are indebted to Minister Baroud for his help in circulating our request to local authorities to participate in our tree planting campaign. Although we received phone calls and responses from over 40 municipalities, our field coordinator Khaled Slim needed more time to organize meetings and give presentation on our program.

Mr. Slim spent many hours organizing meetings with the mayors and/or municipal representatives with hopes set on consolidating municipalities in clusters in order to save time and resources. Hence, one could imagine the effort involved in traveling to these villages, many that are in remote parts of the country, to give a 20 minute presentation that often resulted in a series of question and dialogue. In essence, the meetings generally lasted upwards to an hour. Yet despite this, the presentations given were elemental in the building of interest and awareness about our campaign while disseminating vital information regarding biodiversity, climate change, and tree planting with our potential planting partners. However, the issue of planting 1 year old seedlings has reemerged again, and it is clear that our partners want larger trees (>2 years old).

It is quite clear to us after our experience last year and following the presentations delivered by Mr. Slim that our municipal partners want bigger trees. Many of them agreed to plant them next year, which effectively makes more sense. For instance, most rural reforestation projects utilize young trees, or rather seedlings, which may even be less than a year old. They are planted by the thousands and their fate lies in the hands of nature, not of man. Therefore, the planting season is generally short and just before the rains. The young trees in these kinds of large-scale excursions are not irrigated thus the average survival rate is somewhere in the range of 20 – 50%. So for every 1,000 trees planted, at best, less than half will make it alive. But do we need such small trees when we are planting in public spaces near village residences?

Community tree planting within villages is a completely different scheme altogether. In the majority of the municipalities we have been working in, there are generally between 100 – 300 trees planted on average within each village, whether they are planted along roadsides, within a public garden, or in landscaped beds around municipal or public buildings. Moreover, they are expected to be cared for by the municipality as part of our partnership agreement (non-binding/non-contractual) and/or by local members of the community. The survival rates of these trees, on the contrary, are expected to be above 80% in ideal circumstances (e.g. watering and general care).

In addition to the delays in reaching agreements with our planting partners, we began to approach the holiday season, or in other words, the busiest time of year. Furthermore, AUB volunteers are and have been the core laborers of our program, thanks to the recently established Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) that has been instrumental in mobilizing AUB students to take part in our tree planting program. However, with mid-terms taking place at the end of November and into December, their numbers were not sufficient in organizing planting excursions during that period. All of these factors, including rainy weekends (which are the only times volunteers can plant), were all responsible for our delays in planting.

We do, however, have the added advantage of having a longer window of period for tree planting. Again, this is completely dependent on the willingness and determination of the municipalities to keep their end of the bargain in watering and caring for the trees, especially during the first summer following the planting. It only takes a little effort to water 2-3 times a month, and although this sounds feasible and easy, it nevertheless requires determination, accountability and responsibility on part of the municipalities to make it happen. Our experience last season and the general outcome of the survival of trees were not as pleasant as we had hoped, and we can only do a better job this year by follow-up visits and monitoring.

This season we are counting on more active participation from the municipalities, especially given that they are to pick up the trees from our nursery at AREC rather than us delivering it to them. Also, they must have certain provisions set for watering, including the methods employed (manual or automatic drip-system irrigation). The most promising village that demonstrated the most ideal example of community tree planting and follow-up care was in Ain Zebdé in the Beqaa. Members of the community went as far as installing a drip-system irrigation unit that they raised money for that resulted in a near 100% survival rate for the 300 trees they planted in 2008-2009. In fact, AUB volunteers helped to plant another 200 plus native trees in Ain Zebdé just after Christmas as the first planting excursion for this season (2009-2010).

Despite the late start this season, we have had five successful planting excursions as we gear up for more in these next few weeks. The villages we have planted in so far include Ain Zebdé (Dec 26th), Qana (Jan 6th), Douris near Baalbek (Jan 9th), Souk al Gharb (Jan 10th), and Boire (Jan 16th), Ras al Metn (Jan 30th), Houmine al Faouqa (Jan 31st), Trablous (Feb 6th & 7th), Aajaltoun (Feb 8th), Kawkaba (Feb 10th), Sultan Yaaqoub (Feb 11th), and finally Hiyata & Chahtoule (Feb 12th). The last 2 villages, located near Keserwen, was our first collaborative ‘planting buddy’ project with International College Middle School students. AUB’s Red Cross members teamed up with IC’s Environmental Club students who helped to raise over $2,500 for ‘Seeds of Hope,
Trees for Tomorrow’ last fall. It was a memorable experience for everyone and one we will likely do again.

Altogether, our volunteers and local residents helped to plant over 2,000 trees so far. There are 6 planting excursions left this season; Hammana, Kfar Seer, Bebdine, Jwar al Hawz, Douma & Ehden, and Hwaysh. Our partner municipalities are receiving trees until the end of February for planting in open public spaces bringing us closer to our goal of 10,000 trees for the 2009/2010 planting season. Good luck everyone, and thanks for your support in preserving Lebanon’s biodiversity and natural heritage!

Get to know ibsar

2010-01-07T05:22:00.001-08:00

Ibsar is the nature conservation center for sustainable futures at AUB (American University of Beirut). Our mission is "to promote the conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity in arid and Mediterranean regions by providing an open academic platform for innovative research and development." Our vision is "for societies to become guardians and primary beneficiaries of biodiversity in the region".

For more information about AUB-Ibsar, please visit http://www.ibsar.org/

Welcome to ibsar

2010-01-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

This is ibsar's member blog!
feel free to write anything, whether related to ibsar and its members or not!