During the past five years, Lebanon witnessed the worst seasons of fires, which affected the green spaces and perennial forests in the foothills and peaks of the mountains, and caused devastating effects not only on the environment, but also on the lives of local communities close to the burning areas.
Some believed that some of these fires were caused by coal extraction, while some observers attributed the reasons to the rapidly volatile weather waves and drought, which may make the conditions favorable for the ignition of forest fires, after the rapid change in climate, which makes the vegetation cover more flammable and the soil drier. .
National strategy for preserving forest wealth
The Ministry of Environment in Lebanon saw the need to launch a national strategy to reduce the risk of forest fires.
The Minister of the Environment in the caretaker government, Dr. Nasser Yassin, said in an exclusive interview with “Sky News Arabia” website: “This strategy has been updated, and this update (approved by a government decision in 2009) comes in line with the most important requirements that must be taken in addressing emerging challenges around the risk of an outbreak.” And the spread of green space fires in Lebanon is decreasing year after year.
Objectives
The Lebanese Minister of Environment added, “The updated strategy aims to reduce the risk of frequent outbreaks of forest fires, in conjunction with activating fire monitoring systems that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.”
He continued, “The new strategy emphasizes the principle of preventing fires before they occur through the implementation of local plans and procedures, in addition to the principle of educating citizens and the partnership between local, official and security agencies such as the army, security forces, the private sector, and the academic sector.”
Among its main objectives:
- Coordinate the efforts made by the relevant ministries and support the national response to improve fire risk management.
- Reducing the risk of frequent outbreaks of forest fires.
- Maintaining full local readiness in the Lebanese governorates, especially those close to forests, which are more exposed to fires during the dry season.
Minister Yassin explained, “The importance of groups from the local community from the municipalities, the civil defense apparatus, and volunteers lies in their arrival at the scene of the fire in a quick time, but they need support, and we are working to enable them and provide them with the necessary tools to fight the fire at its beginning and prevent it from spreading, as we seek to Securing appropriate financial support for it.
He continued, “We are working to establish a fund for emergencies, secure support from international organizations, and collect donations from the private sector.”
the challenge
Yassin indicated to “Sky News Arabia” that “the main challenge remains in how to empower groups working on the ground,” and revealed “the Ministry of Environment’s readiness to start implementing the plan to reduce forest fires in the first week of next June, coinciding with Forest Week.”
What about the numbers?
Yassin confirmed that the efforts made by the Ministry of the Environment during the year 2022 were able to raise the rate of forest protection in Lebanon to 91 percent from the rates of previous years.
He explained, “The statistics on the main forest fires in Lebanon, which were surveyed on the ground or by satellites between 2008 and 2020,” indicate the following:
- The average burned area was 1449 hectares.
- The average annual number of fires is 167.
- The average length of a fire season is 200 days.
cup 28
The Lebanese Minister of Environment affirmed that the climate summit “COP 28”, to be held in the United Arab Emirates, during the month of November 2023, “has great importance on the Arab and international levels.”
He added, “The importance of the summit is increased by its being held in an Arab country and in order to highlight the needs and requirements related to Arab countries.”
He said, “We, as small countries, do not greatly affect climate change in terms of global warming and negative impacts on societies, unlike the large and industrialized countries.”
He explained, “According to the agreements, the industrialized countries must secure funding and support for the developing countries, and here lies the debates and paradoxes.”
And he continued, “The industrialized countries promised to secure $155 billion and committed themselves to that, and we in Lebanon, along with the Arab countries, are raising our voice to secure funding from the industrialized countries, in addition to several aspects, including technology and precautions against climate changes and floods.”
Yassin concluded his speech about the upcoming climate summit by saying, “It is an important opportunity to exchange expertise, experiences and support in the environmental issue around the world.”
2023-05-17 19:40:26
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