NNA - The Shouf Cedar Reserve participated in the “Regional Forum for Nature Conservation for West Asian Countries” held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, between September 9 and 11, with a delegation headed by the Reserve’s Director General, Nizar Hani.
The team representing the prominent Reserve, a pioneer in protecting natural resources, took part in several sessions through interactive digital presentations that focused on the Reserve’s initiatives. A very important session was the “Integrated Water Management Project” that specifically focuses on adopting a smart irrigation system that uses modern and advanced technologies to save water and increase agricultural production, the first experience of which was implemented in the Lebanese Shouf town of Mresti.
The Reserve’s Project Coordinator, Hanan Hassan, presented detailed images of the project and its various technologies, in addition to detailed analyses of weather information, water quantities, soil moisture, etc, indicating that the project operates entirely on solar energy. A film was shown detailing the project stages, with the opinions of around 100 farmers benefiting from the project in a geographical area exceeding 20 hectares.
As the Regional Vice President of the World Reserves Commission, Hani presented in a dialogue session the Commission’s activities and programs in the world and the region. He also explained what its 3,000 experts are doing to reach the new Reserve goal, namely to protect 30% of the land area and 30% of the sea area in the year 2030.
Hani also shed light on what the Arab countries have achieved so far, and the role of the international union in supporting these countries to achieve the desired goal. He stressed that Lebanon is working hard to increase protected areas, given the need to protect 30% of the Earth’s surface, to preserve the elements of a healthy and dignified life for humanity.
It is to note that the regional forum is held every four years, bringing together leaders from governments, civil society, businesses and academia to discuss and develop solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.
=========R.Sh.
