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| OUR RAPID WARTIME RESPONSE BINDS MEMBERS IN TIME OF CRISIS |
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When humans fight, nature suffers too. The Union, with its members and Commissions, responded to assess and encourage repair of some of the damage caused in Lebanon.
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When war broke out in Lebanon, IUCN members reported bombing in the forests and protected areas in the south and less concentrated targeting of protected areas such as Shouf Cedar Reserve, Important Bird Areas and protected ‘Hima’ wetlands.
Hundreds of hectares of virgin oak forests were burned, but the worst ecological damage followed when bombs struck a coastal power plant’s fuel tanks. Within minutes, 15,000 tons of toxic crude oil began spewing over 150 kilometres of pristine coast, polluting sea turtle nesting grounds and fish spawning areas, including the Palm Islands Nature Reserve, a Ramsar site off Tripoli.
In response to members’ requests, and in line with Resolution 3.046 on conservation in regions of violent conflict of West Asia, IUCN networked,b involved the media, and formed a Task Force of Secretariat, members and Commissions to support the government and the Lebanese people in assessing the ecological damage, setting priorities for rehabilitation and generating financial support.
Within a few weeks of the oil spill, the IUCN member Green Line Lebanon, CEESP and the Regional Office of the Secretariat in Amman produced the first Natural Resource Damage Assessment report with support from the Ministry of Environment of Lebanon and other actors. It was used to guide future responses by the Lebanese Ministry of Environment and the international community, and it was included in the UNDP report “Lebanon Rapid Environmental Assessment for Greening Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform – 2006”.
We helped raise more than USD 100,000 for the cleanup of Palm Islands, and involved 100 affected fishermen. This led to an additional USD 400,000 from the Swiss Development Cooperation for the cleanup of the area around Tripoli. IUCN implemented a marine survey around the area in collaboration with government and academic scientists, and recommended remedial measures based on a detailed impact assessment of war on biodiversity.
Our experience highlighted how the cooperation and partnership between government and non-government proved more resilient in times of crisis, especially in the protection of natural resources and rapid response to disasters. This work also demonstrates how IUCN’s unique structure of members, commissions and secretariat can make a difference in times of need.
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