Events
Garden Show & Spring Festival 2011 Exhibition- 24 May 2011 till 28 May 2011
The Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM) participated actively at the Garden Show & Spring Festival 2011 that took place at Beirut Hippodrome from May 24 till May 28, 2011 from 4:00 to 10:00 pm under the title of : "Jabal Moussa: a Living Forest" .
APJM’s stand was located in the “Authentic Lebanon” section and highlighted some of Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve’s features and new findings.
- All this under the Small Grant Program by UNDP -
The Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM) participated actively at the Garden Show & Spring Festival 2011 that took place at Beirut Hippodrome from May 24 till May 28, 2011 from 4:00 to 10:00 pm under the title of : "Jabal Moussa: a Living Forest" .
APJM’s stand was located in the “Authentic Lebanon” section and highlighted some of Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve’s features and new findings.
- All this under the Small Grant Program by UNDP -
Inauguration of Jabal Moussa as the newest Biosphere Reserve in Lebanon
On October 23 2010, the inauguration of Jabal Moussa as the newest Biosphere Reserve in Lebanon took place in the village of Mshete with the full support of the Italian Development Cooperation/Embassy of Italy in Lebanon and UNESCO office.
This event crowned the completion of the establishment of the ecotourism infrastructure in the reserve. The guests had a chance to witness this by walking on the newly developed trails, following the new signals and panels which assure a safe and pleasant trip. The hikes were followed by a gathering in the church of the village for a series of presentations about the Biosphere reserve and the ecotourism project and finally a traditional lunch in one of the local houses.
Launching of the PEBCO Project-20 Oct 2009
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The one-year project aims at:
1- Promoting the biological, cultural and historical values of the area, thus conserving it from uncontrolled human activities;
2- Establishing basic infrastructure and institutional system to promote ecotourism and recreational activities based on a long-term ecotourism strategy.
The Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM), with the support of the Development Cooperation Office of the Italian Embassy of Beirut, and in the framework of ROSS Emergency Programme, will launch, on Friday October 23rd 2009, the project “Promoting Ecotourism for Biodiversity Conservation in Jabal Moussa”, in the presence of the Ambassador of Italy, Gabriele Checchia.
The one-year project aims at:
1- Promoting the biological, cultural and historical values of the area, thus conserving it from uncontrolled human activities;
2- Establishing basic infrastructure and institutional system to promote ecotourism and recreational activities based on a long-term ecotourism strategy.
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This initiative will witness the development and implementation of a wide-range of activities, including (1) an ecotourism strategy for Jabal Moussa area, which shall propose ecotourism packages (2) a traditional rehabilitation of ruins of two typical Lebanese houses, a small farmer house and an underground water cistern, (3) a socioeconomic survey leading to identifying financial assistance opportunities for small projects benefiting local inhabitants of the seven villages surrounding Jabal Moussa, as part of promoting local income generation. This survey is being carried out by a team of teachers and students from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology-St Joseph University, under the supervision of Dr. Roula Abi Habib Khoury, Head of Department.Located between Nahr El Dahab (Kesrouan) and Nahr Ibrahim(Jbeil).
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Jabal Moussa is a site extending over 1250 ha and altitudes ranging from 500 to 1500 meters. The reserve, declared a “Global Important Bird Area” earlier this year, lies along the regional migratory birds flyway where massive migration occurs on its territories. It hosts at least 83 bird species, of which 7 are regionally and globally threatened. Mammals of Jabal Moussa include species that are wholly or partially limited to the Middle East region. The flora of the Jabal Moussa Mountain is rich in endemic (native) species with high genetic and economic values.The mountain’s natural and physical landscapes are imprinted with historical records. In October 2008, APJM succeeded to get a Ministerial Decision (Ministry of Agriculture) for the declaration of the site as a Protected Forest. In February 2009, the site was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
ROSS Emergency Programme is an initiative funded by the Italian Government since 2006. The main objective of its third phase in Lebanon is to contribute towards rehabilitation and reinforcement of basic services aiming at upgrading the living socioeconomic conditions through a process of local development in general and emphasizing on promoting environment conservation and gender equality.APJM is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that was established in May 2007 for the conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage in the Jabal Moussa area. The Association promotes local socio-economic development through eco-tourism, and other sustainable development initiatives serving the surrounding villages.