SPA/RAC organized a national workshop for the validation of the monitoring programme for biodiversity in Lebanon, Beirut (Lebanon), January 17th, 2018.

The Ecosystem Approach is a strategy for an integrated management for land, water and biological resources which aim to foster the conservation and sustainable use of resources to ensure equitable exploitation, as stipulated in the Biological Diversity Convention.

The adoption of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment programme (IMAP) by the Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention (COP 19 decision IG.22/7) is one of the key elements of the implementation of this integrated and multidisciplinary approach (EcAp) in the Mediterranean.

SPA/RAC is actively contributing to the implementation of the IMAP, particularly its biodiversity and non-indigenous species (NIS) components. The centre supports Southern Mediterranean Contracting Parties to develop their monitoring programmes on biodiversity in line with the IMAP recommendations, in the framework of the EcAp-MED II project.

In this regard, SPA/RAC organized a national workshop in Beirut for the validation of the monitoring programme on biodiversity in Lebanon, on January 17th, 2018.

Various stakeholders as well as experts and scientists from the different national institutions involved in the biodiversity, non-indigenous species (NIS) and fisheries’ monitoring attended this workshop.

After fruitful and constructive discussions, the meeting adopted the national monitoring programme on biodiversity in Lebanon and agreed on three monitoring areas to be considered during the implementation phase of the national IMAP which are: Ras Chekaa to Palm Islands, Beirut Harbor to Ramlet El Baida and Tyre Island, Tyre Coast Natural Reserve and El Bayada.

The final version of the national monitoring programme on biodiversity in Lebanon will be available on the project’s web page.

For more information about this workshop, please follow this link.