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Collecting Seeds from the Wild: a balancing act indeed!

Field Coordinator Khaled Slim is a skilled tree climber. And when it comes to gathering seeds from large trees like Cilician Fir, he goes to great lengths to do so – vertically. Most seeds from native trees and shrubs in Lebanon are relatively easy to collect, many of which can be found on the floor below the canopy. There are, however, some that are much more difficult and quite often even dangerous. Such is the case with collecting the cones of the coniferous Abies cilicica, or Cilician Fir, the symbolic Christmas tree that naturally grows in high elevation mostly in the north of Lebanon. This particular species is dwindling in populations in the wild; hence it is a high-priority species for propagation and replanting. Given the difficulty in succumbing germination from this species, Khaled was required to collect as many cones from these majestic trees that are mostly found growing on the highest branches with some trees as high as 30 meters! Cones were gathered in the month of November from Abies trees found in Jabal Qammouaa Reserve near the village of Fneydeq in Akkar. It’s a good thing it wasn’t windy that day…

‘Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow’: Gearing up for its 2nd Planting Season

Ibsar will be teaming up with AUB’s Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) who are helping to coordinate AUB volunteers determined and willing to participate in a number of tree planting events this season from now until February, 2010. Ibsar has been contacted by over 40 municipalities who have expressed a great deal of interest in our program and desire planting trees in their public open spaces.

Mount Lebanon/Metn: ……………….. 17 municipalities North Lebanon: ………………………….10 municipalities South Lebanon: ………………………….9 municipalities Beqaa Valley: ……………………………7 municipalities

Convention of Biological Diversity designate 2010 as International Year of Biodiversity

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity designated by UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a means of promoting biodiversity and raising awareness about the disturbing global statistics indicating major losses of species and their natural habitats over the last few decades. Ibsar is determined to set the example for Lebanon and the MENA and Mediterranean region, an extremely fragile biome with an

incredibly high ration of biodiversity per area (also known as a ‘biodiversity hotspot’). For more information on CBD’s International Year of Biodiversity, visit their website: www.cbd.int/2010. Our Power of Planting program is aimed at training and mobilizing local citizens towards becoming guardians of biodiversity through encouraging the planting of native trees and shrubs in their neighborhoods. Biodiversity is: ����������������������������������������������������������������� �������������� ������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������� �����[more info on biodiversity at: http://www.cbd.int/youth/biodiversity/].

BankMed Sponsors Ibsar’s 1st Micro-nursery Project in Mishmesh

BankMed has sponsored the first prototype micro-nursery project that is part of the Power of Planting program’s second component, ‘Cradles of the Forest’. In this particular phase of the program we intend to identify villages where tree planting was not only successful but where community outreach, support and biodiversity conservation are crucial. Mishmesh is the first municipality that will receive the BankMed sponsored micro-nursery project and will focus on the cultivation of the threatened Cilician fir (A. cilicica), Lebanese cedars (Cedrus libani Rich.), and Cyprus (or Aleppo) oak (Quercus infectoria Oliv) trees. Each micro-nursery is accompanied by a two-year training and capacity-building program aimed at preparing local citizens with the proper know-how in sustainable tree production. Thank you BankMed and citizens of Mishmesh!

Fall 2009 - B