Establishing Monitoring and Sustainable Development of the Lebanese Sea CANA-CNRS Project.
Implementing Agency: National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) – Lebanon
Donor: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Italian Cooperation
Within the framework of existing cooperation of the National Council for Scientific Research, Lebanon (CNRS) with Italian and international organizations, and particularly the CIHEAM-IAMB Institute, the Italians proposed, in 2006, a valuable donation in the form of a scientific vessel, named CANA-CNRS, aimed at supporting marine, environmental and geophysical studies and research in Lebanon.
In parallel to the above initiative, the CNRS in collaboration with the Development Cooperation Office - Italian Embassy in Lebanon, the CIHEAM- IAMB Institute and the Council for Development and Reconstruction, developed in 2009 the cooperative Lebanese-Italian project proposal on: Establishing Monitoring and Sustainable Development of the Lebanese Sea (CANA-CNRS Project); with the main objective of supporting marine and environmental research in: Bathymetry, Hydrobiology and Hydrology, Marine Resources, Coastal Pollution, and Project Result Dissemination.
The CANA-CNRS project on “Establishing Monitoring and Sustainable Development of the Lebanese Sea” is co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/General Directorate for Development Cooperation and the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon.
The overall objective of the project is to increase the knowledge of coastal and marine environments towards drawing responsible and sustainable development outlines. The project’s specific objective is to prepare guidelines for an integrated coastal/maritime policy.
In Lebanon, the main economic and social activities are concentrated along the coast. The associated environmental risks are well established and can have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem. In addition, the increasing coastal industrial activities are affecting people’s quality of life. An integrated vision and approach is crucial for the future development processes that will have to take into account not only the economic parameters, but also the ecological aspects.
The project has 5 technical tasks/components related to: the bathymetry of the coastal area; marine biodiversity protection; halieutic marine resources; the problem of coastal pollution; and scientific dissemination of the results. Other actions have also been planned to give adequate visibility both to the project and to the donors.
Task1. The Sea Physical Environment/Coastal Bathymetry
Task2. Hydrobiology/Hydrology
Task3. Marine Resources/Biodiversity
Task 4. Coastal Water Pollution
Task 5. Project Results Dissemination