Our projects
Strengthening the protection of the Iris species in the Micro- reserves of Lebanon” project funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund CEPF, granted to Jouzour Loubnan Association-USJ. | 2022 – 2023
About:
1. Introduce the concept of Microreserves in Lebanon.
2. Elaboration of management plans for two microreserves
3. Drafting a single species protection Law for the conservation of the Irises in Lebanon.
4. Co-conservation of the natural and botanical heritage of Lebanon by implementing Circum-Situ techniques
5. Conserve endemic and rare species of Lebanon in Archeological sites
“Landscape Resilience alliance for agriculture and forestry in the Mediterranean Basin” granted by the European Commission H2020 and coordinated by the European Forest Institute | 2022 – 2025
About:
1. Increase the awareness, understanding, skill sand engagement of farmers and foresters with regard to the range of solutions in knowledge and practice across four thematic areas and to transfer knowledge to support future uptake and application of more landscape resilience approaches to deal with wildfire and drought as key climate change challenges in the Mediterranean basin
Conserving and valorizing the unique botanical heritage of Lebanon” project funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund CEPF, granted to the Faculty of Sciences-USJ.| 2018 – 2021
About:
1. Support various stakeholders to improve the conservation of rare, endemic and threatened plants of Lebanon.
2. Support the existing reserves in integrating plant conservation in their management plan.
3. Strengthen the new micro-reserve aspect in Lebanon. Co-conservation of the natural and botanical heritage of Lebanon by Implementing Circum-Situ techniques to conserve endemic and rare species of Lebanon in Archeological sites.
“Identifying biodiversity related success factors of ecological restoration” project funded by the United Nations-Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity- CBD, granted to the Faculty of Sciences-USJ.| 2017 – 2018
About:
1. Consider the role of wildlife in ecological restoration processes, by studying what different animals disperse, in relation to plant species over different time frames. Diverse plants that can sustain wildlife year-round were identified to promote the sustainability of the restored ecosystem and its natural regeneration.
2. Preparation of an Ecological restoration Manual for Mount Lebanon
“Capacity building for education and applied research in Mediterranean Unesco’s biosphere reserves-ERASMUS+ granted to the Faculty of Sciences-USJ | 2018 – 2021.
About:
1. EduBioMed aims at strengthening, ameliorating and upgrading academic activity at four Moroccan and Lebanese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the context of Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves (BRs), in collaboration and through networking with Biosphere Reserves’ (BR) stakeholders (citizens, visitors, managers and technicians), public administrations and EU Partners.
Conservation and Rehabilitation of Mussaylha Archeological Site-Ambassadors ” Fund for Cultural Preservation”. Awarded Funding,granted to the Jouzour Loubnan Association | 2022-2025
About:
The objective of the project is to preserve tangible and intangible heritage by preserving one of Lebanon’s
most famous monuments, as well as preserving local traditional agriculture, food production and food
processing. By introducing new cultural, educational and recreational activities, it will strive to enrich the
visitors’ experience and to benefit the local community. It will give visitors a better understanding of the
activities that took place on the site during the Ottoman era, when the surrounding land was planted, and
the water mill was used to process the crop. As a unique archaeological site located on the northern coast
of Lebanon, Mussaylha has an exceptional cultural, architectural, historical and natural value.
National geographic 2021-2022: Species recovery grant- Restoring the luster of the Rainbow Goddess: Onocyclus Irises.
About:
Conservation of all Oncocyclus irises of Lebanon through different approaches:
- Population reinforcement by introducing Ex-situ germinated material
- Genetic taxonomic revision of all 7 taxa
- Population management
- Preparation of conservation guidelines and roadmap for different stakeholders and practitioners
- Promulgation of a national law to preserve the Oncocyclus Irises of Lebanon
U.S. Department of State 2017-2019: “Deciphering Multidimensional Biodiversity Webs of Interactions behind the Success of Ecological Restoration”. .
About:
Assist in the restoration of Lebanon’s forests and to contribute to the following Higher Education earmark:
“Determination of important plant area and creation of three micro reserve for the protection of endemic and rare plant species in Lebanon” funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund- CEPF, granted to the Faculty of Sciences-USJ.| 2016 – 2017
About:
Identifying Important Plant Areas in Lebanon and the creation of 3 micro reserves for the protection of rare and endemic plant species
Creation of two Microreserves in Lebanon
BestMedGrape: New Business opportunities & Environmental sustainability using MED GRAPE nanotechnological products.
About:
- Supporting the creation of new startups/SMEs by transferring scientific/technological knowledge on local grape cultivars and the exploitation of wine by-products as a source of bioactive compounds that can be transformed into innovative commercial health products.
- E-xpansion of the grape value chain through the development of nanotechnological products, thus boosting the local economy, reducing environmental pollution and increasing employment opportunities.
GenResBridge: Genetic resources for a food-secure and forested Europe
About:
- Strengthen conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources by accelerating collaborative efforts and widening capacities in plant, forest and animal domains by sharing perspectives, exchanging best practices, harmonizing standards, trainings and sharing resources under the auspices of the three pan-European GenRes networks: ECPGR, EUFORGEN and ERFP.
- Increase the sustainable practices in management of GenRes.