UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut visits Lebanon to witness the adoption of the country’s national LDN…

UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut visited Lebanon to witness the adoption of national LDN voluntary targets and discuss with the President Michel Aoun and members of the government the importance of setting LDN targets, implementing transformative projects and involving both the private and the public sector to achieve land degradation neutrality.

The adopted targets include reforesting 10 000 hectares of land, restoring 1 000 hectares of grasslands in the mountains of Lebanon and implementing sustainable agriculture practices on 80 000 hectares of farmland –measures that will increase land productivity and boost SOC stocks by 2030. The importance of water management measures in fighting land degradation and the plans of the Lebanese government to build dams in more than 15 districts of Lebanon have been also discussed.

During her visit, Ms. Barbut came to the village of Anjar, where bare lands and swamps have been transformed into a green city when over a million trees have been planted to create a natural reserve. The visit also included a trip to Bekaa Valley, where desertification and land degradation are addressed by planting vineyards. Ms. Barbut also visited Aamiq Wetland – the largest remaining freshwater wetland in Lebanon, which is recognized by BirdLife International as an important site for migratory birds. It is also a Ramsar site and a UNESCO Biosphere reserve.

In the photo (from left to right): Director of Rural Development and Natural Resources Department at the Ministry of Agriculture Chadi Mohanna, Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture Louis Lahoud Lahoud, UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut, President of the Lebanese Republic Michel Aoun, Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zeaiter, Environmental Advisor to the President Claudine Aoun Roukoz and UNCCD Associate Programme Officer Sabine Sakr.