In line with the international commitments to support the creation of new Marine Protected Areas (MPA), IUCN recently facilitated meetings with high level officials to invite Lebanon to adhere the Mediterranean Trust Fund and get benefit into supporting existing and future MPAs.

These discussions are part of the second phase after the achievements of the "Deep-Sea Lebanon" project, funded by MAVA Foundation and lead by OCEANA. The project, launched in 2016, was executed based on a request for partnership sent from the Lebanese Ministry of Environment in order to carry out biodiversity field surveys in the deep sea in Lebanon, following the adoption by the Government of the Lebanon's Marine Protected Areas Strategy in 2012, in which four sites in the deep sea were identified as potential MPAs and need further scientific studies for their declaration.

One of these new proposed MPA is located north of Beirut, in the proximity of the bay of Jounieh. The new MPA aims to protect the valuable ecosystems at the deep sea part stretching to the coastal area.

During these meetings, the proposed site was under discussion with President's Environmental Advisor, the Mayor of Jounieh in the presence of political, legal and technical advisors.

The overall aim of the "Deep-sea Lebanon project" was to increase the surface of MPAs in Lebanon with the intention of generating suitable management plans to maintain those protected zones, and support sustainable development along the Lebanon coast. This project was developed in cooperation with IUCN and UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC as executing partners, the Lebanese Ministry of Environment as key member of the Steering Committee, and ACCOBAMS, GFCM and CNRS-L as Supportive Partners.

For more information: Marie-Aude Sevin (IUCN-Med) and Ziad Samaha (IUCN Rowa).

Photo: Filograna implexa. © OCEANA