Consultative workshop with the Joint Maritime Chamber
In collaboration with the Naval Forces of the Lebanese Army, a workshop was organized with the members of the Joint Maritime Chamber to discuss the means of cooperation and coordination towards a network of marine protected areas. Member Representatives in the Joint Maritime Chamber from Official Administrations and Security Agencies participated in an interactive dialogue about the current situation, the chamber’s role in marine protection, and the implementation of regulations and laws related to coastal management.
LEF aims through this participatory meeting to define frameworks for collaboration and coordination with the Joint Maritime Chamber, to support efforts for a network of marine protected areas based on the Ministry of Environment’s national strategy for marine protected areas, and this includes enhancing the management of existing reserves and declaring new marine protected areas.
The speech from the Naval Forces Command by Admiral Elias Sayah, Assistant Commander of Naval Operations and Coordinator of the Joint Maritime Operations Room, highlighted the importance of the project for marine protected areas network in biodiversity conservation and ensuring sustainable marine resources. He emphasized that the Army leadership, particularly the Naval Forces leadership, recognizes the importance of cooperation between the public sector and non-governmental organizations, especially for marine reserves and coast management.
A presentation by the Lebanese Environment Forum on the MPA network project was followed by a presentation by the Institute of Environment at the University of Balamand on the criteria for establishing an effective network of marine reserves, based on scientific principles. Then an open discussion between participants on the role of the chamber and the coordination between members in protecting the coast and the sea.
At the end of the workshop, a questionnaire was distributed to the participants to assess the role of protection and law enforcement by the members of the Chamber and gather suggestions for a successful network of MPAs.
