Lebanon forest project : people

Environmentalists, shepherds, beekepers, and high school students

Some of the many local people

• Khattar Mahmoud, shepherd
• Salem Bu Ghanem, beekeeper
• Rami Abi Ali, high school student and volunteer fire fighter
  

Some of the people from AFDC

• Monir Bu Ghanem, Programme Officer and AFDC founder
• Hisham Salman, Manager, AFDC Training Centre, Ramlieh
• Fadi Bu Ali, Environmental Assistant

Khattar Mahmoud

Shepherd, Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve Buffer Zone, Mount Lebanon
I come from a herding family, but was a policeman before I retired. I now keep 295 goats to supplement my pension.

I believe that forests are important for everyone living here. I don't believe that goats are a threat to forests - grazing creates a fire break that can help protect forests. I have been involved in fire-fighting in the region, and have seen people realise that if there had been grazing, the fire wouldn't have spread so far.

I have a big motive to protect the cedars - from 1962 to 1972 there was a national project to plant 1 million cedar trees in Lebanon that I was involved in. So I don't want to see them burn down! I have been working with AFDC and the Al-Shouf Cedar Society for two years, and it has been very helpful. Before, we had to pay land owners to graze the goats on their land. Now that a buffer zone has been created around the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve, we don't have to pay to graze in this area.

In fact, now people ask for the goats to graze on their land to clear it and fertilize it. We also have free water piped from a source within the cedar reserve, whereas before we had to pay $US1,000 each year for water from a water tank. And we're hoping to set up a cooperative to sell our products to tourists visiting the reserve. In return, we keep the goats out of the reserve. I'd like to see more work between local people, NGOs, and government to protect forests.

More on AFDC and WWF's work with shepherds.

"When you see a cedar forest, it's beautiful."

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Salem Bu Ghanem

Beekeeper, Ramlieh village
I am a farmer and a beekeeper - I've been keeping bees for 40 years. I have 300 hives spread out over the village and in the forest. There are six or seven beekeepers in Ramlieh, and about 1,000 hives altogether in the valley. The Ramlieh beekeepers are recognized as being very professional.

I have been involved with different beekeepers cooperatives in Lebanon for many years. After visiting a cooperative in Italy about four years ago, I decided to start a new cooperative to help us to better process and market our honey.

I should explain that before, we used to put our honey into a big barrel with a tap, hold the bottles by hand under the tap to fill them, and then label the jars with our own name. Then people would come to the village to buy the honey, which they would sell in their markets.

But I thought we could reach not just the local market but a wider Arabic market if we got together under one label and one name, and have a more modern way of processing the honey. So this is why I started the new cooperative, AASAL, which now has 14 members.

AFDC and WWF provided us with modern equipment for honey processing, and we are looking into making a label to show our product is a natural non-timber forest product. We are encouraging other beekeepers to join AASAL, but also encouraging people from outside the cooperative to use our new equipment too.

But actually processing and marketing is just one part of being a beekeeper. We face lots of other problems - dealing with hives, diseases ... and pesticides. We used to get 40kg of honey from one hive, but since farmers started using pesticides on their orchards - which kill bees as well as the flies they want to kill - we only get 10kg. It's against the law to spray trees while they're flowering, but farmers still do it. So we beekeepers are also fighting against this.

Fires are a problem too - we lose our hives and propety through fires. Actually beekeepers have the same objectives as AFDC as we depend on nature to have flowers in order to have honey. So I've been supporting AFDC from the beginning. Also, Monir is my son!

More on AFDC and WWF's work with beekeepers

"If I were young, I would still help to fight fires."

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Rami Abi Ali

High school student and volunteer fire-fighter, Ramlieh village
I am 17 years old, and have been in the Ramlieh volunteer unit of AFDC for four years. Our unit has 55 people, male and female, of different ages.

Fire fighting is a big part of our work. If someone sees a fire, then they notify AFDC, who then goes to inspect it. If the fire is out of control, then an announcement is made on the village loudspeaker to tell the volunteers to gather at the meeting point. Someone from AFDC brings us our uniforms, and we all go to the fire on the fire truck.

We fight the fire with water, by making fire breaks, and by beating the flames. If the fire is too big then we call the civil defense for help. We usually fight seven or eight fires a year, but one year I fought 20. Sometimes it takes three or fours hours to put a fire out, sometimes 12 hours, and sometimes days. We only fight fires in forests, as forests are our priority.

I've attended three courses run by AFDC and the civil defense on how to fight fires. They also tell us to be careful and to take care of ourselves. Apart from the danger of the fire, there are still landmines in some forests. And there's not enough money to insure us. My father was worried about me fighting big fires at first, but now he knows that the village unit is good at it, so it's OK.

We used to have to bring our own equipment to fight fires, but after AFDC received support from WWF, they supplied us with better equipment as well as uniforms and boots to protect us. We also do a lot of other work for AFDC, such as planting trees, acting as guides for ecotourism and keeping the trails well maintained, and clearing undergrowth to help stop any fires from spreading.

Biography: I was born in 1986, and I'm still in high school. I don't know what I want to do yet when I leave school, but I will go to college. I don't want to be a farmer!

More on AFDC's volunteer fire brigades, ecotourism activites, and reforestation programme.

"I am not scared because I have been trained how to fight fires."

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Monir Bu Ghanem

Programme Officer, AFDC 

"When we first started AFDC we were 22 years old and people treated us like kids. What we have achieved is way beyond our dreams!"

A normal day for me is very busy. I start calling people when I'm in the bathroom in the morning, and I stop when everyone is asleep. I'm calling to follow up on projects, to follow up with staff and volunteers, to do public relations, and to talk with the governmental institutions we work with.

I work mainly at the AFDC office in Beirut, but I also visit the field - although this is usually on the weekends, or in the mornings before I go to the office! I live in Ramlieh village, and I usually meet with my colleagues there at around midnight for briefing and planning.

So how did I end up in conservation? In 1992, the pine and oak forest around my home village of Ramlieh burnt down. It was a huge shock - I used to enjoy sitting in the forest, and exploring the valley and waterfalls. And then it was all gone.

I formed a group with four friends from Ramlieh, including Hashim , to replant the forest. This is how AFDC started. We created a nursery and began planting trees, first around Ramlieh and then throughout Lebanon. But we soon realised the problem was bigger than just planting trees - we needed to tackle the fires themselves. This led to the volunteer fire-fighter units and all the other work we now do to protect forests.

What do I like about the work? I like that the work is different every day. I also like working with people, and in this job, I have interactions with people every day. Is there anything I don't like about the job? The bureaucratic and administrative parts of the job are not so good, like writing reports and doing paperwork. I dream of having someone to do this for me!

How would I describe myself? I've learnt to be patient through this job, and to be a good listener. I like to play the role of mediator and facilitator, both inside and outside AFDC. I don't like to sit aside, I like to be in the front.

Want to do my job? You'll need to be patient and to work hard. Determination is key for this kind of work.

Biography: I was born in 1970. I was a 22-year-old student of business administration when the forest around Ramlieh burned down. This event changed my life - leading to the formation of AFDC where I have been working ever since.


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Hisham Salman

Manager AFDC Training Centre, Ramlieh 

"I would like AFDC to be independent and sustainable, with our own income. I don't want to lose what we have been working for over the past 10 years."

I am responsible for the reforestation programe of AFDC, and I manage the team working at the AFDC Centre in Ramlieh village. I organize the tree nursery, and everything to do with tree planting - what kind of trees are planted and when, tree distribution, volunteers for planting, etc.

I visit all the sites for reforestation to identify how many trees are needed, what kind of trees are needed, and how the land should be prepared. I also follow up with the reforestation projects throughout the year. In addition, I look after the day-to-day business of running the AFDC Centre, including buying equipment, receipts, money, etc, and help the others with training and other activities. I live in Ramlieh village, and mainly work from the AFDC office in Beirut.

So how did I end up in conservation? I was one of the original four people who formed AFDC with Monhir after the forest around Ramlieh burnt down in 1992. What do I like about the work? Everything! I like the centre, I like that my work is different every day so there's no routine.

Is there anything I don't like about the job? Paperwork and preparing reports.

How would I describe myself? I am a quiet person.

Want to do my job? You'll need to be patient, and you'll need to work hard. You also shouldn't always expect money at the end of the month!

Biography: I was born in 1970. I was studying mechanical engineering when the forest around Ramlieh burned down. Like Monhir, this event changed my life, and I've been working for AFDC ever since.


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Fadi Bu Ali

Environmental Assistant, AFDC

" I want to keep working with AFDC."

I organize various things at the AFDC Centre in Ramlieh, from lectures to tree planting.

So how did I end up in conservation? I was an AFDC volunteer from the very beginning, so AFDC is in my blood - I don't question why I am here!

What do I like about the work? That there's no routine - every day I have something different to do.

Is there anything I don't like about the job? Not that I can think of.

How would I describe myself? I trust myself. If there's work to do, I'll do it, I don't look at the time.

Want to do my job? You'll need patience.

Biography: I was born in 1979. I became an AFDC volunteer in the Ramlieh unit in 1993. I liked geography at school, so studied geographical science at university. I've been working full-time at AFDC for the past two years.


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