Posted by: r.m. | October 3, 2007

Ecology

  • Fires raging in Lebanon (http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0211214320071003). The causes: increased price of fuel; lack of political will to protect the remaining forests; plus a change in management of the forests themselves. The consequences: increased risk of desertification - and more. (Ecology students: what are other potential consequences?)

Posted in Lebanon, environment / green | Tags: , , , ,

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Responses

when i heard the news yesterday i was chocked about all these fires that have destroyed about 100 hectares of woodland and i wanted to discuss the issue with u today in the class but since u posted on the website i feel that I’m pushed to comment on this irresponsible action against the environment.
The search for an alternative for fuel is very important but it is not as essential as our natural resources. This morning i heard that the Italian team will arrive to Lebanon and will help in containing the fire that is still raging. This disaster have caused a lot of natural and economical drawbacks. In addition to desertification this fire may cause an imbalance in the biodiversity of the region because a lot of animals that were dependent on these forests are now suffering in addition to the pollution that will rise and may cause a lot of diseases and also the effect of global warming will rise due to the excess of carbon dioxide that was used by the vegetation. And from the economical point of view, some people have lost their homes and these green regions were touristic places that we have burned with our irresponsible behavior toward our environment.

By: carole bitar on October 3, 2007
at 1:49 pm

The “oystercatcher” article proves to us how concerned ecologists are to protect the environment and natural habitats for the welfare of diverse species. As is written, “Johnson and his colleagues want to know where the oystercatchers spend winter because they want to protect their habitats.” There are many such professionals in the world, working to protect habitats and to save endangered species. Despite all their efforts, more and more habitat is lost and species become increasingly endangered and extinct; we can only imagine what earth would be like today if there were no such determined active scientists working for the well-being of our planet! However, this is not enough; we should all be ecologists in some way and work together to preserve what we have left…

By: Elia Charbel Anis Abboud on October 17, 2007
at 10:35 pm

“Forest fires rage in Lebanon” - The overwhelming carelessness of mankind towards the environment is obvious. 100 hectares of woodland is an absolute huge loss for this small fragile country… The article tells us that “it’s a 95 percent possibility that the fires were caused intentionally by people trying to obtain charcoal as a cheaper substitute for fuel.” We are pushed to wonder if none of this would have happened if fuel was cheaper… But then again these forest fires could have other causes, including one that is very obvious but ignored by many, especially here in Lebanon; passersby throwing their cigarettes on the floor and drivers irresponsibly discarding their lit cigarette out of the car window, neither of both having the minimum logic needed to realize that a lit cigarette can cause a fire.. How much time and energy does it take to simply put out the cigarette before throwing it onto the road or pavement? How much intelligence does it take to understand that a light breeze can carry the cigarette into dry bushes and start a fire? If this is too much to get into their brains, what does it take to understand in the first place that a finished cigarette’s place is in the bin and not any place else? And yet while driving in the mountains and on roads of bushy and forested areas we often witness this foolish act… To prevent such future catastrophes, the government should not only have proper management including controlled burns and ways to quickly contain a fire and quench it, but it should also raise general public awareness.

By: Elia Charbel Anis Abboud on October 17, 2007
at 11:26 pm

it was very chocking to know that only 10% of green areas are left in Lebanon and that there is a great risk of desertification. Moreover, what really chocks that the government have no equipments to manage such incidents and as reported some citizens risked suffocation while trying to stop the fire.Now, the biggest question is: what to do now? the answer would be to plant trees in the burned areas as well cities, to bring new fire-fighting equipments as well as to train those in charge. finally, serious procedures should be taken in order to manage this catastrophy.

By: Rana Daher on October 31, 2007
at 2:13 pm

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