Biodiversity conservation and the preservation of Lebanon’s natural flora and traditional crop resources is of critical importance to AREC at a time when the abandonment of traditional agriculture and the destruction of habitats is further aggravated by climate change.
Ibsar, which stands for vision in Arabic, is an interfaculty Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures at AUB. Ibsar works with AREC towards the goal of achieving biodiversity conservation in Lebanon. In 2005, Ibsar initiated cultivation trials on Lebanese medicinal and aromatic plants and has started testing the effects of plant extracts from native species on human health. Today the center has identified several biologically active molecules against cancer and inflammation and is undergoing studies with AREC to determine the effect of cultivation of efficacy of targeted plants.
In 2007, Ibsar launched a native tree and plant nursery project at AREC as a main component of the “Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow” campaign, which aims to plant 50,000 native Lebanese trees and shrubs in towns and villages by 2010. Ibsar also leads biodiversity conservation trainings at AREC and plans to develop a series of demonstrations and workshops to train communities on the creation of their own native tree nurseries. Other important ongoing Ibsar-led projects at AREC include research on the cultivation of native wild plants for ornamental purposes. Together, AREC and IBSAR will continue working towards the preservation of native resources in Lebanon.
Link to IBSAR
Conservation of plant genetic resources in Lebanon is important as genetic diversity of crop plants is one of Lebanon’s most precious resources. However, for more than a century, newly bred or introduced, better yielding varieties have been replacing old varieties. In order to prevent their extinction, AUB pioneered in establishing the first and the only seed bank in Lebanon.
More than 1,200 seed samples of cereal, legume, and their wild relatives, previously collected in Lebanon, were received by the end of June 2004 from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) seed bank. Facilities include a laboratory, a cold room for short-to-medium term storage (kept at a constant 0°c) and a freezer for long-term storage (at -20°c). The rooms, about 18 m² each, are specially designed for safe storage with two compressors for each room.
At the moment, the laboratory is equipped with an incubator, oven, vacuum seed-package sealer, seed sample divider, seed moisture meter, precision electronic balance, bath shaker, autoclave and a mini-thresher. Seed bank activities are performed by employees in the crop production and protection division.
- Landscape Design and Eco-system Management (LDEM)and Tissue Culture Facility
AREC is working closely with Ibsar and the Department of Landscape Design and Eco-system Management to promote the use of native flora for ornamental potentials. A tissue culture facility will be established at AREC to optimize protocols for the micropropagation of targeted species and their subsequent cultivation in greenhouses and in the field. The collaboration will also seek to transfer this technology to rural communities, especially women.
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