Project partner/Funding Agency: UNDP
Principal Faculty Investigator: Salma N. Talhouk
MSc Student Investigator: Mireille Andre Akl
Summary
The objective of this project supported by UNDP allowed the sponsorship of an MSc. student registered at AUB and who conducted a study as part of larger national project Agrobiodiversity Project Area-Baalbak Casa. For this purpose objectives were set to assess indigenous knowledge related to potential uses of wild species, determine the potential nutritive value of selected wild species and characterize the floristic richness of the project area associated with them. A questionnaire addressed to the local populations indicated that there is very little interest in conserving and/or using the current woody genetic resources despite stated past uses of many of the tree species. Chemical analyses including sugar and acid content and vitamins A (retinol), E (α-Tocopherol), B1,B2, and C did not reveal unique properties that would render any of the species desirable for marketing purposes. The conclusion from the assessment in this study suggested that there is a need to integrate in situ conservation of wild fruit trees in the context of reforestation and biodiversity conservation since these trees is associated with a flora containing a large percentage of different families. In addition, there is a need to categorize the remaining flora of the study area to assess their conservation status and potential uses.