Biodiversity in Crisis is an initiative led by the Nature Conservation Center (NCC) at the American University of Beirut to document, analyze, and communicate the environmental impacts of war on Lebanon’s ecosystems, biodiversity, and communities. The initiative seeks to ensure that environmental destruction during times of war is recognized, documented, and integrated into discussions on recovery, reconstruction, and environmental justice.
As conflict escalates across Lebanon, forests burn, valleys are bulldozed, agricultural lands are damaged, and irreplaceable ecosystems are altered or lost. While the human and economic costs of war are often visible and widely reported, environmental impacts frequently remain overlooked despite their long-term consequences. Damaged habitats, degraded soils, fragmented landscapes, and disrupted ecological processes can persist for decades after hostilities end, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem services, and community well-being long into the future.
In response, Biodiversity in Crisis aims to establish a publicly accessible, scientifically grounded record of conflict-related environmental change in Lebanon. The initiative combines ecological research, geospatial analysis, and community-based documentation to generate evidence that can support future restoration efforts, inform policy and planning, and contribute to broader conversations around accountability and environmental recovery.
At the heart of the initiative is an interdisciplinary approach that integrates scientific data with local knowledge and lived experiences. Through the acquisition and analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery, NCC monitors changes to forests, agricultural lands, freshwater systems, coastal ecosystems, protected areas, and key biodiversity areas. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to identify and quantify impacts resulting from fires, bulldozing, military activities, habitat fragmentation, and other conflict-related disturbances. This work is complemented by desk reviews, environmental datasets, field observations where feasible, and the systematic collection of information from multiple sources.
Recognizing that environmental loss is not only ecological but also social and cultural, the initiative places communities at the center of the documentation process. Through workshops, interviews, and engagement activities with displaced and affected communities, Biodiversity in Crisis will record oral histories, traditional ecological knowledge, photographs, personal testimonies, and visual narratives that capture how landscapes have changed over time. These perspectives provide essential context to scientific analyses while preserving collective memory and local environmental knowledge.
Beyond documentation and analysis, Biodiversity in Crisis seeks to foster greater public awareness of the environmental dimensions of war. Through visual storytelling, social media campaigns, species profiles, case studies, educational materials, and public outreach, the initiative translates scientific findings into accessible narratives that highlight the connections between nature, people, and recovery.
The information generated through the initiative contributes to the development of an interactive public platform that brings together environmental data, biodiversity baselines, conflict-related impacts, and community narratives. By integrating these layers into a single accessible resource, the platform serves as a living archive of environmental change and a valuable tool for researchers, conservation practitioners, policymakers, journalists, civil society organizations, and local communities.
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