On September 24, 2022, the Faculty of Science (FS) of Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), represented by rector Prof. Salim Daccache s.j., and the Union of Municipalities of Jezzine (UMJ), represented by president Khalil Harfouche, signed a cooperation agreement for biodiversity studies in the Jezzine region.

The treaty aims to describe the rules of collaboration created between the USJ Faculty of Science and the UMJ to create a regional nature park by establishing an inventory of natural wealth in the Jezzine region. Indeed, the law on protected areas, which was passed in Lebanon in April 2019, allows for the development of an action plan for the future park.

The collaboration intends to supply the UMJ with the necessary studies and papers to gradually compile a corpus of data on heritage aspects (fauna, plants, springs, rivers, cultures, ecosystems, landscape, constructed heritage, etc.). The FS students and teachers will be housed on the UMJ campus in Jezzine, which will provide them with the necessary logistical support. FS has committed to conducting the necessary investigations under the Charter of Sustainable Territory and to making the findings available to the UMJ.

It should be noted that the UMJ requested the implementation of its Strategic Development Plan through the Charter of Sustainable Territory, which was signed by all of the Union’s mayors on June 23, 2018. Following that, an agreement was signed between the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, the Verdon Regional Nature Park, and the UMJ to ratify the shared desire to work toward the construction and structuring of a Park on the UMJ’s lands.

Mr. Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and President of Régions de France, symbolically signed the agreement again between the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, the Verdon Regional Nature Park, and the UMJ during his visit to Jezzine on September 24, 2022.

Read more: Convention de coopération pour des études de biodiversité dans la région de Jezzine