Sets the legal foundation for the management of protected forests.
2 out of 28 articles directly related to forest fires management. Some articles
indirectly related to forest fires.They fall under 3 categories:
Establishes a comprehensive Risk Management Framework for forest fire management known as the 5Rs and identifies the relevant stakeholders for each key dimension.
Sets the legal foundation for the management of all types of forests
and regulates forest related activities. 18 out of 151 articles with direct
relation to forest fires management. These fall under 4 categories:
Preventionand
pre-suppression
Accountability
Response
Recovery,post-fire
management & rehabilitation
5
Riskmodification
2
Response
4
Readinessand
pre-suppression
3
Research,informationand analysis
12. Ministries of: Agriculture, Environment, Interior and Municipalities, National Defense. Fire Brigade Internal Security Forces, NGOs, CBOs, Municipalities, Research Institutions, Operations room (Civil Defense), Weather Stations (D.G.C.A., LARI…)
3. Ministries of: Agriculture, Environment, Interior and Municipalities, Education, Justice, Social Affairs, Finance.Internal Security Forces, CDR, Municipalities NGOs, CBOs, Media, Private sector, Religious Land Committees (waqf), Political Parties
4. Ministries of: Agriculture, Interior and Municipalities, National Defense, Justice.NGOs, CBOs Municipalities, Private Sector
5. Ministries of: Agriculture, Environment, Interior and Municipalities, Public Work, National Defense.Weather Stations (D.G.C.A., LARI…), NGOs, CBOs, Municipalities, Private Sector
LEBANON'S NATIONAL STRATEGYFOR FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT
The 2007 fires that impacted Lebanon and the region and wiped out large forested areas highlighted the ineffectiveness of authorities and communities in responding to such disasters. This gave rise to Lebanon’s National Strategy for Forest Fire Management.
320Ignited Fires
4661Hectares Burned
156Ignited Fires
1852Hectares Burned
FOREST FIRES IN LEBANON: A RECURRING DISASTER (OCTOBER 2019)
Dense forests left unmanagedfor many years - neglect
Failure to act on information providedby existing monitoring systems on daily firerisk in various regions of the country
Weak monitoring measures of humanactivities that could cause forest fires
Slow early response
Lack in firefighting personnel
Absence of firefighting material and equipment that are appropriate for non-urban terrain (such as small water trucks)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Lebanon has an Institutional and Legal Framework for Forest Fire Managemnet; however there is an urgent need to implement Lebanon’s National Strategy for Forest Fire Management with priority given to:
Implementing risk modification activities such as forests management, increased ground monitoring during dry season and proper law enforcement
Emphasizing the role of available daily monitoring systems in decision making for prevention, readiness and pre-suppression
Investing in appropriate equipment for use in responding to forest fires
Bridging the gap in legislation by issuing needed decrees and laws to support the implementation of the National Forest Fire Strategy
WHY?Forests fires in Lebanon are entirely attributable to human activities accompanied by neglect.
WHEN?September, October and November witness the highest occurrence of the most severe wildfires.
HOW?High temperatures, low humidity, heatwaves, episodes of strong winds fuel and increase severity of forest fires.
WHY?Increase in the number and severity of forest fires over the past 15 years associated with changing climatic conditions.
Heatwave with both maximum and minimumtemperatures exceeding historical averages for October
Low humidity associated with seasonally atypical easterlywinds causing very dry conditions
Sustained Easterly winds speed exceeding 10 m/s - significantly higher than mean October wind speed in Beirut of 3.0 m/s
2Hourly Temperatures (Red) for Beirut for October 9-16, 2019, in comparison with the 1874-2017 average maximum (Orange) and minimum (Blue) Temperature for Beirut.Data sources: AUB IFI, Meteoblue.
MORE THAN 120 FIRES* ignited simultaneously within a period of two days
FIRE DENSITY (0.16 FIRE/KM2)*is 10 times that of this year’s infamous Amazon fires (0.016 fire/km2)
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGETO PROPERTY*both private and public such as cars, infrastructure, businesses, buildings, etc.
MORE THAN2000 HA OF GREEN WAS BURNED INTHE MECHREF FIRE1 person died of asphyxiation.
