Once considered a bread basket of the Roman Empire, the Beqaa Valley is the most fertile region in Lebanon.

But over-grazing, soil erosion and deforestation have stripped the once-lush mountains of natural tree cover, leaving shepherds and their animals at the mercy of the scorching Middle Eastern sun.

“It is very hot in summer and there is no shade where I can sit, or my flock can graze,” said Hussein Janbayn, a local shepherd who has around 400 goats.

In 2021, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative, worked with local municipalities to launch an innovative pilot project called “Shade for Life” in the villages of Mdoukha and Khirbet Rouha in Rashaya district in the Beqaa Valley.

The aim of the project is to restore the landscapes and ecosystems of semi-arid lands to not only improve and conserve this vital ecosystem but to also help shepherds and their livestock. The project has focused on planting clusters of up to 150 large trees, including oak, fig, and wild almond trees as well as forage species that support water infiltration and sustain long-term grazing.

“The new trees help prevent erosion, bring more water and enhance springs, and they will provide shade for us and our flock,” said Hassan Mahmoud Moussa, a shepherd from the region.

Raising livestock on the mountain ranges of the Beqaa Valley is a way of life that goes back to biblical times. It symbolizes the attachment of shepherds and locals to their land and culture.

Animal husbandry is also a vital economic sector in Lebanon, where herders sell everything from meat to goat cheese. But this millennia-old practice has faced many challenges in recent years, including land degradation, loss of biodiversity and vulnerability to climate change.

The Shade for Life project

The Shade for Life project is funded under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration led by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to halt the degradation of ecosystems and enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity.

The forage species or edible plants that are ideal feed for livestock were planted in the clusters using the seedball method in which a variety of local seeds are packed in clods of soil and are sown by scattering them on the ground.  

During germination, the seedball itself contains nutritious minerals or humus, that is dark organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays, which helps the seeds germinate. For example, humus contains important nutrients needed for plant growth, including nitrogen. Humus also gives the soil the necessary structure and a crumbly and loose texture so oxygen can get in and reach the plant roots.

Through planting native tree species and better management of the land,  investing incapacity building and raising awareness of the dangers of over-grazing, grazing best practices such as rotational grazing, which is vital for healthy rangelands, the restoration project is starting to bear fruit.

One of the unique features of this project is that it does not hinder the productivity of the shepherds. Even during the planning phase, grazing areas remained accessible to herds, with 25-50 square meter patches planted, irrigated, and maintained by the shepherds themselves.

Shepherds played a key role in the envisioning, planning and successful implementation of this project. They participated in choosing the location of the trees and recommended native tree species such as wild fig, willow and poplar trees that would provide benefits from shade or fruit.

“This project adopted a participatory approach that engaged the shepherds, the local authorities and civil society organizations,” said Sami Dimassi, UNEP Representative and Regional Director for West Asia. “It not only brought shade back and restored pasture, but it also built the capacity of local communities and shepherds, engaging them to preserve the restored ecosystem.”  

Hassan Mahmoud Moussa, a local shepherd who keeps over 300 goats, sees the benefits of this project in stark economic terms. “Better pastures will result in more milk, which means more sales, which means more income for my family,” he said.

Like in many parts of the world, Lebanon’s grasslands have been hard hit by increasing temperatures, reduced rainfall and drought that are caused or exacerbated by climate change.

More than 50 per cent of Earth’s dry land is covered by grass, shrubs or sparse, hardy vegetation that is vital to millions of livestock herders and ranchers. These landscapes also store large amounts of planet-warming carbon.

Most efforts to counter climate change, however, focus on tropical forests and often overlook rangelands. But unlike forests, grasslands sequester most of their carbon underground, making them a highly effective carbon sink. And due to their prevalence around the globe, their carbon sequestration potential is too large to ignore. 

In December 2022, countries agreed to a transformative deal for nature. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for mitigation and adaptation to climate impacts through nature-based solutions, which is an effective climate mitigation tool that can drastically reduce deforestation and loss of biodiversity while helping local economies.

The Global Biodiversity Framework

The planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature. One million species are threatened with extinction, soils are turning infertile, and water sources are drying up. The Global Biodiversity Framework – adopted by world leaders in December 2022 – sets out to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. To address the drivers of the nature crisis, UNEP is working with partners to: take action in land- and seascapes, transform our food systems, and close the finance gap for nature.

About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems, and restore them to achieve global goals. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade and it is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future. Over 100 organizations – ranging from global institutions to restoration implementers on the ground – have since joined the effort. That will include building political momentum for restoration as well as thousands of initiatives on the ground.

This post blog was originally published by UNEP.