On the occasion of Christmas, more than 500 trees were planted in the barren land of the northeastern town of Aarsal, Lebanon.
The Lebanese Army, in cooperation with Al-Mouna Rural Association in Aarsal, planted more than 500 trees, including cedar trees.
According to NNA, the trees were provided by the Nature Conservation Center at the American University of Beirut (AUB NCC) on the occasion of the blessed holidays.
The AUB Nature Conservation Center has identified Aarsal as one of its 26 Important Plant Areas (IPA) in Lebanon that hold a significant diversity of wild plants and fungi.
According to the AUB NCC, Aarsal is threatened by quarries in addition to over-grazing because the region has the largest flock of sheep and goats in the country.
Moreover, the region doesn’t get a high level of rain, which makes it sensitive to climate change.
The effort of planting trees in the Aarsal area can help in the fight against climate change and the mounting risk of desertification and has a plethora of other benefits for the environment, animals, and social well-being.
Earlier this month, AUB NCC posted on its Instagram that “researchers have shown that the Mediterranean is at high risk of desertification because of climate change and human actions. Plants keep that from happening.”