Saving the forest from the war. In Aandeqet was inaugurated a Forest Center. Located in one of the major forests of Lebanon, is the only institution of its kind in the north and its aim it to mobilize all the players involved in fire fighting and forest conservation in the surrounding areas.

The center will promote conservation and sustainable use / integrated forest management in the north. The forests are an important in activities such as tourism and agro-forestry for rural communities adjacent to the Akkar.

The environmental issues in Lebanon is crucial after the severe damages caused during the war with Israel. According to a report released by Afdc in collaboration with the Society for Austro Arab relations, in the souththe bombings have affected about 94.6 percent of the vegetation and the area, damaging around 700 hectares of forests. The original vegetation, an indispensable resource for local people, consisted in 60 percent of mixed forests, 37 of oak forests and the three per cent of pine forests. The damage was estimated $ 140 million. More than one million unexploded bombs still remain in the forest: these devices have an average life between 25 and 30 years, and every activity in the forests is dangerous. The bombing also hit large areas of cropland and many farmers had to abandon their crops.

The center is part of a wider program agreed by WWF and Afdc (Association for Forests, Development and Conservation), and funded by the Italian government, aimed to the recovery of 50 hectares of damaged forests, forest rangers and Civil Defence formation, with the involvement of the local population in environmental issues and a correct approach to fire and the destruction of forests.

The initiative is funded by the Italian Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGDC) under the Foreign Ministry's emergency program with Ross 449 thousand Euro and c