The project "Improving Land Degradation Monitoring in Lebanon and Syria" is addressed to improve Lebanese and Syrian national capacities of relying on advanced tools for environmental management and planning of coastal zones, according to the principles of sustainable development.

The project main objective is to provide a clear reference framework for approaching the issue of land resources depletion in coastal areas and for implementing sound conservation and sustainable development measures.

In this context, project activities are directly carried out by Lebanese and Syrian national teams, in close cooperation and with the support of the MAP/UNEP Centres through the implementation of a capacity building programme relevant to both technical and management aspects so that also concerned authorities from the two Countries are properly and directly involved in the activities development and in the support system building-up, according to a concept of "learning by doing".

The abovementioned objective will be achieved through: 

• Improvement of the environmental knowledge in Lebanon and Syria (mainly relying on the activities: Reconnaissance Survey, Detailed Analysis, GIS) which, in terms of concrete results, allows:
  
  - the characterisation of the study-area;
  - the production of thematic maps (overall erosion risk map, detailed erosion map)
  - the design and implementation of a properly-populated GIS (field data storage, processing and analysing)
  - the assessment and monitoring of degradation causes
  - the identification of priority areas
  
  

• Outline of national coastal areas degradation control/management plan(s) (mainly through the activity: Strategy and Recommendations) which, in terms of concrete results, allows:
  
  - the analysis of existing strategy and techniques and justification for the selected ones
  - the recommendations for the procedures of formulation and adoption of respective national coastal areas degradation control management plans (draft management plans)
  - the recommendations for the establishment and functioning of a system for monitoring the effects of the implementation of the suggested management plans
  
  

• National Capacity Building (mainly through the activity: Public Participation Programme) which, in terms of concrete results, allows:
  
  - the adoption of the action plan for the PPP
  - the production of reports at Country level
  - the arrangement of seminars addressed to stakeholders at local and national level
  - the arrangement of Evaluation Workshops of project interim and final results