Tour guides host hike to promote Chouf Nature Reserve
September 8, 2008
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CHOUF: The Chouf Cedars Association organized a tour inside the Chouf Nature Reserve on Sunday to promote rural development and ecotourism in the region. Under the sponsorship of Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt, more than 100 tour guides took part in the three-hour hike near the Chouf village of Baatharan. The trip also included the inauguration of a public library and of a shop that sells local products as well as traditional Lebanese foods in Baatharan, which is at the heart of the Chouf Nature Reserve.
Baatharan Mayor Ziad Baz thanked Jumblatt for helping in the establishment of a manmade lake at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level in the Chouf reserve.
The lake can contain up to 90,000 cubic meters of water, storing rain throughout the winter season to allow for agricultural irrigation, firefighting and the preservation of the region’s fauna and flora during the dry summer months.
“Investment in the agricultural sector will create more opportunities for farmers and is widely believed to be the best means to support rural development and production diminishing rates of emigration,” added Baz.
Jumblatt, who heads the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), also helped in providing the necessary funds to build a social and cultural center for the village.
Also, during the Sunday hike, a large rock, where the name of the village of Baatharan is inscribed, was inaugurated.
Speaking on behalf of Jumblatl, PSP official Radwan Nasr urged people to preserve nature by caring for the environment.
“Preserving the environment is deeply rooted in our traditions and culture,” he said.
Nasr also encouraged the launching of new projects seeking to fight deforestation, adding that “we should not only avoid forest fires but take action to support firefighting.”
Concluding the tour, participants signed a petition demanding that the Chouf reserve be preserved.
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