April 28, 2011 01:53 AM (Last updated: April 28, 2011 09:28 AM) By Maher Zeineddine CHOUF: Environmental professionals and activists are outraged over photos showing dozens of dead storks, which were put on Facebook by an amateur hunter who killed the birds in north Lebanon. Environmental organizations and institutions condemned the killing as a crime […]

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AMMAN (JT) – Sapling production in nurseries dropped by around 30 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Department of Statistics (DoS). The results neither provided the reasons for the decline nor the expected effects. The number of fruit-bearing saplings went down from 2.9 million […]

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28-04-2011 access the news item here and the press release. Two feasibility studies are currently being prepared in Lebanon and Tunisia, while another three potential investment projects are finalising the pre-feasibility study stage in Egypt, under the Horizon 2020 initiative for de-pollution of the Mediterranean by 2020. At the same time, there is ongoing dialogue in […]

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About 1.5 million chicken carcasses were buried in the country’s north following an epidemic, including a large portion found in locations that risk contaminating ground water. By Zafrir Rinat Hundreds of thousands of chicken carcasses were concealed for months alongside chicken coops in northern Israel, creating an environmental hazard and endangering the water supply, according […]

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BEIRUT: Despite the government’s recent closure of a sand quarry in the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve, the site remains under pressure from individiuals who were profiting from the quarry activities, according to an association involved in protecting the site. The Jabal Moussa site was declared a protected forest by the Agriculture Ministry in 2008 and […]

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For around a decade now, illegal trade in ancient olive trees – including uprooting, stealing and smuggling them from the West Bank into Israel – has reportedly been flourishing. Haaretz Editorial The immoral wealthy have a new and tasteless toy: ancient olive trees adorning the gardens of their villas. According to an investigative report by […]

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A few months ago, Italy took the laudable decision of getting rid of plastic bags. This southern European country used to consume about one-fifth of the plastic bags on the continent, so the move must have been more than welcome. It aimed mainly at protecting the fragile environment, knowing that scientists warn that polyethylene bags […]

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By Hana Namrouqa DANA BIOSPHERE RESERVE – Reconstruction work on Dana Village, a gateway to the Dana Biosphere Reserve, is currently under way to transform the abandoned village into an eco-tourism destination, according to conservationists. Crumbling houses built decades ago in the village, which sits on a cliff overlooking one of the Kingdom’s most scenic […]

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By Hana Namrouqa DANA BIOSPHERE RESERVE – Visitors to Dana Biosphere Reserve can now enjoy a cup of Dana’s famous herbal tea and watch cultural entrainment under the Kingdom’s first bedouin tent lit by solar energy. The clean and environment-friendly energy source has replaced traditional kerosene and gas lanterns at the reserve’s Rummana campsite after […]

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By Olivia Alabaster BEIRUT: In a country with a lack of discernible environmental policy, only a handful of recycling points across the capital, and landfills overflowing onto public beaches, Reversed Garbage has found an innovative way to turn trash into something useful, and beautiful. Chafic Abi Abdallah had been working in hospitality management for eight […]

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Plans to eliminate parking spots on Bloch Street in Tel Aviv in order to make room for new bicycle lanes have local residents up in arms. It’s all about turning this into a city for the rich, they argue. By Ilan Lior Tel Aviv residents are accustomed to wasting time every night searching for parking […]

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A group of engineering students and professors have developed an algorithm that can predict the pace and timing of bike borrowing and returns in Tel Aviv. By Lital Levin While visiting Paris a few years ago, Iris Forma rented a bicycle from the Parisian municipality, run under the same system that will soon launch in […]

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Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) Workshop June 19-24, 2011 ShareThis Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian water practitioners are invited to apply for the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) workshop from June 19-24, 2011 on Kibbutz Ketura, Israel. WEAP is useful microcomputer tool for integrated water resources management that goes a step beyond conventional supply-oriented water simulation […]

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On April 12, under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal, a GRAND OPENING ceremony was held for the Sharhabil Bin Hassneh EcoPark in Jordan. More than six years ago, FoEME began with the development of 100 dunams for an EcoPark, fencing off the area to regulate overgrazing that had contributed to the degredation […]

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TEHRAN (AFP) – Iranians are worried by crippling air pollution as “unprecedented” sandstorms mostly originating from neighbouring Iraq hit 20 provinces, forcing the shutdown of schools and government offices. The blinding sandstorms hit western, central and southern provinces on Wednesday due to winds blowing at high speed, considerably reducing visibility to as low as 50 […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is involving hunters in its efforts to preserve wildlife, particularly globally threatened birds, conservationists said on Thursday. With over 4,000 registered hunters in Jordan, conservationists believe raising their awareness of globally threatened species and the importance of abiding by hunting regulations […]

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By Simona Sikimic BEIRUT: Environmental degradation and climate change are harming economic growth and social development in Lebanon, audiences heard Thursday. The warning was made by several regional climate experts gathered in Beirut for the first MEDGREEN conference, which has brought together over 160 delegates from 20 countries to evaluate the “Impact of Integrated Clean […]

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By Kamal Taha Agence France-Presse AMMAN – Following the nuclear disaster in Japan, experts in Jordan want their energy-poor country to drop its ambitious plans to generate atomic power, despite reassurances by the Kingdom’s nuclear regulator. “The project lacks environmental assessment and feasibility studies,” environment ministry adviser Rauf Dabbas told AFP. “We do not know […]

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By Ian Goldin AMMAN – The low price of water is the main factor preventing water conservation in rural Jordan, according to a report issued by the International Water Association (IWA). In contrast, higher prices would provide economic incentives for farmers to be more water efficient and the conserved water could help supply the rising […]

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Fund chaired by former U.S. vice-president and Nobel prize recipient Al Gore increases to $40 million the investments raised by green technology company Tigo. By Haaretz Service A fund chaired by former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore is investing $10 million in an Israeli solar energy company, Army Radio reported Wednesday. The green technology company Gore’s […]

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