Naqoura, south Lebanon - A project to establish a green zone for recreational and economic benefits in the village of Sh'huur in south Lebanon was inaugurated today by H.E. the Ambassador of Australia, Ms Jean Dunn, in a ceremony attended by officials of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as well as local authorities.

UNIFIL Civil Affairs department is providing support and coordinating the re-forestation project funded by the Embassy of Australia that aims to plant a total of 2,300 various kinds of trees, including walnuts, olives and pine, over the next three months. The first tree of this project was planted today.

The trees will be planted in several locations in the municipality, including along the five-kilometre stretch of the Litani River, in recreational areas and picnic sites, on the nearby de-forested hills and along the roads in the village.

The project at Sh'huur is part of UNIFIL's efforts to raise environmental awareness in its area of operations in southern Lebanon as well as to make the area environmentally friendly with long-lasting impact on development through providing residents with green space for recreational benefits, fruit products, increasing biodiversity of the nearby farming land and indirectly supporting beekeepers in the area.

Other recent initiatives include the re-forestation projects undertaken at Khiam (5,000 trees) with Malaysian funding and at Rachaya al-Foukhar (3,000 trees) that was funded by UNIFIL.

Greening of the area around Sh'huur is being spearheaded by the "Green Sh'huur" Committee constituted by citizens of the municipality, including the Mayor, with the ultimate objective of planting 10,452 trees, symbolizing the total surface area of Lebanon (10,452 square kilometres). As part of this initiative, the Committee has already planted 4,000 trees in the area.