OCEANA inaugurated in Damour

Results and recommendations of the CAMP Lebanon project are becoming reality. As a result of one of the CAMP activities, i.e. Tourism and Sustainable Development, which dealt with alternative or eco-tourism development in the CAMP area, a private firm has developed the Oceana project in co-operation with the Damour municipality, taking into account the proposed recommendations. It is based on a soft construction on the beach in the Damour plain, where simple facilities for tourists will be developed, as well as possibilities to sell local products. At the ceremony several speeches were given, among them by the Minister of Environment, the Damour Mayor, a representative of Mr. K. Annan, a private firm, an NGO, as well as of MAP. Present were about 250 people, and media covered the event very well.
It is for the first time in Damour that this sort of partnership was developed, and it is also important for MAP CAMP projects because even before the formal conclusion of this specific project, lots of interest has been shown from various entities to use its results. Very concrete co-operation was experienced also at previous stages of the CAMP Lebanon, when results of activities were used with other Directorates General, such as the one responsible for planning or the one for heritage.
In addition, Sarafand community (one of the three communities involved in CAMP) will prepare its development programme on the basis of CAMP outputs and recommendations. All this shows that CAMP Lebanon has produced a significant influence on the approaches and development in general of the Lebanese coastal areas. Therefore, it is a successfull project we all can wish to be replicated in other countries.
In a very near future it is expected that the CAMP project for Lebanon will be officially concluded by a Final Conference.