Lebanon Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment - UNEP

WEAPONSsouthern Lebanon’s economy and an estimated90 per cent of the local population depends onagriculture for its livelihood 7 .Cluster bomb sub-munitions recovered fromSouth Lebanonbombs 6 . UNEP agrees with the findings andconclusions of the UN Human Rights Council’sSpecial Rapporteurs (published 2 October 2006),which recognizes the vast number of clusterbombs with a low detonation rate dropped bythe IDF as a major factor impeding the return tonormal life in affected areas.The large number of strikes resulted in afragmentation of the territory, rendering itinaccessible to the local population and affectingsubstantial swathes of land south of the LitaniRiver. Some locations on the northern banks of theLitani, including the villages of Yahmour, Zawtarand Jaouhariye, as well as areas further afield likeNabatiyeh and the southern part of the Jezzinedistrict, were also impacted. While cluster bombsin themselves do not cause direct environmentaldegradation, their principle impact is to deprivelocal communities of access to land and naturalresources. The hills of southern Lebanon constituteone of the four core agricultural areas of Lebanon,accounting for an estimated 30 per cent of thecountry’s agricultural output. The principle cropscultivated are olive, tobacco, grape and citrus fruit.Moreover, agriculture makes up 70 per cent ofUNEP’s analysis of cluster bomb strike locationsshows that agricultural land was hardest hit,accounting for 62 per cent of the total clusterbomb-contaminated area (table 33). Of theagricultural areas affected, nearly one quarter ismonoculture olive groves and an additional 15per cent are fields of olive trees mixed with othercrops. Urban/artificial areas were the secondmain impacted land use category (13.4 per cent),followed closely by woodlands (12.6 per cent) andgrasslands (11 per cent). The calculation of theimpacted area was derived using an automatedGIS application model defining a 100 m radiusbuffer around each strike location.The most immediate effect on the agricultural sectorwas the loss of a major part of the 2006 harvest. Theolive harvest season, which normally takes place inOctober and November, was particularly affected, asmany farmers were unable to pick their crop due tothe evident risks posed by cluster bombs. Valuablepasture lands have also been rendered out of bounds,most likely leading to overgrazing in accessible areasand consequent habitat degradation. Indeed, the landscarcity resulting from cluster bomb contaminationhas the potential to generate a new socio-economicdynamic and set in train a cycle of poverty andenvironmental degradation. Faced with growinglivelihood pressures, the local population is morelikely to resort to unsustainable practices and intensifyexploitation of a diminished land base to meet shorttermneeds. One such reported practice is farmerssetting shrubs and bushes afire with the hope thatthis would set off the cluster bombs. Incineration andremoval of the vegetation cover, however, could alsolead to obvious problems of soil and gully erosion.Table 33.Cluster bomb-affected areas in relation to land useLand use class Hectares affected Percentage of total cluster bombs affected areasWoodlands 405 12.6Grasslands 364 11.3Unproductive land (bare rock) 6.5 0.2Agricultural land 2,007 62.4Artificial land (mainly urban) 431 13.4Water bodies 1.2 0.04Total 3,215 100Source: UNMACC – October 2006• United Nations Environment Programme • United Nations Environment Programme • United Nations Environment Programme •155