After two weeks in Lebanon, ATRAC’s Director Vedran Martinić and associate Anja Pilepić returned to Croatia. The purpose of such trip during these pandemic times was to advise the Lebanese authorities on removing marine pollution, to assess the extent of pollution, to assist national and local authorities in ongoing clean-up operations, and to provide guidelines for waste management. ATRAC has been engaged by REMPEC as one of the six signatories to the agreement on the provision of professional assistance to the Mediterranean countries.
In addition to the four-day field survey that covered the coast from the border with Israel in the south to the city of Byblos in the north, ATRAC also held three meetings at the Ministry of Environment with Minister Damianos Kattar, as well as UNDP representatives. There were additional two meetings in CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) and the UN, and a workshop in the city of Tyre for representatives of the municipalities that were most affected by the pollution.
This mission is of great importance for ATRAC because it is a way of becoming even more visible in the Mediterranean, but it has also brought many new experiences, insights, and conclusions that can be applied at our county and national level.
Source: ATRAC
