American University of Beirut
Source: https://www.aub.edu.lb/natureconservation/Pages/AboutUs.aspx Parent: https://www.aub.edu.lb/natureconservation/Pages/default.aspx
ABOUT US
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The AUB - Nature Conservation Center (AUB-NCC), is a transdisciplinary academic research center, operating under the Office of the Provost at AUB, and currently under the directorship of Dr. Yaser Abunnasr. \
In 2002, AUB faculty from different departments gathered together under the initiative of Dr. Salma N. Talhouk, to create a hub for nature conservation efforts and awareness on campus. Hence, the Initiative for Biodiversity Studies in Arid Regions (IBSAR) was born. After its tenth anniversary, the Center had expanded its activities so much that it changed its name to the current NCC - the Nature Conservation Center.
After two decades of hard work, research, grants, student volunteering, and development with the guidance and support of its Advisory Board and Executive Committee, the Center continues to work as hard as it can to accomplish its mission. It hopes to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and enhance the well-being of people and nature. To make all this possible, it strives to provide an open, innovative, and collaborative platform based on research, education, community outreach, and knowledge dissemination.\
Our society is an area of surprising biological diversity where fertile lands, semi-arid, and arid regions coexist. While almost every university in the West has its own biodiversity center, the AUB- Nature Conservation Center is unique in the region as it is the only academic center that collects, identifies, and catalogs species, creates databases, and cultivates and researches the nutritional, medicinal, and traditional applications of endemic species in the region. AUB-NCC hopes to continue its work and eventually fulfill its vision of establishing the center as a recognized reference center for the study and sustainable use of dryland biodiversity.
Ultimately, the foremost priority for NCC is to raise awareness on different ecological issues relevant to the area and to provide opportunities for individuals and groups to be exposed to different opportunities to learn about the environment and take an active part in its conservation and development.\