Latest news with #EU-funded
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Euronews
How Atlantic islands are proving tourism can help the ocean
Summer is the peak season for seaside holidays across Europe, but this year the celebrations are mixed with protests. From Barcelona to Venice, locals are taking to the streets, demanding limits on mass tourism that they say is destroying coastal environments and erasing historical heritage. But on Faial, one of the Azores islands in the middle of the Atlantic, they are taking a different approach. Rather than flooding the island with tourists at all costs, local authorities and professionals of the sector want to foster eco-tourism, attracting visitors who appreciate and respect the natural and cultural heritage of the archipelago. An international group of scientists, working in the EU-funded ecoRoute project, is preparing coastal sites that can be made accessible to snorkellers and scuba divers whilst promoting underwater heritage and preserving these sites for the future. Underwater heritage as eco-tourism magnet Until recently, sites like these were largely ignored. "Often, such archaeological sites aren't treated as heritage — they're just seen as wrecks. People don't know about them," explains José Bettencourt, an archaeologist from Universidade NOVA de Lisboa working on the ecoRoute project. The project receives funding from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and focuses on fostering underwater cultural tourism in Europe's outermost regions. Rather than closing the sites to tourists, it is turning them into sustainable attractions that educate visitors about Atlantic maritime history. Ana "Zuga" Besugo, a marine biologist and nature guide, sees the appeal for her customers. "These are people who want to learn about the island's history and nature," she says. "So I think it's really valuable for us to share this message with our visitors." Whale watching: when science meets tourism A thousand kilometres south in Tenerife, the Canary Islands are tackling a similar challenge. These waters host a third of all whale and dolphin species on Earth, making whale-watching tours big business. But marine biologist Misael Morales Vargas has chosen to keep his company's environmental footprint minimal. Unlike large commercial vessels, Morales's company Biosean uses quiet inflatable boats that do not disturb the animals. With just a small group aboard, everyone can hear his detailed explanations. The real magic happens when he deploys a hydrophone—an underwater microphone that lets tourists hear whale clicks and whistles as they happen. 'There is an environmental emergency, and we need to create opportunities like this that can change mentality of people that can then see nature as part of us, not as something isolated', Morales Vargas explains. This approach is part of the TWINNEDbySTARS project, another EU-funded initiative transforming seaside holidays from noisy attractions into meaningful experiences. "We really appreciate the focus on sustainability and how the animals are treated here. It's much nicer than the kind of mass tourism you see elsewhere," notes one visitor. Back in Faial in the Azores, whale-watching company Naturalist — Science & Tourism, taking part in the same project, has made scientific research part of their daily tours. Certified marine biologists aboard record every wildlife encounter and collect samples such as whale skin particles, and this data goes to research institutes. "We want to be models, to try to create products that also other companies can use to potentiate these links between science and tourism," explains Naturalist's marine biologist Gisela Dionísio. This collaboration cuts field study costs whilst giving tourists a front-row seat to real marine science. The bigger picture The sea-friendly tourism movement comes at a crucial time. Coastal tourism represents the biggest sector in Europe's blue economy, accounting for more than half its jobs and over 200 billion euros in revenue. "Here we have a great opportunity to look at what has happened in other parts of the world and try not to repeat the same mistakes," says Gilberto Carreira, Director of Biodiversity Services and Marine Policy for the Azores. "Everyone recognises the need to develop tourism in a sustainable way." The Azores have already protected 30% of their waters, and projects like ecoRoute and TWINNEDbySTARS are helping maintain this protection whilst building a thriving tourism industry. Even beach tourism is evolving. As marine researcher Carla Dâmaso points out, "We are facing climate change, pollution, and even mass extinction events. But right now, it's still possible for us to change our behaviour and, in some way, help make things better." Sometimes the solution is as simple as tourists picking up litter as they walk along the beach. These small actions, multiplied across thousands of visitors, can keep coasts beautiful and marine life safe. Across the globe, poorly managed seaside tourism continues to pollute coasts and threaten marine life. But the Atlantic islands are proving there's another way—one where we can enjoy the ocean whilst keeping it safe for future generations.
National News
6 days ago
- Politics
- National News
New €12.5M project to support the Lebanese Armed Forces
NNA - The European Union announced a new €12.5 million project to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in leading recovery efforts, enhancing security and helping communities in Southern Lebanon rebuild. The project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The official launch ceremony, held at the LAF Headquarters in Yarzeh, was attended by LAF Commander General Rodolph Haykal, EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ms. Sandra De Waele, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon Ms. Blerta Aliko, and representatives from UNSCOL. This EU-funded project responds to the ongoing impact of the 13-month war, which continues to claim lives and damage infrastructure and public services across the country. It will help the Lebanese Armed Forces support communities in Southern Lebanon to recover and rebuild. This includes clearing rubble and unexploded ordnance, repairing critical infrastructure—such as water networks and public health centres—and strengthening cooperation with local communities. In his remarks, Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal stated, that "this project represents a critical milestone for the military institution, which bears immense responsibilities at the national level. The army continues to exert tremendous efforts to uphold the authority of the state across all Lebanese territory, implement international resolutions—particularly Resolution 1701—and safeguard the country's security and monitor its borders." "The project strengthens the army's capacity and sustainability, contributing directly to Lebanon's security and stability and to the safety of its people," General Haykal added. EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele said, "This project – along with our longstanding partnership with Lebanese security institutions – reflects the European Union's unwavering commitment to Lebanon and to promoting peace and stability across the country. Together with EU Member States, we are providing over $600 million in support to conflict-affected areas in Lebanon, underscoring this commitment. These efforts complement our diplomatic work to push for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and for all parties to abide by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement." "We at UNDP will continue to support LAF and local communities—because stability is the foundation upon which lasting peace, recovery, and inclusive development must be built," said Blerta Aliko, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon. This project is part of the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2025 by the Ministry of National Defense, UNDP, and UNSCOL, to coordinate international assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces. ------------
Japan Today
6 days ago
- Science
- Japan Today
From Antarctica to Brussels, hunting climate clues in old ice
By Umberto BACCHI In a small, refrigerated room at a Brussels university, parka-wearing scientists chop up Antarctic ice cores tens of thousands of years old in search of clues to our planet's changing climate. Trapped inside the cylindrical icicles are tiny air bubbles that can provide a snapshot of what the earth's atmosphere looked like back then. "We want to know a lot about the climates of the past because we can use it as an analogy for what can happen in the future," said Harry Zekollari, a glaciologist at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Zekollari was part of a team of four that headed to the white continent in November on a mission to find some of the world's oldest ice -- without breaking the bank. Ice dating back millions of years can be found deep inside Antarctica, close to the South Pole, buried under kilometers of fresher ice and snow. But that's hard to reach and expeditions to drill it out are expensive. A recent EU-funded mission that brought back some 1.2-million-year-old samples came with a total price tag of around 11 million euros (around $12.8 million). To cut costs, the team from VUB and the nearby Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) used satellite data and other clues to find areas where ancient ice might be more accessible. Just like the water it is made of, ice flows towards the coast -- albeit slowly, explained Maaike Izeboud, a remote sensing specialist at VUB. And when the flow hits an obstacle, say a ridge or mountain, bottom layers can be pushed up closer to the surface. In a few rare spots, weather conditions like heavy winds prevent the formation of snow cover -- leaving thick layers of ice exposed. Named after their colouration, which contrasts with the whiteness of the rest of the continent, these account for only about one percent of Antarctica territory. "Blue ice areas are very special," said Izeboud. Her team zeroed in on a blue ice stretch lying about 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) above sea level, around 60 kilometers from Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station. Some old meteorites had been previously found there -- a hint that the surrounding ice is also old, the researchers explained. A container camp was set up and after a few weeks of measurements, drilling, and frozen meals, in January the team came back with 15 ice cores totaling about 60 meters in length. These were then shipped from South Africa to Belgium, where they arrived in late June. Inside a stocky cement ULB building in the Belgian capital, they are now being cut into smaller pieces to then be shipped to specialized labs in France and China for dating. Zekollari said the team hopes some of the samples, which were taken at shallow depths of about 10 meters, will be confirmed to be about 100,000 years old. Climate 'treasure hunt' This would allow them to go back and dig a few hundred meters deeper in the same spot for the big prize. "It's like a treasure hunt," Zekollari, 36, said, comparing their work to drawing a map for "Indiana Jones". "We're trying to cross the good spot on the map... and in one and a half years, we'll go back and we'll drill there," he said. "We're dreaming a bit, but we hope to get maybe three, four, five-million-year-old ice." Such ice could provide crucial input to climatologists studying the effects of global warming. Climate projections and models are calibrated using existing data on past temperatures and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere -- but the puzzle has some missing pieces. By the end of the century temperatures could reach levels similar to those the planet last experienced between 2.6 and 3.3 million years ago, said Etienne Legrain, 29, a paleo-climatologist at ULB. But currently there is little data on what CO2 levels were back then -- a key metric to understand how much further warming we could expect. "We don't know the link between CO2 concentration and temperature in a climate warmer than that of today," Legrain said. His team hopes to find it trapped inside some very old ice. "The air bubbles are the atmosphere of the past," he said. "It's really like magic when you feel it." © 2025 AFP
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
EU announces new €12.5 million project to support the Lebanese Army
The European Union announced "a new €12.5 million project to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in leading recovery efforts, enhancing security and helping communities in southern Lebanon rebuild. The project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)," in a statement Wednesday. The ceremony, held at the Lebanese Army's headquarters in Yarzeh, was attended by army Commander General Rodolph Haykal, EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon Blerta Aliko, and representatives from UNSCOL. "This EU-funded project responds to the ongoing impact of the 13-month war, which continues to claim lives and damage infrastructure and public services across the country," the statement said. The World Bank estimates, in a final report in March, the total cost of damage at $6.8 billion in the regions affected by Israeli bombings, with economic losses amounting to $7.2 billion. These estimates cover the period from Oct. 8, 2023, the date the hostilities began between the two belligerents, to Dec. 20, 2024. "It will help the Lebanese Armed Forces support communities in southern Lebanon to recover and rebuild. This includes clearing rubble and unexploded ordnance, repairing critical infrastructure — such as water networks and public health centres — and strengthening cooperation with local communities," according to the statement. In his remarks, Haykal stated that "this project represents a critical milestone for the military institution, which bears immense responsibilities at the national level. The army continues to exert tremendous efforts to uphold the authority of the state across all Lebanese territory, implement international resolutions—particularly Resolution 1701—and safeguard the country's security and monitor its borders." "The project strengthens the army's capacity and sustainability, contributing directly to Lebanon's security and stability and to the safety of its people,' General Haykal added. "Together with EU Member States, we are providing over $600 million in support to conflict-affected areas in Lebanon, underscoring this commitment. These efforts complement our diplomatic work to push for the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and for all parties to abide by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement," EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele said. Hezbollah and Israel engaged in a devastating war lasting more than 13 months, from October 2023 to November 2024, in the wake of the Gaza conflict. The party emerged significantly weakened by these clashes, which ended with a cease-fire that came into effect on Nov. 27. Despite this truce, the Israeli army continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon and persists in its violations of the agreement by almost daily bombarding the south, and more sporadically the Bekaa and southern suburbs of Beirut. The Lebanese Army has dismantled hundreds of Hezbollah's military infrastructure south of the Litani River, but the party still maintains its weapons north of this line and has so far refused to surrender its arsenal, as demanded by the international community, led by the United States and Israel.
Nahar Net
7 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
EU announces new €12.5M project to support Lebanese Army
by Naharnet Newsdesk 23 July 2025, 18:16 The European Union on Wednesday announced a new €12.5 million project to support the Lebanese Army in "leading recovery efforts, enhancing security and helping communities in Southern Lebanon rebuild." The project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The official launch ceremony, held at the Lebanese Army Headquarters in Yarzeh, was attended by Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal, EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon Blerta Aliko, and representatives from the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon. "This EU-funded project responds to the ongoing impact of the 13-month war, which continues to claim lives and damage infrastructure and public services across the country," an EU Delegation statement said. "It will help the Lebanese Armed Forces support communities in Southern Lebanon to recover and rebuild. This includes clearing rubble and unexploded ordnance, repairing critical infrastructure—such as water networks and public health centers—and strengthening cooperation with local communities," it added. In his remarks, Army Commander Haykal stated that "this project represents a critical milestone for the military institution, which bears immense responsibilities at the national level." "The army continues to exert tremendous efforts to uphold the authority of the state across all Lebanese territory, implement international resolutions —particularly Resolution 1701 —and safeguard the country's security and monitor its borders," he added. " "The project strengthens the army's capacity and sustainability, contributing directly to Lebanon's security and stability and to the safety of its people,' Haykal said. EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele said: 'This project -- along with our longstanding partnership with Lebanese security institutions -- reflects the European Union's unwavering commitment to Lebanon and to promoting peace and stability across the country. Together with EU Member States, we are providing over $600 million in support to conflict-affected areas in Lebanon, underscoring this commitment. These efforts complement our diplomatic work to push for the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and for all parties to abide by the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.' 'We at UNDP will continue to support LAF and local communities—because stability is the foundation upon which lasting peace, recovery, and inclusive development must be built,' said Blerta Aliko, UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon. This project is part of the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2025 by the Ministry of National Defense, UNDP, and UNSCOL, to coordinate international assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
