“Optimizing the Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Adaptation to Climate Change” TCP/SNO/3401
Despite its limited area of 10 452 km2, the phyto-geographic position of Lebanon as a geo-centre between the three continents of the Old World makes it a hot spot for regional surrounding biodiversity. Its topographical and landscape diversity and the presence of high mountains close to the coast and oriented north-south with numerous perpendicular valleys in the east-west direction, resulted in five geomorphological regions that give rise to around 22 bioclimatic zones and many types of habitat s (Abi-Saleh and Safi, 1988). In addition, Lebanon contains many semi-natural habitats that have adapted to anthropogenic activities and pressures and that contain a large number of plant and animal species and where the plant domestication started ten thousand years ago (Harlan, 1992). Moreover, it is characterized by the presence of various microclimatic conditions and biological reshuffling (Sattout and al., 2005). The ecosystems diversity allows the cohabitation of cold requiring crops and s ubtropical crops within a distance of less than 20 km.