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The Nature Conservation Center at the American University of Beirut, partner of the Edu-BioMed project, and “Fondation Diane” a Lebanese NGO that promotes civic awareness and eco-sustainable development, have developed Daskara, a free phone application.
Daskara, which means Authentic Village, connects explorers and tourists to diverse localities throughout the country to find new cultural experiences, nature encounters, food and lodging, recreational activities, eco-friendly sites, and public and non-governmental facilities.
Daskara and Edu-BioMed decided to map all nature and culture landmarks in biosphere reserve villages and to feature the biospheres of Jabal Moussa (JMBR) – full partner of EduBioMed and Al Shouf (SBR) – Associated partner – in a social media campaign.
We have asked more information to Ms Elsa Germanos, Daskara Marketing Communications Manager about the social media campaign developed with JMBR and SBR.
Where does the idea of this campaign come from?
Since September 2020 we have launched a social media campaign to promote the Daskara app specifically by showcasing the type of information that is present in the app.
We decided to build synergy between the two projects i.e. Daskara and EduBioMed by mapping all nature and culture landmarks in biosphere reserve villages and by featuring the biospheres of Jabal Moussa and Al Shouf in our social media campaign.
As part of the Edu-BioMed project, we worked closely with JMBR and SBR to create the content of Daskara’s social media campaign. Our purpose behind this joint campaign is to raise awareness and optimize reach for local and foreign markets.
How is the campaign implemented?
The social media campaign was planned to run starting from April and until mid-May. It focuses on introducing biosphere reserves, raising environmental awareness and promoting eco-tourism through a series of quizzes, feed posts and short videos filmed on site. The campaign covers different important topics such as biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage, sustainable agriculture, and eco-tourism activities. The campaign reinforces the role of biosphere reserves by demonstrating that there is hope, direction and a way to live in harmony with nature.
Now is the best time to promote biosphere reserves since people are restless and eager to escape to scenic locations where they can go to relax and reconnect with nature. The objective is to raise awareness about the BR, gauge people’s interest in visiting the BR and try out its products all while contributing to the BR socio-economic development.
How are people engaged in the campaign? Replying to quizzes, participating in competitions?
In collaboration with the JMBR and SBR we have created four interactive/informative quizzes for Daskara’s Facebook and Instagram stories related to biodiversity and cultural heritage. The objective is to spark interest and build excitement among participants to visit and learn more about the biosphere reserves.
Using the Instagram/Facebook story quiz sticker, we created a multiple-choice quiz format. As for viewers, all they need to do is tap on the option that they feel is the correct one and they will learn right away whether their answer is right or wrong. Green color indicates the right answer and red means wrong.
Concerning the competitions, we planned two Instagram giveaway contests, one for JMBR and the other one for SBR. To enter the contest, participants will have to ‘like’ the post, ‘follow’ the Instagram accounts: @daskaraapp, @jabalmoussa and @shoufbiospherereserve, and tag 3 of their friends in the comment section.
Participants who complete all the steps will enter a draw and the winners will be randomly picked using a random winner generator website/app. For each contest, one winner will get the chance to win a bundle prize including free passes, traditional food products, and books offered by JMBR or SBR.
More information about the app.
Daskara, which means Authentic Village, connects explorers and tourists to diverse localities throughout the country to find new cultural experiences, nature encounters, food and lodging, recreational activities, eco-friendly sites, and public and non-governmental facilities.
The app is taking a crowdsourcing approach to allow local people and travelers to contribute to the app with their knowledge and experience. The locally contributed knowledge harnessed through Daskara will also serve the Lebanese diaspora who want to learn and engage in nature conservation and heritage preservation.
In parallel, by documenting and exploring Lebanon’s nature and culture, Daskara helps local small businesses and civil society initiatives to flourish by being discovered.
The free Daskara phone application is can be downloaded from this link.
To know more visit Daskara Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated and engaged with Lebanon and the biosphere reserves campaign.
