Privacy Policy

Lebanese Natural Heritage (LNH) is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who contributes to this platform : observers, contributors, partners, and visitors alike.

This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, why we’re allowed to use it, and what rights you have over it. LNH is based in France, and this policy is written to align with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as Lebanon’s Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data.

What information we collect

When you register as a member, through our membership form, we collect your name, email address, location (city/region), and — depending on your membership type — information about your field experience, artistic work, or portfolio links.

When you submit an observation, through our KoboToolbox observation form, we collect the species information you provide, photos you upload, the GPS location of your observation, the date and time, and any notes you add. If you choose to include your name, it may appear alongside your observation; otherwise, your submission stays anonymous on public records.

When you submit photos or artwork, through our contribution form, we collect the images themselves along with any credit or contact information you choose to provide.

When you contact us, by email, we naturally have access to your email address and whatever you share with us directly.

Why we’re allowed to use your information (legal basis)

Under GDPR, we need a valid reason to process your personal information. For LNH, that basis is your consent: by registering as a member or submitting an observation, photo, or artwork through our forms, you’re actively choosing to share that information with us for the purposes described in this policy. You can withdraw this consent at any time — see “Your rights” below.

How we use your information

We use the information you provide only for the following purposes:

  • Reviewing and validating species observations
  • Building and maintaining Lebanon’s open biodiversity record, in aggregate, statistical form
  • Giving proper credit to contributors — for photos, illustrations, field work, or written contributions such as articles or papers
  • Sending you relevant links and updates related to your membership (for example, your observation submission link)
  • Evaluating and following up on partnership requests

We do not use your information for any other purpose. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties beyond what’s described in this policy

Where your data is stored

We use a small number of trusted external services to run LNH:

  • KoboToolbox (EU servers) — for observation submissions, including photos and location data
  • Google Forms and Gmail — for membership registration, photo/artwork submissions, and email communication
  • IONOS — for website hosting

Each of these providers processes data on our behalf under their own data processing terms. We choose providers that align with strong data protection standards where possible.

Protecting sensitive species

Some species documented on LNH are threatened, endangered, or otherwise vulnerable to disturbance or exploitation. For these species, exact observation locations are automatically masked on any public map, species page, or record. Researchers, institutions, or conservation bodies with a legitimate need for precise location data can submit a formal request to our team, which we review on a case-by-case basis.

How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for as long as your membership is active, or as long as needed to fulfil the purposes described above. If you ask us to delete your data, we will do so — except where information has already become part of a validated, published biodiversity record, in which case we may retain the underlying scientific data (species, location, date) while removing personally identifying details, to preserve the integrity of Lebanon’s biodiversity record.

Your rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access — ask us what personal information we hold about you
  • Correction — ask us to fix inaccurate information
  • Deletion — ask us to delete your personal information (see retention note above)
  • Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your information
  • Objection — object to our use of your information at any time
  • Portability — request a copy of your information in a commonly used, machine-readable format
  • Withdraw consent — since our use of your data is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time, without affecting anything already processed before that point

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@lebanesenaturalheritage.org. We’ll do our best to respond promptly.

Cookies and analytics

Our website may use basic analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use the site, in aggregate and anonymized form. Where required, we’ll ask for your consent before setting any non-essential cookies, and you’ll be able to change your preference at any time.

Changes to this policy

As LNH grows — including the future addition of donations — this policy will be updated to reflect new data practices. We’ll note the date of the most recent update at the top of this page.

Contact us

Questions about this policy, your data, or your rights under GDPR can be sent to contact@lebanesenaturalheritage.org.