ature reserves are a fundamental requirement and a central part of any strategy for nature conservation and protection. However, legal designation and establishment decrees alone are insufficient. The crucial factor is sound management that ensures the reserves’ recovery and flourishing, enabling them to provide environmental services to local communities and the surrounding environment. Without effective management, reserves deteriorate and lose their ecological balance, which negatively impacts the environment and local communities.
Proper management was not available in most of the reserves in Lebanon. Rather, they were subject to the currents of the dominant political forces in the south, and the formation of their committees was subject to the decisions of the de facto powers in each region where reserves were found, and to include individuals who implement the policy of the decision-makers, and who appropriate the reserves for themselves, so that they can use them according to their interests and their vision of their role in the region.
Moreover, the municipalities concerned, which are tools for producing and renewing political subservience relationships, did not play the required role in supervising the committees, nor did they seek to secure the necessary conditions for the reserves to succeed in achieving their goals.
Therefore, some reserves have been used by some political forces for purposes that do not serve the objectives of the reserves, and some locals have not entered the reserves and do not know what they contain except what some media outlets talk about.
Some of them have been turned into areas for cutting down trees, and others into “scouting and youth” camps that have no relation to the role of the reserves, while some committees have turned into a cover for the policy of violations that were taking place, and all of this is a factor that led to the current situation in which the reserves in the south are living.
In the south there are eight nature reserves: Al-Numeiriya Reserve, Dibel Reserve, Beit Leef Reserve, Ramiya Reserve, Kafra Reserve, and Wadi Al-Hujair Reserve.
All of them are wildlife reserves, in addition to the Abbasia Beach Nature Reserve and the Tyre Beach Nature Reserve.
-Al-Numayriyah Reserve:
Located in the Nabatieh district, on an area of up to 10.2 hectares, and rising about 300 meters above sea level, it is characterized by a Mediterranean forest character and includes oak, pine, and hawthorn trees, in addition to a biodiversity that includes plants, animals and birds.
It was established under Law No. 169, dated May 8, 2020, to protect its natural resources from encroachments such as logging and overgrazing.
It was subjected to bombing during the war, which led to fires, and now residents of the area avoid it.
– Dibal Reserve:
Located in the Bint Jbeil district, it covers an area of about 25 hectares and rises about 600 meters above sea level. The reserve includes forests of oak, holm oak, carob, strawberry tree, and terebinth trees, and it is a habitat for wild animals and birds nest in it.
It was established under Law 200, dated November 18, 2011, and during the last war it was subjected to heavy bombing and numerous fires in addition to white phosphorus.
Mukhtar Dabbal Pierre Al-Ra’i says: “The reserve was exposed to a large fire, the nature and size of which we do not know, and now it is not possible to reach it because of the security situation, and we do not know what will happen after the election of a new municipal council.”
Beit Lev Nature Reserve:
Located in the Bint Jbeil district, it covers an area of about 20 hectares and rises about 550 meters above sea level. It includes forests of oak, holm oak, carob, strawberry tree, and terebinth, in addition to rare types of endemic plants. It is a haven for wild animals, and various types of birds live there.
It was established under Law No. 201, dated November 18, 2011.
Mariam Hassan, head of the reserve committee, says, “There’s nothing new in the reserve’s status. The security situation prevents us from monitoring it, and no one can approach it.” However, a resident of the town points out that “some people have been cutting down ivy trees on the edges of the reserve. This reserve hasn’t been officially declared, and no one has entered it since its establishment due to the security situation both before and after the war. It should also be noted that one of its edges has been turned into a garbage dump.”
– Ramiya Nature Reserve
It is located in the Bint Jbeil district, with an area of about 20 hectares, and is about 650 meters above sea level. It includes forested areas of oak, holm oak, carob, strawberry tree, and terebinth, inhabited by various types of wild animals and birds.
It was established under Law No. 199, dated November 18, 2011.
It suffered extensive damage during the recent war, including large fires, and is now inaccessible due to the precarious security situation.
We attempted to contact a member of the reserve’s committee at the suggestion of an official from the Ministry of Environment, but he denied being the person in question, claiming to be from another region, and apparently declined to comment.
-Kafra Reserve:
It is located in the Bint Jbeil district, and its area is about 40 hectares, and it rises about 650 meters above sea level. It includes forested areas consisting of oak, holm oak, carob, strawberry tree, and terebinth, in addition to various wild animals and birds.
It was established under Law 198, dated November 18, 2011.
It suffered extensive damage and fires as a result of the recent bombing and aggression. We attempted to contact the designated official from the Ministry of Environment, but he did not respond to our calls. Upon inquiring with a resident of the same town, he stated that entry to the reserve was prohibited before the war, and now the security situation is a primary factor preventing access.
– Wadi al-Hujair Reserve:
It is a nature reserve located in the Bint Jbeil district, and it has witnessed a problem of logging. Logging operations were documented in it during the first months following the cessation of hostilities in November 2024. Despite the actions of the reserve’s management, the legal measures taken against those involved were lenient, which weakened the deterrent effect and kept the threat of logging alive by individuals who appear to have security and political protection.
It should be noted that in July 2024, the reserve’s management intervened to halt a commercial construction project on reserve land, which had obtained a permit from the urban planning department and the municipality of Shaqra, according to Dr. Hisham Younes, an official with the “Green Southerners” association.
– Abbasiyeh Beach Nature Reserve:
It is located on a section of the coastal area of the town of Al-Abbasiya in the district of Tyre. It covers an area of about 55 hectares and contains the best sandy beaches and soft, low dunes, which provides a favorable environment for the reproduction of many types of plants and animals, and forms a natural extension of the beach of the city of Tyre.
The environment of this reserve is characterized by the spread of different types of plants, birds, insects and reptiles in it, and it forms a resting place for migratory birds, some of which are threatened and rare. The reserve also forms a breeding site for the loggerhead turtle and the green turtle, which are threatened with extinction globally.
It was established under Law No. 170, dated May 8, 2020.
Fatima Jaafar, a member of the Abbasiya Beach Reserve Committee, says: “We worked through a group of activists and in cooperation with the Abbasiya Municipality to establish the reserve since 2016, until the establishment decision was issued in 2020 and published in the Official Gazette. In 2022, the reserve management committee was formed, and it included representatives from the Abbasiya Municipality, active environmental associations, and people with scientific specializations.”
She adds: “We started by establishing a reserve that includes agricultural areas far from encroachment. We noticed that some owners of adjacent properties were implementing a project that violated the required environmental impact. We contacted Minister Dr. Nasser Yassin and the project was stopped. We also continued to protect turtle activity to create plant biodiversity in the reserve, which witnessed the entry of bulldozing machinery. Machinery also encroached on the sand dunes, which led to aesthetic and environmental damage. The reserve also witnessed the entry of four-wheel drive vehicles and rampant wild hunting. The committee was able to stop all these encroachments through cooperation with the security forces.”
Regarding the current situation after the recent municipal elections, Jaafar explains: “We are working with the new municipality, and while awaiting the formation of the new committee to manage the reserve, to monitor the entrances to the reserve, so that no activity occurs that may harm the existing plant and animal life, in addition to protecting the essence of the reserve, which is a seafront that forms a lung for the town of Abbasiya.”
Jaafar hopes that “the state will follow up on the issue of reserves, that the members of the management committees will be specialists, that the reserves will receive financial entitlements through the general budget, and that the Ministry of Environment will work to secure funding projects for the reserve, and that the relevant universities will participate in this.”
Observers note attempts to encroach on the reserve’s land, particularly by owners of adjacent properties or individuals trying to illegally seize public property for investment. The Abbasieh Beach Reserve also faces another threat: untreated sewage flowing into the sea, especially after the wastewater treatment plant ceased operations.
– Tyre Beach Nature Reserve:
Tyre’s sandy beach is considered an important nature reserve for Lebanon. It is divided into an area designated for recreation and swimming, and an area that is prohibited from being exploited, and is dedicated solely to preserving wildlife, especially sea turtles and fish.
The Tyre Nature Reserve is located in the southern part of the city of Tyre, which is the largest beach in Lebanon. The reserve was declared under Law 708, dated 1998, which stipulated the establishment of the “Tyre Beach Nature Reserve” in Jiftlik – Ras al-Ain. It is owned by the Lebanese state and under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, and its land area is 380 hectares.
The reserve includes the last remaining and only protected sand dunes in Lebanon, an important nesting site for globally endangered sea turtles, and wetlands as a Ramsar site No. 980/1999, as a refuge and habitat for water birds. The nature reserve is part of the city of Tyre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
If this is the critical situation of the reserve, what is happening beside it that might affect its future?
A year ago, the properties adjacent to the reserve witnessed construction work aimed at establishing commercial and non-commercial shops, which prompted a number of environmental and social activists to take action, launch a media campaign and form a pressure group, which led to the cessation of construction work.
Dr. Hassan Hijazi, Vice President of the “Thought and Human” Association, says: “Work is currently halted, but there are no real guarantees that it will remain so. A fire broke out in the reserve, destroying the scientific section containing the rare herbs. Encroachments are still present, especially by the construction company. War debris is also being dumped alongside the reserve, along with household waste, amidst the municipality’s disregard. What is strange is the frightening silence practiced by the officials of the reserve management committee, and their failure to take any steps to defend the reserve and its objectives, especially since the reserve management has not prepared a report on the fire. Therefore, the first step we must take is to activate the reserve management, develop a plan to protect it, and prepare awareness-raising activities about the importance of preserving the reserve.”
Another environmental activist sees the need to secure the reserve’s geographical boundaries, suggesting: “Building a fence to protect the scientific area is crucial, especially since the reserve is experiencing violations such as horse and motorcycle racing and the destruction of turtle nests. The recent fire also consumed 25% of the scientific area. This prompted media attention, providing a clear picture of what is happening in the reserve: fires, sand dredging, and the dumping of war debris. Consequently, the reserve is no longer protected and now faces numerous problems, including the lack of serious steps taken by the administration to safeguard it, as well as sewage flowing onto the reserve’s beach and entrance. Furthermore, there is a pressing need for effective reserve management.”
Given this general overview of the situation in the southern reserves, which have suffered and continue to suffer greatly from mismanagement, limited resources, and the effects of war, a comprehensive assessment of the reserves’ conditions is necessary.
Dr. Hisham Younes says: “Before 2024, some reserves organized activities, events, and programs, some of which were purposeful and important, as they contributed to raising environmental awareness of the importance of biodiversity. However, the state of reserves is not measured by activities alone, but by their ability to preserve biodiversity, monitor species activity, confront encroachments, and ensure the sustainability of environmental services. But the lack of transparency in the work makes it difficult to actually differentiate in performance between reserves, and in general, reserves in the south remain weak in confronting violations.”
When asked about the state of nature reserves after the recent war and its consequences, he replied: “The reserves in the south are in a critical situation after being subjected to acts of aggression during the war. The problem of illegal dumpsites persists on the outskirts of many towns, some of which are adjacent to the reserves. This exacerbates the pressures on biodiversity by polluting surface water and increasing the likelihood of fires. Although all the reserves face common challenges, their nature varies from one location to another. There are pressures resulting from urban sprawl and encroachments by projects that do not meet legal requirements, as well as those related to pollution, illegal logging, and overgrazing. In addition, there are the effects of climate change on species behavior and nesting seasons. This diversity of challenges reflects the different challenges facing the ecosystems in the south and the need to tailor interventions to the specific characteristics of each reserve.”
Regarding the urgent steps the Lebanese state must take to protect nature reserves, given their specific circumstances, he believes that “the current situation requires immediate action, beginning with a comprehensive damage assessment through precise field surveys to determine the extent of losses to vegetation and biodiversity resulting from shelling, fires, and munitions contamination. These surveys should be used as a basis for developing plans to address the effects of white phosphorus and heavy metals where necessary, in conjunction with cooperation with the army and civil defense to remove unexploded ordnance within and around the reserves. Addressing the crisis of illegal dumpsites adjacent to the reserves is also a top priority, whether through relocation or closure, while preventing the discharge of sewage or waste into the biosphere. Furthermore, it is essential to tighten controls on logging, poaching, and unregulated grazing, and to ensure that judicial rulings against violators are deterrent and effective.”
He points out that “it is important to declare special protection seasons for sea turtle nesting and migratory bird migration, during which any harmful human activity is prohibited. The state should also secure urgent budgets to cover basic operational needs (guards, field monitoring, firefighting and environmental first aid equipment), thus ensuring that the reserves remain effective on the ground. Finally, the formation of effective management committees capable of ensuring sound and sustainable management of each reserve remains an essential condition for maintaining its environmental and social effectiveness.”
He stressed “the need to suspend hunting for a period of no less than five years, which would give ecosystems a chance to recover, especially in light of the absence of a comprehensive and accurate assessment of species, which would determine the list of game and permits, and the lack of a practical mechanism to monitor hunting, pursue violations and punish violators. Currently, there are no sound scientific or administrative foundations upon which to build for the organized management of hunting activity.”
Regarding the recommendations that active associations can propose for investing in these reserves, he explains, “From our perspective as an active environmental association, the Southern Greens, investing in reserves should not be based on overexploitation, but rather on sound management and sustainable use that preserves ecosystems and benefits local communities. This includes developing organized ecotourism models such as educational trails and bird and turtle watching tours, and encouraging local crafts and products and linking them to the ‘Product of the Reserve’ label, which enhances their economic value.”
It recommends “strengthening voluntary community monitoring programs that engage local residents and stakeholders in monitoring and protecting biodiversity, along with the necessity of producing an annual performance report that is publicly available and serves as a basis for setting conservation priorities and projects. To ensure the continuity of work, it is essential to secure urgent budgets that cover basic operational needs, such as the salaries of administrative staff, supervisors, and field rangers, in addition to providing firefighting and environmental first aid equipment, thus ensuring that the reserves remain operational on the ground. Establishing effective management committees capable of implementing sustainable and sound management practices for each reserve remains a pivotal element in the success of these efforts.”
For the situation to improve, the state must take steps when managing protected areas, such as transparency, participation, and promoting citizenship. In this context, Younes says: “In our view, the state’s success in managing protected areas requires adopting the principles of good environmental governance, which ensures the protection of natural systems and enhances the trust of the local community. Transparency is the starting point, through the public publication of budgets, periodic reports, and administrative decisions, which allows for clear accountability regarding resources and results. Participation also remains a fundamental element, as municipalities, environmental associations, and local communities should be involved in the decision-making process, and the scope of consultations should be broadened to strengthen community partnership in protecting protected areas.”
He adds: “At the administrative level, adopting the principles of accountability and professionalism in the work of protected area management committees becomes an urgent necessity. This requires establishing precise job descriptions and implementing periodic performance evaluation mechanisms to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the work. Management must also be based on science and knowledge of the law and the site under management, through the adoption of scientific studies, environmental surveys, and field activities. This necessitates the development of continuous biodiversity monitoring programs. Furthermore, strict enforcement of the law and zero tolerance for environmental impact assessments are essential. No project should be implemented within or near protected areas without thorough scientific studies and an independent and transparent review.”
Younes concludes, “In the same context, and through cooperation with municipalities, the need arises to promote the concept of urban wilderness, which is still completely absent, and we emphasize it in plans and methodologies as a fundamental lever for integrating reserves and natural resources into the heart of urban planning, and ensuring that nature is part of the daily living environment of citizens, not just isolated spaces outside cities.”
On the other hand, environmental expert in nature reserves George Metri believes that “it is necessary to provide recommendations, whether at the national or southern level, which are recommendations for national and local authorities in order to preserve nature reserves.”
He says: “At the national level, in terms of policies, legislation and funding, Law No. 130/2019 must be fully and systematically implemented through:
– Issuing or updating the internal regulations for each reserve, maps of the areas, deterrence mechanisms and penalties.
– Establishing the powers of rangers as assistants to law enforcement.
– Mandating the preparation of management plans that comply with international standards for protected areas.
– Obligating every terrestrial or coastal protected area to have a five-year management plan that includes: objectives, spatial organization, monitoring and follow-up, law enforcement, and the promotion of benefits to the local community.
– Aligning the management of coastal protected areas with the Barcelona Convention (Protocols on Marine Biological Diversity and Land-Based Pollution).
– Adopting national measures for sea turtle nesting protection areas and controlling land-based pollution sources.
– Securing sustainable funding through:
– Establishing and activating a permanent national fund for nature reserves, provided that it is financed by dedicated environmental fees, revenues from coastal tourism licenses, environmental fines, and international contributions.
– Developing a national monitoring and follow-up system.
– Establishing a national unit to monitor the status of protected areas, developing standardized biological and socio-economic indicators, and issuing an annual report on the “State of Nature Reserves.”
– Adopting an environmentally sensitive approach to conflict, by integrating scientific guidelines for nature conservation during and after conflicts, rapid damage assessment mechanisms, coordinating the removal of unexploded ordnance prior to fieldwork, and emergency measures to mitigate environmental degradation and rehabilitate.
– Strictly enforcing protected areas and expanding the scope of effective protection.
At the site level (municipalities, nature reserve management committees, and local associations), Metri recommends the following:
“- Enhancing operational readiness by recruiting and training rangers, developing joint protocols with security forces, the army, and civil defense, and establishing an electronic platform for reporting violations. –
Managing recreation in protected areas.
– Determining the carrying capacity of each reserve, preparing guidance signs for environmental behavior, encouraging local environmental guides, and developing income-generating activities that align with nature conservation. –
Managing fire risks and land management in terrestrial reserves.
– Developing and implementing fire prevention plans, activating early warning systems, and forming volunteer teams in coordination with municipalities.
– Combating invasive species and ensuring biosecurity.
– Conducting periodic monitoring of invasive terrestrial and marine species and establishing rapid response procedures.
– Promoting research and community engagement.
– Collaborating with universities to conduct long-term research on biodiversity and involving citizens in data collection (such as tracking turtles or reporting pollution or encroachments).
– Proposing new or expanded areas of special protection in ecologically priority locations.”
Metri’s recommendations are not limited to national and local authorities; he also offers recommendations to non-governmental organizations working in the field of nature reserve conservation. He explains this by saying: “It is essential to support the implementation of nature reserve management plans through direct cooperation with reserve management bodies and the Ministry of Environment, to activate existing management plans, assist in implementing zone regulations, train staff, and monitor the effectiveness of management and environmental monitoring, through:
1- Promoting a joint management approach:
– Encouraging the signing of formal joint management agreements between NGOs, municipalities, and local groups (to share responsibilities in monitoring, ecotourism, and environmental awareness).
2- The call for clarity in the legal framework and accountability:
– Demanding the full implementation of Law No. 130/2019, ensuring transparency in the formation of protected area management bodies, and regulating the use of revenues.
– Raising environmental awareness through school programs, beach clean-up campaigns, and scientific initiatives involving citizens, youth, and families in monitoring wildlife and tracking environmental violations.
– Enhancing the participation of women and youth by establishing volunteer programs and small grants targeting these groups to implement small projects in areas such as habitat restoration, waste reduction, or the development of ecotourism.
– Supporting and training ranger networks and cooperating with security agencies in reporting environmental crimes and violations, such as illegal construction, poaching, and pollution.
3- Implementing fire prevention and recovery measures:
– Establishing early warning systems, maintaining isolation lines around sensitive areas, and engaging volunteers.
– Preparing joint project proposals with NGOs, municipalities, and research institutions.
– Supporting environmental restoration in war-affected areas, leading activities for soil rehabilitation, vegetation restoration, and wildlife recovery in areas affected by war, fires, and pollution.
In conclusion, reviving nature reserves in the south requires close cooperation between central state institutions and municipalities, along with active environmental associations and local communities, through adherence to laws and away from partisan political interests.