The flora of Lebanon includes approximately 2,600 plant species. [1] Situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Basin, Lebanon is a reservoir of plant diversity and one of the world's biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Endemic species constitute 12% of the Lebanese flora; 221 plant species are broad endemics and 90 are narrow endemics. [2] [3] Important Plant Areas (IPAs) featuring the country exceptional botanical richness were defined in 2018. [4]
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The natural vegetation of Lebanon has been threatened by overexploitation and fragmentation as a result of urban expansion, overgrazing, tourism and the impact of warfare. [5] The cedar of Lebanon is the national symbol of the country; growing in the Lebanon Mountain range, these trees have been heavily harvested over the years for their valuable timber and few mature trees still remain. [6] Nevertheless, Lebanon is more heavily wooded than most other countries in the region and pine, oak, fir, beech, cypress and juniper are to be found in the mountain areas although the Beqaa valley has little tree cover. [6] Where timber has been extracted and woodland destroyed, scrub has taken over; in the Lebanon Mountain area this is mostly Ceratonia , oak and Pistacia , and in the Anti-Lebanon range the scrub is mostly Pistacia and wild almond. [7] Other native trees such as the Lebanese wild apple, Judas tree and Syrian maple are being grown experimentally as a conservation strategy to see if they are amenable to container production. [5]
The Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve was established in 1996 to preserve an old stand of cedar in central Lebanon. It covers 550 km2 (212 sq mi), which is 5.3% of the country's total area, and includes 620 hectares (1,500 acres) of cedar forest which, with the exclusion of livestock is successfully regenerating. There are 24 kinds of tree in the reserve and 436 species of plant, including about 48 which are endemic to Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. [8]
Apart from trees, there are a large number of flowering plants, ferns and mosses in the country. Many of the plants bloom after the winter rains, and the annual plants germinate at this time, grow, flower and set seed while the soil is moist enough to support them. One plant endemic to the country is the endangered Lebanon violet, found high up in rocky shrubland on the west side of Mount Lebanon. [9]
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