Forests cover 13.6% of Lebanon, and other wooded lands represents 11%. [1] Since 2011, more than 600,000 trees, including cedars and other native species, have been planted throughout Lebanon as part of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI). [2] More reforestation efforts are needed. For example, the 40 hectares of Cedrus libani at Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve could be expanded to 3,000 hectares. [3] The Friends of the Cedar Forest Committee planted 200,000 cedars, with 180,000 surviving. [4] The Committee goal was to create a corridor connecting the cedar forests o of Bcharre, Ehden, and Tannourine with each other to create an ecosystem in order to make the forests more resilient to future environmental pressures. [5]
Natural areas of Lebanon include:
The Anti-Lebanon mountains are a southwest–northeast-trending mountain range that forms most of the border between Syria and Lebanon. The border is largely defined along the crest of the range. Most of the range lies in Syria.
Mount Lebanon is a mountain range in Lebanon. It averages above 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in elevation, with its peak at 3,088 m (10,131 ft).
Bsharri is a town at an altitude between 1,400 m (4,600 ft) to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). It is located in the Bsharri District of the North Governorate in Lebanon. Bsharri is the site of the only remaining original "Cedars of God", and is the birthplace of the famous poet, painter and sculptor Khalil Gibran. A museum in the town honours his life and work.
Kadisha Valley, also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha, is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The valley was carved by the Kadisha River, also known as the Nahr Abu Ali when it reaches Tripoli. Kadisha means "Holy" in Aramaic, and the valley is sometimes called the Holy Valley. It has sheltered Christian monastic communities for many centuries. The valley is located at the foot of Mount al-Makmal in northern Lebanon.
Zgharta District is a district (qadaa) of the North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta.
Ehden is a mountainous city in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in the Mount Lebanon Range. Its residents are the people of Zgharta, as it is within the Zgharta District.
Barouk is a village in the Chouf District of Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. Barouk is located 52 kilometers southeast of Beirut. Its average elevation is 1000 to 1200 meters above sea level and its total land area consists of 2,762 hectares. The village had 5,197 registered voters in 2010. Its inhabitants are predominantly Druze and Maronite and Melkite Christians.
Bsharri District is one of the 7 districts of the North Governorate, Lebanon.
The Cedars of God, located in the Kadisha Valley of Bsharre, Lebanon, are one of the last vestiges of the extensive forests of the Lebanon cedar that thrived across Mount Lebanon in antiquity. All early modern travelers' accounts of the wild cedars appear to refer to the ones in Bsharri; the Christian monks of the monasteries in the Kadisha Valley venerated the trees for centuries. The earliest documented references of the Cedars of God are found in Tablets 4-6 of the great Epic of Gilgamesh, six days walk from Uruk.
Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Chouf and Aley districts of Lebanon. It is located on the slopes of Jebel Baruk mountain and has an area of 550 km2 (210 sq mi), nearly 5.3% of the Lebanese territory, making it the largest natural reserve in Lebanon.
Abies cilicica, also known as Cilician fir or Taurus fir, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. Abies cilicica and Cedrus libani, together with Acer hyrcanum subsp. tauricolum and Sorbus torminalis subsp. orientalis, are the predominant trees in the phytocoenosis Abeti-Cedrion, a type of forest of the middle and eastern Taurus Mountains of Turkey. These forests occur between 800 and 2,100 meters elevation. Over 5,000 years of logging, burning, and grazing have reduced these forests to enclaves.
Horsh Ehden is a nature reserve located in North Lebanon. It contains a forest of the cedar of Lebanon, making it a part of the country's cultural and natural heritage. Located on the northwestern slopes of Mount Lebanon with high precipitation, it hosts numerous rare and endemic plants. Stands of cedars also include a mixed forest of juniper, fir, and the country's last protected community of wild apple trees. In the forest are endangered eastern imperial eagles or Bonelli's eagles, gray wolves, wildcats, golden jackals, and red foxes. Valleys and gorges also have wild orchids, salamanders, mushrooms, and other flora and fauna.
The tourism industry in Lebanon has been important to the local economy historically and to this day comprises a major source of revenue for the country.
The Lebanon Mountain Trail is a long-distance hiking trail in Lebanon. It extends from Andaket in north of Lebanon to Marjayoun in the south along a 470 km (290 mi) path that transects more than 76 towns and villages at altitudes ranging from 570 to 2,073 meters above sea level.
Tannourine is a Lebanese town located in the Batroun District, part of the Governorate of North Lebanon, 80 km from the capital Beirut. Tannourine is formed by a cluster of mountain settlements located in the highs of the Batroun District, the largest of which is Tannourine El-Fawqa, followed by Chatine,Tannourine El-Tahta, and Wata Houb. Tannourine has a population of approximately 25,000.
Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Keserwan District of Lebanon, on the shoulders of the western slopes of Mount Lebanon overlooking the Mediterranean Sea to the West. It covers an area of 6500 hectares, at an altitude ranging between 350 meters in the North-West and 1,700 meters to the South-East. Its main villages are: Yahchouch, Qahmez, Jouret el-Termos, Nahr ed Dahab, Ghbaleh, Ebreh, and Chouwan. Jabal Moussa and surrounding villages became part of the UNESCO Network of Biosphere Reserves under the Man and Biosphere (MAB) program in 2009. As part of the MAB program, JMBR addresses human livelihood improvement and nature conservation through combining natural sciences with social sciences, economics and education.
The Rangers Sports Events are sports events organized yearly in Lebanon by the Rangers Regiment of the Lebanese army. The events aim to explore Lebanon's mountains and beauty, promote Lebanon's touristic image by making the events as International on yearly basis and to empower the Military-Civilian interaction.
The wildlife of Lebanon refers to the flora and fauna of Lebanon, a country in Asia located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. The country has four main geographical areas: the coastal plain, Mount Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The climate is Mediterranean, with the coastal regions experiencing hot, humid summers and cool, wet winters, and the elevated areas inland experiencing colder winters with snow that lingers on into the summer. The country offers a variety of habitats for wildlife, including mountains, valleys, marshes, coastal plains, salt marshes and sea coasts.