8 October 2014: Lebanon’s Ministry of Environment (MoE), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Regional Office for West Asia (IUCN ROWA) are collaborating on the ‘Marine and Coastal Biodiversity’ project, which aims to establish two marine protected areas (MPAs) in Lebanon. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is financing the project.

Lebanon currently has two legally declared MPAs: the Palm Islands Nature Reserve in North Lebanon and the Tyre Coast Nature Reserve in South Lebanon. Lebanon’s 2012 MPA Strategy identified two proposed MPAs, which are located in Naqoura and in Ras El Chekaa, as candidates for MPAs based on an assessment of their marine biodiversity. Ras El Chekaa, a limestone cliff area with hard underwater bottoms and caves and a diversity of sponge species, is a Ramsar site. It faces threats related to fishing, agricultural and industrial activities, according to the MPA Strategy. Naqoura is threatened by fishing, traditional agriculture and industrial and sewage runoff. Both proposed areas provide nurseries, spawning and feeding grounds for marine biodiversity.

In September 2014, the project held two workshops to raise stakeholders’ awareness on the role of MPAs in improving livelihoods. The workshops took place in Naqoura and Hamat Municipalities, where the proposed MPAs are located.

The project is in the process of preparing the legal provisions for the MPA’s establishment, including management plans. Through its MPA Strategy, Lebanon aims to: establish a more systematic approach to MPA planning and establishment; enhance collaboration on MPA management and monitoring; increase community awareness and participation in Lebanon’s MPA network; and link Lebanon’s MPAs with Mediterranean networks. [IUCN Press Release] [Lebanon’s MPA Strategy]