Ecologia Mediterranea

Towards the establishment of a natural park
in Eastern Mediterranean forests
in Mount Makmel:
Botanical assessment and communities
participation practices
Vers la création d’un parc naturel dans la région forestière
du mont Makmel en Méditerranée orientale :
relevés floristiques et pratiques communautaires participatives
Abstract
Recognized as a meeting point for a variety of
Mediterranean ecosystems, the Akkar-Dunniyeh
area is an acknowledged hub for a large number
of Eastern Mediterranean flora and a shelter
for remnants of old growth forests and plant
formations. The area is among the national
hotspots requiring urgent protection, resulting
in the Council of Development and Reconstruction
(CDR) designating it a national park in
2004. Located on the foothills of Mount Makmel
in North Lebanon, the area’s highest peaks
have a high percentage of endemism. Anthropogenic
activities have altered its vegetation
cover, scarring the archetypal Mediterranean
landscape. This study was part of an internationally
funded development project. Designed
as a stepping-stone to ensure the incorporation
of various land resources conservation values,
past land uses, and management types, the
study aimed at adapting conservation practices
of biodiversity and strategies to include in the
existing social dynamics and cultural identities
of the local communities. The results augmented
the park’s importance since this area
showed to shelter more than 400 plant species
and more than 21 endemics with different con-
Keywords: plant diversity, endemism,
forest structure, ecosystem management,
Akkar-Dunniyeh, Lebanon.
ecologia mediterranea – Vol. 38 (2) – 2012
E. SATTOUT 1 , D. LICHAA-EL KHOURY 2 & D. CHOUEITER 3
1. Faculty of Natural & Applied Sciences, Notre Dame University (NDU)-Louaize, Lebanon,
E-mail: esattout@ndu.edu.lb
2. SETS – Water & Environment, Lebanon
3. Faculté d’ingénierie, Université Saint-Joseph (USJ), Lebanon
servation statuses, representing 6.75% of the
total endemics found in Lebanon. Indices of
high diversity were observed, ranging from an
average of 19 to 49 species/400-m 2 . Gamma
diversity registered high values. Beta diversity
values and forests age structure revealed range
differences in species richness between the various
sub-regions. Indices of similarity ranged
from 1.2% to 28.5%. The vocational map on
habitat conservation and management, and
land use plans revealed a shared vision between
local governances, local communities, practitioners,
and scientists. The map defined five
zone categories for land conservation and management:
(1) Conservation and adaptive management,
(2) Remediation, (3) Agro-sylvo-pastoral,
(4) Farming, and (5) Urban Development.
These groupings include a set of management
practices for each of the proposed categories.
Résumé
Le bassin méditerranéen est considéré comme
zone de très grande diversité biologique nécessitant
un réel effort pour la protection des
espèces qu’il abrite. Par conséquent, de grandes
surfaces du bassin ont été protégées par la créa-
Mots clés : biodiversité végétale, endémisme,
structure des forêts, gestion des écosystèmes,
Akkar-Dounnié, Liban.
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