Ecologia Mediterranea

E. SATTOUT, D. LICHAA-EL KHOURY & D. CHOUEITER
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forest assessment reports reveal that approximately
13.3% of forest cover remains (FAO
2010). At present, laws, ministerial decrees,
and resolutions protect most of the forests in
the country. Lebanon has about 67 protected
sites. Having acquired one or more international
designation, each is classified and protected
to a varying degree, Biosphere Reserve,
nature reserves, protected forest, protected
natural sites/landscapes, RAMSAR sites,
World Heritage Sites, and Important Bird
Areas. These designations include 13 officially
established nature reserves that fall
under the stewardship of the Ministry of Environment
(MOE) (MOE 2012). In 2004, the
CDR developed the National Physical Master
Plan of the Lebanese Territories (SDATL).
The Lebanese Council of Ministers recently
approved this master plan (Decree No. 2366-
2/7/2009). The Master Plan designated six
national and regional parks (CDR 2004),
including the national park of the Akkar-Dunniyeh
area. The significance of the Akkar-
Dunniyeh area is that it extends across a large
surface area, sheltering all the country’s forest
types. The park hosts a high level of
endemism and shelters important genetic
resources, including three tree species
recorded in critical biogeographical locations
(southernmost limit) on the western slopes of
the Mount Lebanon mountain chain: Cedrus
libani A. Rich. (Zohary 1982) in the Shouf
Biosphere Reserve; Abies cilicica Boiss. (Alizoti
et al. 2011) in the Horsh Ehden Nature
Reserve, and Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. in
Jabal Moussa (Mount Moses) Biosphere
Reserve (Deirix et al. 1999).
Classified as “hyper-hot candidate” for the
provision of conservation support, a large portion
of the Mediterranean Basin is protected
in parks and reserves (Myers et al. 2000).
Despite the fact that international funding
organizations have supported and implemented
global and regional environmental
agreements in developing countries since the
1970s (Sand 1996; Myers et al. 2000), Eastern
Mediterranean countries continue to experience
pressure, regarding the lack of sustainable
funding mechanisms. In Lebanon, the
foremost support in terms of funding was provided
in mid-1990s to target in situ protection
of biodiversity (UNDP 1997). Since that time,
the government has diligently invested time
and effort toward ensuring best protection and
management practices of nationally and/or
internationally recognized biodiversity
hotspots. Close partnerships between the
MOE, Government Appointed Committees
(GACs), Non-governmental Organizations
(NGOs), and the private sectors at times
helped achieve this objective. It is only
recently (in 2006) that natural parks appeared
on the biodiversity protection stage as well as
on the agenda of international funding agencies.
Funded by the Swiss Development
Agency (SDC), MADA, an NGO, in close
cooperation with the Royal Society for the
Conservation of Nature, Jordan, initiated and
executed the first project, paving the way
toward the establishment of a national park in
the Akkar-Dunniyeh area. In order to better
serve local governances, NGOs and practitioners,
the present study was designed to
gather baseline data and become one of the
major pillars toward establishing the Akkar-
Dunniyeh National Park in the future.
The main objective of this research study was
to assess the floristic richness and forest composition
and structure in the Akkar-Dunniyeh
area, to develop guidelines for land management
and conservation plans, and to frame an
integrated monitoring program. This paper
provides an updated plant checklist; alpha,
gamma, and beta diversity indices; demographic
profiles of the forests; conservation
status of endemic plant species, and a land use
and management map of the Akkar-Dunniyeh
national park.
Study site
The study area is located in both the Akkar
and Dunniyeh regions in North Lebanon. The
region has been subjected to rural expansion
and development, and lumbering as well as to
frequent human-induced forest fires. The
national park has different forest types,
including Pinus brutia Ten.; mixed Cedrus
libani A. Rich; Abies cilicica Ant. & Ky.;
Juniperus excelsa Willd. and J. foetidissima
Willd.; Quercus infectoria Oliv.; Quercus calliprinos
Webb., and relic stand of Quercus
cerris L. It extends over a large surface area
(22000 ha), embracing four vegetation zones:
Eu-mediterranean, Supra-Mediterranean,
Montane Mediterranean, and Oro-Mediterranean
(Abi Saleh & Safi 1988).
ecologia mediterranea – Vol. 38 (2) – 2012