In a region often defined by its political turbulence and urban sprawl, Lebanon’s natural riches along the Mediterranean coastline continue to inspire a quieter yet no less critical revolution—one rooted in evidence, driven by science, and championed by communities. At the heart of this transformation lies the effort to establish a Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Network, not only along coastal waters but also at the crucial juncture where rivers meet the sea: Lebanon’s estuaries.
This story follows the evolution of that vision, as documented in recent baseline assessments led by the Marine and Coastal Resources Program (MCR) at the Institute of the Environment (IOE), University of Balamand, in partnership with the Lebanese Environment Forum (LEF) and with support from the European Union.
🌍 Why Estuaries Matter: Nature’s Hidden Frontlines
Estuaries—semi-enclosed zones where freshwater rivers mix with saltwater from the sea—are among the most fertile, life-supporting ecosystems on Earth. In Lebanon, five estuaries were proposed for protection in the 2012 Marine Protected Area Strategy: Litani, Awaly, Damour, Nahr Ibrahim, and Arida.
These areas are not just biologically significant; they are the foundation of community resilience. They nourish fisheries, sustain livelihoods, provide flood control, and filter pollutants before they reach the sea. Yet they remain among the most vulnerable ecological frontiers—routinely degraded by pollution, dam disruption, unregulated development, and climate impacts.
🔍 A Scientific First: Estuaries Under the Microscope
In 2024, the University of Balamand completed Lebanon’s first comprehensive baseline assessment of these five estuaries. Each site was evaluated for its biodiversity, water quality, pollution levels, and vulnerability to human and climatic pressures.
Highlights from the field:
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Litani Estuary (Qasmiyeh) is critical for marine turtles, seagrasses, and juvenile fish, but suffers from severe contamination due to industrial and agricultural runoff from the Bekaa Valley. It is also disrupted by the Qaraoun Dam, Lebanon’s largest artificial reservoir.
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Awaly Estuary shelters species like the endangered European eel and Eurasian otter, but is undermined by upstream sand extraction, sewage pollution, and a stalled dam project in Bisri.
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Damour Estuary shows high ecological value with sightings of the endangered green sea turtle, but is vulnerable to toxic algal blooms and sediment disruption from twin dams upstream and downstream.
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Nahr Ibrahim, steeped in mythology and rich in diatom and mollusc diversity, is ecologically precious yet burdened by uncontrolled construction, hydropower dams, and sediment erosion.
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El Kabir-Areeda Estuary, Lebanon’s northernmost, benefits from limited damming on the Lebanese side but is heavily influenced by Syrian upstream developments. Despite its pristine habitats and endemic mussel species, it lacks formal protection.
🧭 Mapping the Gaps: Challenges to Declaration
While these estuaries have immense conservation value, the assessment revealed critical gaps in governance, legal clarity, scientific data, and inter-ministerial coordination. Currently, estuaries fall into a bureaucratic no-man’s land—managed simultaneously by the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Energy and Water.
Moreover, none of the estuaries currently enjoy full legal protection as MPAs, despite their listing in the 2012 strategy. Without this formal status, these ecosystems remain vulnerable to unchecked development, water abstraction, and pollution.
📢 A New Call to Action
The authors of the report call for immediate policy reform to:
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Officially declare the five estuarine sites as Marine Protected Areas under Lebanese law.
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Harmonize governance across ministries.
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Launch robust community-based monitoring programs.
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Enforce river-to-sea environmental impact assessments.
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Integrate estuaries into Lebanon’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They also recommend applying for Ramsar designation, as many estuarine wetlands qualify as internationally important under the Convention on Wetlands.
💧 Rivers, Rights, and Resilience
Lebanon’s rivers, long mythologized in culture and scripture, are now at the heart of an environmental crossroads. With rising pollution and mismanagement upstream, estuaries are becoming the first casualties—and last sentinels—of a system under siege.
But through data-driven advocacy, community engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, Lebanon can turn the tide. Protecting estuaries is not just about preserving water and wildlife. It’s about defending the confluence between nature and nationhood, between upstream decisions and downstream destinies.
The path forward is clear: integrate estuaries into the national MPA network, and in doing so, redefine marine protection not as an oceanic abstraction, but as a land-to-sea commitment that starts in the hills and ends at the horizon.
The full report is available at http://www.lbeforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Estuaries-MCR-IOE-UOB.pdf
Read the report
Estuaries-MCR-IOE-UOB
