Natural Reserves

Green Southerners’ Vision for Nature Reserves

The Green Southerners Organisation views the protection of natural habitats as the cornerstone of its broader approach to restoring wilderness and safeguarding biodiversity in Lebanon. The organisation adopts the principle of rewilding as a foundational concept guiding its work, considering it an essential framework for rebuilding ecological processes, supporting natural regeneration, and restoring the integrity of threatened ecosystems.

Natural Heritage
The organisation considers natural heritage to include forests and woodland areas, rivers and springs, wetlands, coastal zones, the sea, and the full set of wild species that form the ecological systems of Lebanon. Particular attention is given to threatened species such as marine turtles, the Mediterranean monk seal, the wolf Canis lupus, the striped hyena Hyaena hyaena, and the golden jackal Canis aureus. The organisation’s priorities include supporting natural forest regeneration, reforestation, establishing protected areas, and assessing the feasibility of reintroducing species that have disappeared, based on scientific evaluation and precise ecological conditions. Protecting this heritage is viewed as an ethical and knowledge-based responsibility that ensures the sustainability of resources and supports rural and coastal communities.

A Framework for Designing and Managing Nature Reserves
The organisation’s approach to nature reserves begins with comprehensive environmental surveys that document vegetation, wildlife, hydrology, geology, and habitat status. This is followed by scientific assessment, which identifies conservation priorities, evaluates ecosystem health, and determines the management interventions needed to protect or restore ecological functions.

Within this framework, the Nature Reserves Program plays a central role because it provides legal recognition and protection to ecologically significant habitats or landscapes. Granting a site legal status establishes regulatory safeguards, supports structured management, and enables long-term monitoring and enforcement. It also strengthens the ecological and institutional foundations needed for conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services.

Green Southerners seek to develop a coherent network of protected areas in South Lebanon, including coastal, terrestrial, and riverine ecosystems such as Abbasiya Beach, Adloun, and Wadi Zebqine. This network contributes to maintaining ecological connectivity, reducing habitat fragmentation, and enhancing resilience to climate pressures. Through this vision, the organisation positions nature reserves as instruments for ecological stability, community well-being, and the protection of Lebanon’s remaining natural heritage for future generations.