Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve
Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve | |
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Map of Lebanon | |
Location | Chouf District, Lebanon |
Coordinates | 33°41′39.25″N 35°42′07.63″E / 33.6942361°N 35.7021194°E |
Area | 550 km2 (210 sq mi) |
Established | 1996 |
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Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Chouf and Aley districts of Lebanon. It is located on the slopes of Jebel Baruk mountain and has an area of 550 km2 (210 sq mi), nearly 5.3% of the Lebanese territory, making it the largest natural reserve in Lebanon.
The reserve contains the
Geodiversity
The Barouk mountain comprises rocks from the
The highest peak on the range at 1,980 metres (6,500 ft). The trend from north to south is for the eastern slopes to change from very steep to less steep and for the western slopes to become increasingly steep. The top of the Barouk range becomes increasingly narrow towards the south.
- Hydrology:
Precipitation in the watershed is the source of both surface streamflow and groundwater. The major portion of this occurs as rain. Snowfall often occurs at the upper elevations but snow seldom persists more than a few days and disappears before the end of the rainy season. Normally snow has little overall direct effect on stream-flow within the watershed. However, on rare occasions warm rains falling on the snow-pack may result in rapid melting and release of large quantities of water at a time when the soils are already fully saturated. These conditions result in rapid runoff and floods. A large proportion of the exposed surface rock in the Barouk region is cavernous, fissured and broken limestone, and its porous condition makes it very permeable. This results in much of the precipitation infiltrating with minimum surface runoff despite the often-shallow soils and sparse vegetative cover. Water percolates downward through the various formations and feeds the many large springs found on lower slopes in the area. Such springs help maintain stream-flow during the April to November dry season. Surface water flows originating on the range are mostly seasonal but some are perennial. Underground water generates outflow rivers such as: - Al Awali River, more commonly known as Al-Barouk river - Damour River, known as Al-Safa river The summit of the range is considered as a divide between two hydrological systems because of the difference between the two slopes of the mountain. The eastern slope is much steeper and favors surface stream flows, whereas the western slope is less steep and favors ground water aquifers. The rivers that flow in the valleys are the major source of agriculture irrigation and supply a dozen Shouf villages with domestic water and some of the western Bekaa villages. It is also the main source of water for the
- Pedology:
- Homogenous, belonging to the red brown Mediterranean soils formed on hard marl limestone.
- derived from Jurassic, Balthonian, Callovian to Oxfordien - Portlandian marl limestone.
- Stone contents ranges from 80 - 90%.
From an erosion point of view these soils are in a state of equilibrium due to:
- High permeability.
- Mask of calcareous fragments.
- Good vegetative cover.
- Good drainage.
- Climatology:
The annual rainfall average is 1,200 mm (47 in), and the mean annual temperature is 11.3 °C (52.3 °F). The mean daily maximum temperature is 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in August whereas the mean minimum temperature in January is −0.6 °C (30.9 °F). The absolute temperature ranges from −10.8 °C (12.6 °F) in January to 32.3 °C (90.1 °F) in August. The mean relative humidity lies around 65% but the eastern slopes are slightly drier. There are about 50 to 55 days of snow fall per year, depending on the information provided by the Ministry of Public Work and Transport.
Biodiversity
- Flora
The flora of the Al-Shouf Cedar area is partly covered by Mouterde's 1966, 1970 and 1983 flora of Lebanon. The most recent and extensive botanical researches on the official site were conducted, on behalf of the Ministry of Environment (Protected Areas Project), by (Georges Tohmé) the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) in 1999. Since then extremely few flora reports on the official site were published or known. Tohmé continued his field botanical studies at Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve during the last three years in order to obtain confirmation on the status of certain species. His recent new findings are published in Tohmé, G. & Tohmé, H. (2002). Few of them are incorporated here and the others will be added to the final report of the present study-project. The list of Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve species includes 500 identified species distributed over 61 families. Also the reserve is habitat to 25 internationally and nationally threatened species, 48 endemic to Lebanon or Lebanon and Syria or Lebanon and Turkey, and 14 rare species, whilst 214 species are restricted to the Eastern Mediterranean or Middle East area.
The reserve is also home to 24 tree species, of which some are found in
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Kermes oak
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Calabrian pine
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Aleppo pine (picture from France)
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Stone pine
- Fauna
Mammals: Mammal explorations in Lebanon were limited until around the middle of the twentieth century. They are fragmentary and provided little information on the mammals inhabiting the country. Many species and subspecies were not yet recorded for Lebanon till the 1970s. Between 1980 and 1985, Tohmé, G. and Tohmé, H. alone produced 33% of the known published papers on the Lebanese mammals. The only documented data of the mammals of Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve apparently appeared in the report of Tohmé, H. that was prepared, on behalf of the Protected Areas Project at the Ministry of Environment, in 1999 by the NCSR. This report, which was based on inventory and surveys as well as brochures and other documents developed by the managing team of the reserve, produced a list of 32 mammals which include:
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Wild boar
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Nubian ibex
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Wild goat
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Gray wolf
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Caracal
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Golden jackal
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Persian fallow deer
Birds: The reserve is home to 200 species of birds, of which 19 are considered rare at the national level. More than 22 species have been confirmed to be resident, the rest are migratory or rare visitors, and at least two or three species have been introduced. The reserve holds a combination of birds found in
Two species at least have been introduced to the shouf area for hunting and expanded their range into the reserve, the two species are:
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Chukar
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Common pheasant (male)
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Eurasian jay (but not ssp. atricapillus, which occurs in Lebanon)
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Blackbird (male)
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Common kestrel (male)
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Golden eagle
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European goldfinch
Reptiles and amphibians: Al-shouf cedar reserve is home to a rich variety of reptiles, 26 species were documented with two species endemic to
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Palestinian viper
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Mediterranean chameleon
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Greek tortoise
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European copper skink
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Common toad
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Green toad
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Near Eastern fire salamander
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Hyla savignyi tree frog
Cultural heritage
- The cedars:
The
- Historic cultural sites:
The setting of the Shouf is a nexus of many cultures, religions, and historical events, all of which have left an imprint which makes the area's cultural heritage as rich as its
- Qalaat Niha:
The cave castle of Tyron Niha relates to one of the closing episodes of Prince
- El Nabi Ayoub:
A feretory was built on the hill above the village of Niha to honor Job's memory and hold his relics. Ayoub is the Arabic name of the
- Qab Elias Castle:
This once powerful
- Mazar El Sit Cha'wane:
El Sit Cha'wane is a famous figure in the Druze religion. Like Job in the Old Testament, she was held up as a model of virtue and devotion. A feretory was erected in her name.