The Lebanese Environmental Forum stressed the importance of establishing and activating a national network of marine protected areas, considering it a fundamental pillar for safeguarding marine ecosystems in Lebanon, preserving the country’s natural and cultural coastal heritage, and ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources for present and future generations.
This position was expressed during a visit paid by the President of the Forum, Engineer Malek Ghantous, to the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Mr Fayez Rassamni. The visit was attended by Mr Assad Serhal, Director General of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon and International Advisor to BirdLife International, Mr Rafic Makarem, Director of the Ras El Metn Hima, Mr Jawad Noueihid, Ecotourism Coordinator at the Upper Metn Association for Environment and Sustainable Development, and Brigadier General Dr Hassan Beshroush, Coordinator of the Marine Protected Areas Forum. The meeting was also attended, on behalf of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, by Engineer Mohammad Nahleh, Head of the Lighthouse Maintenance Department and Acting Head of the Installations and Maintenance Directorate, in addition to several members of the Forum and representatives of the relevant public administrations.
During the meeting, the President of the Forum, Engineer Malek Ghantous, delivered a brief presentation on the Marine Protected Areas Network (MPAs) program, which the Forum is developing in cooperation with relevant ministries, public administrations, municipalities, and local associations. The program covers 22 sites along the Lebanese coastline and aims to restore and protect degraded marine ecosystems, conserve marine biodiversity and fish habitats and nurseries, safeguard natural and cultural coastal heritage, reduce sources and risks of marine pollution, and promote the sustainable use of marine resources of environmental, economic, and tourism value.
Minister Rassamni expressed his full support for this approach, commending the role played by the Lebanese Environmental Forum in protecting the marine environment, and emphasizing the importance of joint action to curb pollution and preserve the environmental and economic characteristics of marine biodiversity.
The meeting also resulted in an agreement on the need to prepare a comprehensive scientific and technical dossier on marine sites of high conservation value, including scientific evidence and justifications, as a basis for proposing a ministerial decision to declare marine himas. This step aligns with Lebanon’s commitment to the global 30×30 initiative, which aims to protect 30 percent of land and sea areas by 2030.
The Lebanese Environmental Forum underscored that a network of marine protected areas is not merely a technical measure, but rather a strategic national choice to safeguard environmental and food security, and a key pillar for sustainable development and environmental justice along the Lebanese coast.
