Lebanon possesses approximately 15 legally designated protected areas covering roughly 27,000 hectares, representing less than 3 percent of the country's total land area of 10,452 square kilometers. The Ministry of Environment administers these reserves under Law 121/1992, though enforcement capacity remains limited due to funding constraints and political instability. Most protected areas were established between 1992 and 2010, with subsequent designations slowed by institutional paralysis during Lebanon's economic collapse after 2019.
The Chouf Cedar Reserve encompasses 55,000 dunums (5,500 hectares) across the Chouf, Aley, and Jezzine districts in the Mount Lebanon range. Established in 1996 through Decree 532, this reserve protects the largest remaining cedar forests in Lebanon, containing approximately 25 percent of the country's surviving Cedrus libani trees. The reserve extends from Dahr el-Baidar at 1,150 meters elevation to Jabal Barouk at 1,850 meters. Three separate cedar forests exist within the reserve boundaries: Maasser el-Chouf forest contains roughly 200,000 trees across 600 hectares, Barouk forest holds approximately 350,000 trees across 500 hectares, and Ain Zhalta-Bmahray forest includes around 400,000 trees across 700 hectares. The reserve management operates from headquarters in Ain Zhalta village and employs approximately 50 local residents as rangers and administrative staff under the Al Shouf Cedar Society, a Lebanese environmental NGO founded in 1996. Visitor facilities include four marked hiking trails ranging from 3 to 14 kilometers, three guesthouses with 40 total beds, and an interpretation center opened in 2005. The reserve recorded approximately 35,000 visitors in 2019 before the economic crisis reduced tourism infrastructure maintenance.
The Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab) occupy approximately 102 hectares near Bcharre town in northern Lebanon at elevations between 1,900 and 2,300 meters. This grove contains an estimated 375 individual cedar trees, including 12 specimens believed to exceed 1,000 years in age based on dendrochronological studies conducted by the Lebanese American University in 2003. UNESCO designated the site as part of the Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God World Heritage Site in 1998. The oldest documented tree, labeled Lamartine Tree after French poet Alphonse de Lamartine who visited in 1832, measures 4.8 meters in trunk diameter. A stone wall constructed in 1878 under Patriarch Elias Peter Hoayek surrounds the core grove to prevent livestock grazing. The site receives approximately 80,000 visitors annually, generating significant soil compaction that threatens shallow root systems. The Lebanese Ministry of Environment initiated a management plan in 2010 requiring boardwalk construction to direct foot traffic, though implementation stalled due to funding shortfalls. Winter snow typically closes road access from December through March.
Tannourine Cedar Reserve covers 5,920 hectares in northern Mount Lebanon, designated in 1999 through Decree 7955. The reserve protects approximately 60,000 cedar trees across 600 hectares, representing the second-largest concentration after Chouf. Elevations range from 1,200 meters at Nahr el-Joz valley to 2,000 meters at Qornet es Saouda. The management authority, implemented by the Lebanese Reforestation Initiative NGO since 2000, operates an ecolodge with 15 rooms and maintains 25 kilometers of marked hiking trails. A notable feature is the Balaa sinkhole (Baatara Gorge Waterfall), where Daoura River plunges 255 meters through three natural bridges formed in Jurassic limestone. The reserve staff conducts cedar seedling production at a nursery established in 2002, generating approximately 15,000 saplings yearly for reforestation efforts. Income from ecotourism activities contributed roughly $120,000 USD annually to reserve operations before 2019, but visitor numbers declined by approximately 70 percent during subsequent economic instability.
Palm Islands Reserve (Mehriyet el Nakhil) encompasses three Mediterranean islands—Sanani Island, Ramkine Island, and Palm Island proper—totaling 20 hectares located 5.5 kilometers northwest of Tripoli. Declared a protected area in 1992 under Decree 4325, the reserve serves as Lebanon's only marine protected area with coastal buffer zones. The islands support nesting populations of Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii), with surveys by the MEDMARAVIS project documenting approximately 40 breeding pairs in 2015. Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) historically inhabited surrounding waters but have not been confirmed since 1978. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) occasionally nest on sandy beaches between May and July. The reserve authority prohibits public access except for authorized research, enforced by Lebanese Army coastal patrols. Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows covering approximately 15 hectares exist in waters surrounding the islands, though coverage declined by an estimated 30 percent between 1995 and 2015 due to sewage discharge from Tripoli's untreated wastewater.
Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve occupies 1,580 hectares on the western slopes of Mount Makmel in northern Lebanon, established in 1992 through Decree 121. The reserve protects 1,038 identified plant species, representing approximately 39 percent of Lebanon's documented flora. Elevations span from 1,200 to 2,000 meters across microclimates ranging from Mediterranean maquis to subalpine vegetation. The site contains approximately 40,000 cedar trees alongside significant populations of Cilician fir (Abies cilicica), Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), and Lebanon oak (Quercus libani). The reserve management, administered by the Friends of Horsh Ehden NGO since 1992, operates a field station established in 1994 providing dormitory accommodation for researchers. Documented fauna includes 32 mammal species—striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena), jungle cats (Felis chaus), and Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus)—and 156 bird species including breeding populations of Syrian serin (Serinus syriacus), endemic to the Levant region. A comprehensive biodiversity survey completed by the American University of Beirut in 2005 identified 47 species occurring nowhere else in Lebanon. The reserve maintains 12 marked trails totaling 35 kilometers, with trail maps available at the entrance station near Ehden village.
Bentael Nature Reserve encompasses 100 hectares in Jbeil District at elevations between 1,100 and 1,250 meters, designated in 2010 through Decree 8189. This comparatively recent designation protects Mediterranean maquis and Quercus calliprinos oak woodland rather than high-altitude cedar forests. The reserve serves primarily as a biodiversity research site administered by the Lebanese University Faculty of Sciences, which established a field laboratory in 2012. Documented species include 267 plant species, 82 bird species, and 21 butterfly species catalogued during surveys between 2010 and 2015. The management plan emphasizes passive conservation with minimal visitor infrastructure—no marked trails or accommodations exist within reserve boundaries. Access requires permission from the reserve authority, typically granted only to academic researchers. This model reflects limited funding availability; the annual operating budget approximates $15,000 USD derived entirely from Lebanese University allocations.