Environment: Lebanon’ sea is a “marine biodiversity hotspot” that must be protected

Source: Pexels

With around 1500 marine species and hundreds under threat of extinction, Lebanese coastlines and their waters should get better attention and enhanced protection. Andre Kammoun, a researcher at the Institute of Environment at the University of Balamand and a team member of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project that aims at updating the ICZM draft law and strategy, explains why Lebanon is such a biodiversity hotspot, what the main threats are and how to protect its biodiversity.

“In the last 20 years we gained a lot of knowledge about marine biodiversity in Lebanon, a sea hosting a great number of species. However, many of these species are under threat, so we need to protect and preserve them, and therefore, protect their natural environment”, says Andre Kammoun.

Knowledge is unfortunately not always followed by action. “Nowadays, some people have the knowledge but do not act, some decide to act as in the case of some environmental NGOs, while some do not have the knowledge and refuse to learn, which is leading to the many problems and challenges we are facing.”

Among the problems/challenges referred to by the expert are the investments made along the coast to build resorts or other types of constructions, thus destroying the natural habitats on the shore. Another major factor affecting marine biodiversity is pollution on the coast. “In many places, the water near the shore is discoloured because of all the waste thrown into it, while it becomes blue in deeper seas. Solid waste for example is a major problem in estuaries and shallow areas.”

As for fisheries, they are affected by illegal fishing practices such as the use of dynamite or small size nets (that capture even the youngest fish) and by the absence of proper management of the sector by national authorities. Invasive species coming from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, such as puffer fish species, are also becoming a common problem in Lebanese waters.

On an administrative level, control over destructive practices on the coast is still very weak and not taken seriously.

Asked about the number of species threatened, Andre Kammoun says we have around 1500 marine species in our waters such as plankton, fish, cetaceans, amphibians, reptiles, birds, turtles etc., with many of them requiring special attention. “When we talk about protecting marine biodiversity, it means protecting the sea but also the shorelines”, he adds.

One of those iconic threatened species that were protected through plans and now their numbers have recovered are marine turtles. In Tyre (South Lebanon), their habitat is protected, and nests are still seen every year, while in Akkar (far north), where the lack of knowledge and protection has most likely led to their disappearance from these beaches.

Another example given by Mr. Kammoun is that of vermetid platforms. These are biogenic reefs formed by the accumulation and cementation of vermetid snail shells, found particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, considered as being on the frontline for protection against sea storms and habitats for spawning and for juveniles. As those natural platforms are disappearing, and storms are projected to increase due to climate change, the illegal and legal encroachments that lead to their destruction will be the first impacted.

Many challenges ahead due to global warming

  Climate change is the major factor that will affect the future of the coastline, and its consequences are already visible. According to Antoine Waked, climate change specialist and one of the experts working on the draft law and strategy, scientific findings show that global warming is already visible in the Mediterranean in general, and Lebanon in particular, and its projected effects are devastating.

Some of these consequences, summarized by Antoine Waked, include an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases (responsible of global warming) by 6% yearly since 1994, a sea level rise by 1.4 mm per year during the 20th century, an increase of 1.6 to 2.2 degrees of the atmospheric and sea-surface temperature by 2050-2100, compared to the reference period of 1986-2020, a decrease of the precipitation level trend for the period of 1950-2020 (0.53 mm per decade), as well as an expected increase in droughts and heatwaves. On the Lebanese coast, Antoine Waked raises the issues of coastal erosion that could lead to a loss of beaches and habitats, the degradation of infrastructures as a result of coastal flooding and inundation, and losses in agriculture areas and crop yields. There will also be problems linked to access to fresh water for drinking and irrigation, and to the salinization of coastal aquifers (due to the intrusion of seawater in underground fresh water), knowing that aquifers are Lebanon’s main water resources. On a social level, there will be increased demand for cooling and drinking water due to high temperatures.

An inclusive strategy covering many sectors

  To address all those issues, Andre Kammoun believes enforcing laws is essential, although the existing laws don’t always cover the whole spectrum of environmental protection. “The existing laws, notably laws 444 (environmental code) and 130 (protected areas), do not take into consideration the preservation of environmental marine species, which leads to the loss of species that flee towards other shores”, he says. “Lebanese waters are also known to be a migration route for Cetaceans – whales and dolphins – so we need to protect them from dangers such as being hit by boats, and to protect their habitats”, he adds.

According to the scientist, in order to ensure an efficient protection of marine biodiversity, strategies are needed in different sectors, such as organizing the maritime public domain for example. “We need an integrated coastal zone management based on planning and on actionable recommendations that are adapted to the Lebanese situation and geography, and that could be enforced by the government with the support of NGOs and the academic sector”, he says, and the planning should take climate change effects into consideration. One of those measures, according to Antoine Waked, is to introduce a buffer zone on the shoreline where no construction is allowed. For a better protection of coastal habitats, “the creation of a network of coastal marine reserves is critical for the rehabilitation and preservation of more than 30 remarkable sites, among them sandy beaches, a certain number of rocks and cliffs, freshwater springs, etc.”.

The climate change specialist thinks that guidelines, policies and recommendations should be issued by relevant authorities in order to move the sources of pollution away from the shoreline, but also to use engineering techniques along the coast (sea walls, dykes…) to protect it from high waters and sea storms and limit the impacts of erosion.

To combat coastal flooding and inundation, sea water intrusion and impact on coastal activities, Antoine Waked recommends measures such as identifying vulnerable sites, reinforcing data collection and cooperation between relevant institutions, developing awareness and alternative solutions when possible, introducing early warning systems, and developing financing mechanisms to help the most vulnerable populations when needed.