The Daily Star
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KESROUAN, Lebanon: Shooting up from the gentle hills below, and peaking well above the clouds and coastal summer haze, the slopes of Jabal Moussa may be one of Lebanon’s less renowned touristic attractions but nonetheless promise to be one of its greatest.
Now entering the preliminary stages of what is hoped will become a flourishing ecotourism scheme, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization biosphere reserve, is working to position itself at the heart of the growing industry, helping local communities benefit from the beauty of their surroundings, rather than just the mineral compounds waiting to be mined beneath the ground.
The necessity to preserve the retreat becomes abundantly clear as one drives up the long, windy road to the protected area, which is scattered with illegal quarrying sites that have eaten away at the mountain, marking a jagged border of where man’s incessant struggle for perceived progress has once again clashed with nature.
The Baidar al-Shawk entrance too is littered with multicolored hunting cartridges, a constant eyesore across much of Lebanon’s green spaces that has been purposefully left near Jabal Moussa by activists, keen to highlight hunting’s devastating impact on the environment.
Rather than distracting from the reserve’s beauty, however, the troubles on its borders only enhance its charm, which becomes apparent in a matter of minutes as one begins the sharp ascent up the rocky path and is teleported – albeit with some sweating and panting – into one of Lebanon’s richest biodiversity zones, seemingly miles and millennia away from reality.
“Each time I pass this turn I stop and stare in amazement,” said Rana al-Hajj, biosphere reserve manager with the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa, which has been working to preserve the area since 2007.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I come up here, I never stop being impressed by the area’s diversity. It can be enjoyed virtually year-round and is always changing with the seasons … tourism only really dips during the two or three snow-covered months.”
Home to 700 different plant species, 26 of which are endemic to Lebanon and four of which are unique to Jabal Moussa, the reserve offers something new, even for the experienced hiker or conservationalist.
It houses rare spectacles like the Mar Geryes monastery – erected in the 14th century but still used by locals to commemorate mass on St. George’s Day, on April 23 – and has a rich history dating back to Roman times, including an inscription reserving four tree types for the personal use of Emperor Hadrian (76 – 138 A.D.) and allotting the rest for the people.
“The command is seen as one of the first manifestations of forest conservation in Lebanon,” said Layal Boustany, a Jabal Moussa trail guide.
“Although, of course, it was not introduced out of environmental concerns, like what we are trying to do today,” she says, as she guides groups of visitors along the various mountain trails dissecting the 6,500 hectare reserve that peaks at some 1,700 meters above sea level and plunges all the way down to 350 meters on its western range and 500 meters on its northern edge, bordering the Ibrahim River.
Environmental issues, however, are unfortunately high on the agenda, with the rising summer heat getting noticeably worse every year as the knock-on effects of global warming take hold.
“We used to have normal temperatures but the last few years have been just crazy,” said Boustany, who also blames the heat for the alarming number of dying Juniper trees, which are sensitive to climate and need humidity to survive.
“When I was a child we saw snow practically every winter but now it is getting rarer and rarer.”
The escalating climatic pressures only further impresses the urgency in getting the local community and the public at large on board with sustainable practices.
Boustany, currently completing her master’s degree in environmental sciences, was one of the first guides to be recruited by the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa last year. Like her fellow guides, she comes from one of reserve’s neighboring villages, which are seen as an integral part of the area’s conservation and development strategy.
“We are working to protect this for the local community and for them to have a better quality of life,” said Hajj. “It’s not just for us to look at. It’s for the local households to benefit from their surroundings.”
Under the incoming ecotourism package, organized by the association, four new trail guides will be added to accompany the current team of four guides and the five guards, who chaperone visitors to ensure they inflict only minimal damage on the environment and navigate the tricky trails safely.
A kiosk selling souvenirs, such as handicrafts and foodstuffs made by local women, is also planned, as is the introduction of several makeshift restaurants and guesthouses where locals will host visitors in their own homes and offer home-cooked meals and a much-needed reprieve for trekkers after a long day’s hiking.
Hada Nader, from the village of Mshati, epitomizes this budding potential of fusing conservation with business, and has already benefitted from the slow, but steady, flow of tourists who she caters for on her large terrace and lavishes with trays of traditional Lebanese dishes.
Her daughter Elsie, a guide, and husband Nazih, a guard, are also employed by the association, which means much in an area where jobs are scarce and where the lack of opportunities pushes ever-growing numbers of young people down to the cities, while prompting some landowners to illegally extract sand from their plots at huge cost to the environment.
“Many of the reactions from the locals we have had to our work have been positive, and many others are starting to come around as they realize that they can directly benefit from the tourism and the beauty of their surroundings,” said Hajj.
“We are only really beginning with the [community outreach] project but as soon as local residents see their relatives are getting work and benefitting, they stop being weary. We are really excited about the future,” the reserve’s manager added.
Now entering the preliminary stages of what is hoped will become a flourishing ecotourism scheme, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization biosphere reserve, is working to position itself at the heart of the growing industry, helping local communities benefit from the beauty of their surroundings, rather than just the mineral compounds waiting to be mined beneath the ground.
The necessity to preserve the retreat becomes abundantly clear as one drives up the long, windy road to the protected area, which is scattered with illegal quarrying sites that have eaten away at the mountain, marking a jagged border of where man’s incessant struggle for perceived progress has once again clashed with nature.
The Baidar al-Shawk entrance too is littered with multicolored hunting cartridges, a constant eyesore across much of Lebanon’s green spaces that has been purposefully left near Jabal Moussa by activists, keen to highlight hunting’s devastating impact on the environment.
Rather than distracting from the reserve’s beauty, however, the troubles on its borders only enhance its charm, which becomes apparent in a matter of minutes as one begins the sharp ascent up the rocky path and is teleported – albeit with some sweating and panting – into one of Lebanon’s richest biodiversity zones, seemingly miles and millennia away from reality.
“Each time I pass this turn I stop and stare in amazement,” said Rana al-Hajj, biosphere reserve manager with the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa, which has been working to preserve the area since 2007.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I come up here, I never stop being impressed by the area’s diversity. It can be enjoyed virtually year-round and is always changing with the seasons … tourism only really dips during the two or three snow-covered months.”
Home to 700 different plant species, 26 of which are endemic to Lebanon and four of which are unique to Jabal Moussa, the reserve offers something new, even for the experienced hiker or conservationalist.
It houses rare spectacles like the Mar Geryes monastery – erected in the 14th century but still used by locals to commemorate mass on St. George’s Day, on April 23 – and has a rich history dating back to Roman times, including an inscription reserving four tree types for the personal use of Emperor Hadrian (76 – 138 A.D.) and allotting the rest for the people.
“The command is seen as one of the first manifestations of forest conservation in Lebanon,” said Layal Boustany, a Jabal Moussa trail guide.
“Although, of course, it was not introduced out of environmental concerns, like what we are trying to do today,” she says, as she guides groups of visitors along the various mountain trails dissecting the 6,500 hectare reserve that peaks at some 1,700 meters above sea level and plunges all the way down to 350 meters on its western range and 500 meters on its northern edge, bordering the Ibrahim River.
Environmental issues, however, are unfortunately high on the agenda, with the rising summer heat getting noticeably worse every year as the knock-on effects of global warming take hold.
“We used to have normal temperatures but the last few years have been just crazy,” said Boustany, who also blames the heat for the alarming number of dying Juniper trees, which are sensitive to climate and need humidity to survive.
“When I was a child we saw snow practically every winter but now it is getting rarer and rarer.”
The escalating climatic pressures only further impresses the urgency in getting the local community and the public at large on board with sustainable practices.
Boustany, currently completing her master’s degree in environmental sciences, was one of the first guides to be recruited by the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa last year. Like her fellow guides, she comes from one of reserve’s neighboring villages, which are seen as an integral part of the area’s conservation and development strategy.
“We are working to protect this for the local community and for them to have a better quality of life,” said Hajj. “It’s not just for us to look at. It’s for the local households to benefit from their surroundings.”
Under the incoming ecotourism package, organized by the association, four new trail guides will be added to accompany the current team of four guides and the five guards, who chaperone visitors to ensure they inflict only minimal damage on the environment and navigate the tricky trails safely.
A kiosk selling souvenirs, such as handicrafts and foodstuffs made by local women, is also planned, as is the introduction of several makeshift restaurants and guesthouses where locals will host visitors in their own homes and offer home-cooked meals and a much-needed reprieve for trekkers after a long day’s hiking.
Hada Nader, from the village of Mshati, epitomizes this budding potential of fusing conservation with business, and has already benefitted from the slow, but steady, flow of tourists who she caters for on her large terrace and lavishes with trays of traditional Lebanese dishes.
Her daughter Elsie, a guide, and husband Nazih, a guard, are also employed by the association, which means much in an area where jobs are scarce and where the lack of opportunities pushes ever-growing numbers of young people down to the cities, while prompting some landowners to illegally extract sand from their plots at huge cost to the environment.
“Many of the reactions from the locals we have had to our work have been positive, and many others are starting to come around as they realize that they can directly benefit from the tourism and the beauty of their surroundings,” said Hajj.
“We are only really beginning with the [community outreach] project but as soon as local residents see their relatives are getting work and benefitting, they stop being weary. We are really excited about the future,” the reserve’s manager added.
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