LebEnv #15-Supplement

NATIONAL PARKS OF LEBANON-LATEST!

Good news from Lebanon! In LebEnv #15, NATIONAL PARKS OF LEBANON, I listed areas that were being proposed as National Parks, including several that would protect groves of Cedar of Lebanon. I have just found out that Minister of Agriculture Shawki Fakhouri designated (sometime in October) the cedar forests of Bsharreh, Jaj, and Tannourin/Hadath el-Jebbeh as national reserves (which I think is synonymous with national parks). Not bad for such a young government! Let's hope we see more such good news concerning the protection of Lebanon's natural environment.

Also, Nazih G. Noujaim wrote to complement me on the article, but pointed out that the "Barouk" cedars are actually in Maasser el-Chouf and not in Barouk. He mentioned that a year ago, TeleLiban said that the antenna was on Jabal Barouk ; this was followed by a big campaign by the residents of the Maasser to clarify that the antenna is actually in Jabal el-Maasser. The word "Barouk" seems to have overtaken the area correctly known as Maasser el-Chouf.

(See photographs from some of the areas mentioned above.)