Importance of Marine Reserve in the Conservation and Protection of Marine Environment: Case of Palm Islands National Reserve, north Lebanon

• Sami Lakkis^* and Vanda Novel-Lakkis ^**
• ^* Section of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University,Beirut,Lebanon ^** Bio-Consultant, Society for Environmental Health and Marine Algae, Byblos, Lebanon.
  E-mail1: slakkis@ul.edu.lb Email2: slakkis@inco.com.lb Web site: www.ul.edu.lb
• The Regional Workshop on Marine Sciences & Natural Resources 25-26 May 2004.

Abstract

Establishing a marine reserve constitutes one of the most important objective for the conservation of marine environment and protection of the marine life. It is an efficient educational tool for training students and young people to respect and protect seashore nature and marine life. We can develop short-term and long-term policy for conservation and integrated coast management. Furthermore, a national reserve may be considered a natural field laboratory and a live museum, where researchers, teachers, naturalists and eco-tourists can found space for studies and survey.

After 20 years of continuous activity and scientific survey, we convinced Lebanese authority to declare Palm Islands, as National Reserve by a parliament low and presidential decree in 1992. These three small uninhabited rocky islands situated at 6 miles offshore Al-Mina, Tripoli, north Lebanon, constitute the only marine reserve on the Levantine coast. Out of a geological forming seven small rocky islands, the largest three: Palm Island, Sanani, and Ramkine, are suitable for a settlement of a marine reserve. They are distant about 800 m from each other and separated by a rocky bottom platform of 10-12 m formed during the Miocene era. The sea floor surrounding the islands is covered with sandy, muddy sediments and gravel. The surface of the islands is respectively: 600 x 400m; 400 x 100 m and 200 x 100 m. The highest point is 10 m above the sea level. The land is swampy with no freshwater springs and no trees, but few small vegetations (flowers and herbs) dominated with typical endemic species such as: Mercurialis annua, Lotus pusillus,Mathiola tricuspida,Cakile maritime,Claucium sp. and Bromis sp.. The islands were classified as International Bird Area by the Life Bird International ; since they constitute a refuge for seabirds and landing station for migratory birds. There is a nesting community for Larus species : L.auduini, L.morinus, L.foscus, L.argentarus, L.canus, L.hyperborus, L.ichtyatus, L.minotus, L.rebidondus and for Sterna .hirunda and S. hybrida. West and SW coasts are of rocky eroded feature and exposed to the strong wind and heavy waves, during winter. Intertidal zone and infralittoral are covered with dense and diversified macroalgae. The East and NE sandy beach are formed at 90% with shells wrecks and organic particules. Temperature of seawter ranges between 16°C in February and 30°C in August. Flora highly diversified includes planktonic microalgae ( 400 species of Phytoplankton) and macroalgae (240 species). Fauna, although poor in biomass, shows a high taxonomic diversity :all groups and species of Zooplankton, Nekton, Fishes, Micro and Macrozoobenthos inhabiting the Levantine Sea are found in this protected area .