Wednesday, July 26, 2024, On the occasion of the Palm Islands Nature Reserve 2024 visitors’ opening season, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environment, the Embassy of Italy in Lebanon and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) handed over of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to the nature reserve. This boat is essential for enhancing the reserve's management and monitoring capabilities, ensuring better protection of its diverse ecosystems, including endangered species and migratory birds, thereby supporting its conservation and promoting sustainable ecotourism while allowing a better law enforcement.

According to Framework Law 130 of 2019 on Protected Areas, nature reserves are terrestrial or marine zones where nature conservation measures are established to protect ecosystems, habitats, or organisms of particular importance. Nature reserves are established by law and are supervised by the Ministry of Environment.
To preserve the resilience of nature reserves in Lebanon, as articulated in the Ministry of Environment’s 2016 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, UNDP, with funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), has developed the Step4Nature project. Implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, this project aims to safeguard, enhance, and improve nature reserves in Lebanon, including coastal and marine protected areas from institutional, socio-economic and technical perspectives. Since Palm Islands Nature Reserve lacks transportation means for its management committee to reach the islands from the Tripoli shore, it hinders the proper implementation of its management plan, daily activities during the summer season, and biodiversity monitoring. To address this, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) equipped with an Outboard Motor (OBM) has been provided for the Palm Islands Nature Reserve Management Committee. This boat will facilitate access to the islands for management and monitoring purposes, enabling the committee to better protect the biodiversity of the reserve, maintain its international designations, and improve law enforcement.

Additionally, a guided tour from the Tripoli shore to Palm Islands Nature Reserve was organized by boat following the handover ceremony. This tour allowed attendees to discover this unique and rare coastal and island ecosystem in Lebanon and highlighted the importance of coastal ecosystems.

The event was attended by the Minister of environment, H.E. Dr. Nasser Yassin, who stated that “Since its establishment in 1993, the ministry of environment has been protecting natural habitats and endemic and endangered species based on legislative mandates (namely the latest Framework Law of Protected areas, Law 130 dated April 2019). Protected areas are not isolated islands; they are interconnected through ecological corridors, creating a continuous network of conservation. Lebanon should designate more protected areas to meet its 30/30 targets, ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our natural ecosystems. Nature Reserves, such as Palm Islands Nature Reserve, are vital biodiversity “hotspot” for Lebanese Fauna and Flora, yet most vulnerable and should be given priority for protection.” — Dr. Nasser Yassin

“Italy is home to many protected areas, with the first National Park being established over 100 years ago and the first Marine NP in 1986 and this long experience is the source of a vast expertise in the management of protected areas and their natural resources. (…) This project is the perfect example of the commitment of Italy in preserving natural resources and protected areas, especially during these last critical years for Lebanon, which saw a sensible increase in pressure on natural areas and resources.
The intervention on the Palm Islands will allow local and international tourists to experience this beautiful reserve, its plants and its animals in an environmentally sustainable manner, reducing to a minimum the impact of tourism, a major cause of environmental degradation in natural areas.” — H.E. The Ambassador of Italy in Lebanon Fabrizio Marcelli

“Lebanon is a party to several international and regional treaties and conventions related to biodiversity conservation for maintaining functional, balanced and healthy biodiversity ecosystems. The degradation and loss of biodiversity presents a real risk, not only to our climate, but also to humanity and to economic well-being of people. UNDP continues to support the Government of Lebanon in meeting its obligation on biodiversity conservation.  The example of the Palm Island as a classified Nature Reserve is a testimony to a multi partner commitment towards preserving its biodiversity, countering the impact of climate change and ensuring sustainable management of its ecosystem, while providing local people with sustainable livelihoods.” — Blerta Aliko, UNDP Resident Representative.
 

Palm Islands Nature Reserve: An Overview

Palm Islands Nature Reserve was established by the virtue of the Law 121 dated 9/3/1992 and comprises three uninhabited Mediterranean islands including Sanani, Ramkine and Palm Island. It is located approximately 5.5 km northwest of Tripoli-Al Mina and covers a surface area of approximately 417.73 hectares (including the three islands and the 500 m surrounding water).
Palm Island (also known as Rabbits Island or Nakhl Island) is the largest of the three islands, covering an area of 200.000 m2 (perimeter 1.78 km) and contains evidence of past periods of human occupation in the form of a freshwater well, old salinas and the remains of an old church that date back to the Crusader period (AD 1224).
The islands' beaches support the endangered Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta during nesting and breeding, and the critically endangered Green turtle Chelonia mydas occurs infrequently, but regularly in surrounding seas. The endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus was seen regularly until recent years, but only very rarely since. The many caves and sheltered coastal rocks provide an important spawning ground for fish, and some 42 species of migratory birds (include 6 IUCN Red List species) feed and rest on the islands before moving on to the Lebanese mainland for breeding. Furthermore, the reserve is rich in coastal flora, and its waters have an abundance of fish, sea sponges, and other maritime species. Parts of the reserve are open for swimming during the summer months.
The Palm Islands are also surrounded by several noteworthy sea wrecks that contribute to the area's underwater heritage and biodiversity. These wrecks are of significant interest to divers and marine archaeologists, enhancing the ecological and historical richness of the region.
Declared a Nature Reserve in 1992, visitors have been permitted for guided tours and swimming between July and September since 1998. At the regional and international levels, the reserve is recognized as a “wetland of international importance” by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 03-08-2001 (Ramsar site no. 1079), and “Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI)” in and is classified as “Important Birds Area” (IBA, LB001) by Birdlife International (IBA Criteria met A1, B2 (2008)).

For more information, please contact:
In UNDP – Lebanon    | Maryam Sweid‎ | maryam.sweid@undp.org  | +961 ‎(71) 366 212‎

About UNDP
UNDP is working in Lebanon since 1986 as a development partner supporting economic recovery, including working with municipalities to deliver basic services to host communities, promoting clean energy and solid waste management, strengthening governance and rule of law, providing support to elections, and working on empowering women and youth.