The intense human reliance on the natural capital supplied by seas and oceans has placed tremendous pressures on marine habitats and associated biological resources. The exploitation of these reserves has been undergoing an increase in intensity for the past few decades triggered by the incessant rise of the world’s population. Current studies have shown the negative impacts of past and recent practices on the health of marine environments, sparking an increased concern for the sustainability of these ecosystems. Furthermore, estuarine and coastal ecosystems, considered biodiversity hotspots, are some of the most overexploited and threatened natural systems globally. The anthropogenic pressures on these systems including urbanization, seafilling, damming of rivers and pollution amongst many others are causing their collapse. Such loss of biodiversity as well as the loss of the essential ecosystem services they provide such as maintaining a successful fisheries sector, the filtering of water by submerged vegetation and wetlands, and food security are all being negatively impacted to the detriment of human society. In order to ensure the security of these vital biological resources and to prevent the complete deterioration of these natural habitats, countries worldwide have been adopting more conservative approaches to ecosystem protection. In this context, multiple treaties and conventions have been/are being signed and enacted to mitigate identified anthropogenic stresses. Countries from different regions of the world have been investing time, effort and financial resources to meet their obligations through the implementation of various conservation efforts that help safeguard and restore natural marine ecosystems.
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Report 1: Effective Marine Protected Area Network in Lebanon.
Report 2: Assessment of Lebanon’s Marine Protected Areas: Gaps and Recommendations
