Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve () is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

located in the

Keserwan District Keserwan District (, transliteration: ''Qaḍā' Kisrawān'') is a district (''qadaa'') in Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon, to the northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital, Jounieh, is overwhelmingly Maronite Christian. The area ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, on the shoulders of the western slopes of Mount Lebanon overlooking the Mediterranean Sea to the West. It covers an area of 6500 hectares, at an altitude ranging between 350 meters in the North-West and 1,700 meters to the South-East. Its main villages are: Yahchouch, Qahmez, Jouret el-Termos, Nahr ed Dahab, Ghbaleh, Ebreh, and Chouwan. Jabal Moussa and surrounding villages became part of the UNESCO Network of

Biosphere Reserves Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

under the Man and Biosphere (MAB) program in 2009. As part of the MAB program, JMBR addresses human livelihood improvement and nature conservation through combining natural sciences with social sciences, economics and education. The Jabal Moussa mountain presents an exceptionally rich biodiversity, with more than 724 flora species, 25 mammal species, and more than 137 migratory and soaring birds species. In 2009, Jabal Moussa was designated a Globally

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

. Equally rich with cultural heritage, it portrays the interdependence of Man and Nature throughout history through various spiritual and historical sites dating back from the Phoenician, Roman, and Ottoman Periods.

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the reserve has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(Csa/Csb depending on the altitude), with mostly dry and warm summers and cool to cold, wet winters. The region's average annual rainfall is about 1350mm. The peaks of the Jabal Moussa mountain receive some intermittent snowfall during winter; however, the snowfall typically melts within a few days.

Archeology

Part of the UNESCO Network of Biosphere Reserves under the Man and Biosphere (MAB), Jabal Moussa, which has fifteen hiking trails including one called Hadrian’s Incline, named after the Roman Emperor

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

, who put up boundary markers around the cedar, oak, cypress, fir and juniper forests, and declared them his imperial domain; many of these inscriptions engraved on the rock survive today along with a network of Roman roads and stairs, built between 64 BC and AD 249. The largest archaeological site in the biosphere is called “Qornet el Deir” (translates to “the hill of the monastery”) and excavations done since 2017 have proven that the site was inhabited not only in the Roman Medieval eras, but its occupation goes back to the Bronze Age and the

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

, who had a significant settlement that interconnected the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

and the coast. In 2022, U.S. Ambassador

Dorothy Shea Dorothy Camille Shea is an American career diplomat. In January 2025, she was appointed United States ambassador to the United Nations after serving as the deputy ambassador in 2024. Shea was the List of ambassadors of the United States to Leban ...

inaugurated the Hinterland Archaeological Heritage Project in Jabal Moussa, which was funded by the U.S. Ambassadors' Fund for Cultural Preservation to conserve, study, and showcase the archaeological collection of Jabal Moussa while connecting the various archaeological sites of the biosphere reserve to one another.

References

{{reflist Biosphere reserves of Lebanon Important Bird Areas of Lebanon Forests of Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon Keserwan District

Climate

Archeology

See also

References