Protected areas of Libya include any geographical area protected for a specific use.
Most protected areas are intended for the conservation of flora and fauna.
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
's
national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
s and
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 ...
s are maintained by the "Technical Committee of Wildlife and National Parks" which was created in 1990, as part of the General Secretariat of Agricultural Reclamation and Land Reform.
Areas may also be protected for their value and importance as historical, cultural heritage or scientific sites. More information on these can be found in the list of heritage sites in Libya.
There were no national parks or protected areas in Libya prior to the Libyan coup of 1969. The new revolutionary government began to designate national parks and nature reserves in the 1970s. By 2009 seven national parks, five nature reserves and twenty-four other protected areas had been established, mostly along the coast of the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. Among the most visited of these areas are Karaboli National Park,
El-Kouf National Park
El Kouf National Park, established in 1975, is one of the seven national parks of Libya. El Kouf is located along Libya's northeastern Mediterranean coastline and has both marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Libya also has five other reserves, t ...
, Benghazi Nature Reserve, and Tripoli Nature Reserve along the coast, and Zellaf Nature Reserve in the southwestern desert.
Benghazi Nature Reserve
The Benghazi Nature Reserve is located north of the city of
Benghazi
Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
about 14 km on the Mediterranean coast. Known for its migratory waterbirds, the reserve includes a stretch of beach dunes and salt marshes, as well as the Ayn Zayanah Lagoon. The lagoon is fed by a number of freshwater springs and
flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...
s winter over there. Despite its protected status, the area is also used for fishing and recreation. In a number of places garbage has been illegally dumped in the reserve.
El Kouf National Park
El Kouf National Park is located near and to the west of the city of Bayda, in
Jabal al Akhdar District
Jabal al Akhdar or The Green Mountain ( ') is one of the districts of Libya. It lies in the northeast of the country. The capital is Bayda. In its territory, close to the city of Shahhat, can be found the remains of the ancient Greek colony of ...
in the forested hills of the Jebel Akhdar or ''Green Mountains''. The park is only about 15 km wide from east and west, but it streaches from the coast for a 160 km to the south, following the course of Wadi el-Kouf. There are three major habitat types, beach dunes give way to
maquis shrubland
220px, Low maquis in Corsica
220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia
( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; , ; ; ; ) is a savanna-like shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs.
Maquis ...
at higher elevations, with a fluvial microhabitat along the course of the
wadi
Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...
. The park protects both marine and land wildlife. Noted species include
bottlenose dolphins
The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus ''Tursiops''. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bot ...
striped hyena
The striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Hyaena''. It is listed by the IU ...
New Hiesha Natural Reserve New Hiesha Natural Reserve is a protected reserve in Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sud ...
Ain Zayanah Ain Zayanah is a protected area of Libya. It has an area of 500 hectares, and covers the Ayn Zayanah lagoon and a portion of the coast 15 km northeast of Benghazi
Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in L ...
Al Jaghbub Oasis
The Al Jaghbub Oasis is a protected area in northeastern Libya lying close to the Egypt–Libya border, border with Egypt. It adjoins the desert village of Jaghbub, Libya, Jaghbub which is inhabited by Berbers with a population of about 400.
Geogr ...
Berjuj Valley
Berjuj Valley is a protected area of Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya ...
*
Bombe gulf
Bombah Gulf is a protected area of Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Su ...
Garabulli
Castelverde, also named Gasr Garabulli, is a town in the Tripoli District (''Tarabulus''), of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya.
From 2001 to 2007 it was part of the Tajura wa Al Nawahi AlArba‘ District, which then was merged into ...
*
Giarabub
Jaghbub () () is a remote desert village in the Al Jaghbub Oasis in the eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. The oasis is located in Butnan District and was the administrativ ...
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
Protected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...