Horsh Ehden

Horsh Ehden is a nature reserve located in Northern Lebanon. Situated on the north western slopes of Mount Lebanon, the reserve contains a forest of the cedar of Lebanon, forming part of the country's cultural and natural heritage. It receives high level of precipitation and supports numerous rare and endemic plant species. In addition to the Ceder stands the reserve contains a mixed forest of juniper and fir, as well as the country's last protected stand of wild apple trees. The reserve is home to a number of endangered species including the eastern imperial eagles and Bonelli's eagles, gray wolves, wildcats, golden jackals, and red foxes. Its valley and gorges support wild orchids, salamanders, mushrooms, and other flora and fauna.

Natural history Biodiversity More than 1,058 plant species have been recorded in the reserve, representing nearly 40% of Lebanon's native flora, despite the reserve constituting less than 0.1% of the country's total area. The forests comprises an assemblage of conifers, deciduous, and evergreen broadleaf trees in an isolated climatic phytochorion characterised by varied topography.

Flora A total of 1,020 species of native plants and 39 species of native trees have been identified within the reserve. Seventy species bear "Lebanon" in their scientific names, including Cedrus libani, Salix libanii, and Berberis libanotica, while a further twenty-two species carry names significant to Lebanon, such as Dianthus karami named after Youssef Bey Karam, a 19th-century national figure, and Astragalus ehdenensis named after the village of Ehden.

Of the identified species, 212 (20%) are classified as rare and a further 126 (12%) as threatened; 115 are endemic to Lebanon, and ten are endemic to Horsh Ehden itself. Seventy-eight species are recognized as medicinal plants. The reserve also marks the southernmost limit of the range of Cilician fir (Abies cilicica).

Plant communities The forest plant communities of highest conservation importance are: Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani var. libanii), which represents about 20% of the remaining cedar forests in Lebanon, Cilician fir (Abies cilicica), Greek juniper (Juniperus excelsa), which is a gene pool for possible reforestation projects at higher altitudes, including the peaks of Mount Lebanon above 2000 m. Lebanese wild apple (Malus trilobata). Kotschy oak (Quercus kotschyana) Horsh Ehden is the only protected area in Lebanon that contains a community of the wild apple of Lebanon.

Fauna Mammals More than 27 species of mammals have been sighted in the reserve, representing a third of Lebanese mammals. Insectivores, carnivores, rodents, lagomorpha, chiroptera, and artiodactyls have all been identified in the reserve.

13 species are globally threatened, one species is locally threatened and highly endangered (the gray wolf, Canis lupus), and one species is endemic to the reserve (the lesser white-toothed shrew, Crocidura suaveolens).

Species identified in the reserve include Cape hare (Lepus capensis), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), Eurasian badger (Meles meles), southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), Indian porcupine (Histrix indica), Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus), striped hyena (Hyaena hyanena), least weasel (Mustela nivalis), wildcat (Felis silvestris), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and marbled polecat (Vormela Peregusna).

Birds The reserve has different birds habitats. Four of the identified bird species are globally threatened, five are regionally vulnerable, eighteen face unfavorable conditions in Europe, and fifty-seven are rare in Lebanon.

Species include eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), blue tit (Parus caeruleus), corn crake (Crex crex), Levant sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes), saker falcon (Falco cherrug), white pelican (Pelecanus onocratalus), black stork (Ciconia nigra), Egyptian vulture (Neophron perenopetrus), European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), sand martin (Riparia riparia), white stork (Ciconia ciconia), common wood-pigeon (Columba polumbus), great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius), barn owl (Tyto alba), and the Syrian woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus).

Amphibians and reptiles There are four species of amphibians and nineteen species of reptiles. One species (Mediterranean chameleon, Chamaeleo chamaeleon) is globally threatened, one subspecies is unique, and nineteen species are threatened in Lebanon.

Species include Lebanon viper (Montivipera bornmuelleri), Palestinian viper (Vipera palaestinae), green whip snake (Hierophis viridiflavus), bridled mabuya (Trachylepis vittata), Schreiber's fringe-fingered lizard (Acanthodactylus schreiberi), desert black snake (Walterinnesia aegyptia), common toad (Bufo bufo).

Horsh Ehden

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