ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SITES OF INTEREST FOR CONSERVATION IN LEBANON: Enfeh Peninsula, Ras Chekaa cliffs, Raoucheh, Saida, Tyre and Nakoura The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP/MAP-RAC/SPA concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of UNEP/MAP-RAC/SPA and those of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment. Published by: RAC/SPA Copyright: © 2015 - RAC/SPA Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. For bibliographic purposes, this volume may be cited as: RAC/SPA - UNEP/MAP, 2014. Ecological characterization of sites of interest for conservation in Lebanon: Enfeh Peninsula, Ras Chekaa cliffs, Raoucheh, Saida, Tyre and Nakoura. By Ramos-Esplá A.A., Bitar G., Khalaf G., El Shaer H., Forcada A., Limam A., Ocaña O., Sghaier Y.R. & Valle C. Ed. RAC/SPA - MedMPAnet Project, Tunis: 146 p + annexes. Layout: Zine El Abidine MAHJOUB and Asma KHERIJI. Cover photo credit: Ghazi BITAR. Photos credits: Alfonso A. RAMOS-ESPLÁ, Ghazi BITAR, Oscar OCAÑA, Carlos VALLE, Hany EL SHAER, Yassine Ramzi SGHAIER, Aitor FORCADA, Adel BOUAJINA, Mosor PRVAN and Peter Nick PSOMADAKIS. This document has been elaborated within the framework of the Regional Project for the Development of a Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MPAs) Network through the boosting of Mediterranean MPAs Creation and Management (MedMPAnet Project). For Lebanon, the project activities were outlined in close consultation with the Ministry of Environment (MoE)” The MedMPAnet Project is implemented in the framework of the UNEP/MAP-GEF MedPartnership, with the financial support of EC, AECID and FFEM. ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SITES OF INTEREST FOR CONSERVATION IN LEBANON: ENFEH, RAS CHEKAA, RAOUCHEH, SAIDA, TYRE AND NAKOURA Regional Project for the Development of a Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MPAs) Network through the boosting of MPA creation and management Study required and financed by: 2 Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) Boulevard du Leader Yasser Arafat B.P. 337 1080 Tunis Cedex - Tunisia In charge of the study: Atef LIMAM, MedMPAnet Project, RAC/SPA LEBANON: ECOLOGICAL REPORT ECOLOGICAL LEBANON: Yassine Ramzi SGHAIER, MedMPAnet Project, RAC/SPA In charge of the study at the Ministry of Environment of Lebanon: Lara SAMAHA, Head of the Department of Ecosystems Scientific responsible of the study: Alfonso A. RAMOS-ESPLA, Senior professor (benthic specialist), University of Alicante (Spain) Gaby KHALAF, Director of the National Council for Scientific Research (Lebanon) Other scientific participants in the mission Ghazi BITAR, Benthic specialist, Lebanese University (Lebanon) Milad FAKHRI, Researcher. CNRS Marine Research Centre. National Council for Scientific Research (Lebanon) Ziad SAMAHA, Purple Reef Association (Lebanon) Hany EL SHAER, Marine expert, IUCN Mediterranean Centre (Málaga, Spain) Aitor FORCADA, Fish specialist, University of Alicante (Spain) Oscar OCAÑA, Benthic specialist, Maritime Museum of Ceuta (Spain) Carlos VALLE, Fish specialist, University of Alicante (Spain) CONTENT Foreword …………………………………………..……….…………………….............................…………......……7 1. Introduction ………………………………………………..……….............................…………………….....……9 2. Report of the missions (2012, 2013) …………………………….............................……………………….....……11 2.1 Prospected areas ……………………………………………................................……………………........……..11 2.2 Chronogram …………………………………........................………………………………….....……....12 2.3 Staff ..............................................................................................................................................................12 3. Material and methods …………………………............................…………………………………….....………… 15 3.1 Stations ………………………………………...............................………………………………….....….……..15 3.2 Methods ………………………………………..............................………………………………….....……….. 16 3.2.1 Mapping ……………………………..........................………………………………............…………. 17 3.2.2 Observations and characterization of habitats ……………...........................………..........…...............…17 3.2.3 Visual fish census ……………………..……………………….……................................................……17 3.2.4 Cymodocea nodosa meadows .….……..……………………..............…….......................................…… 19 3.2.5 Hydrology ……………………………………………………........................................……………….20 3.2.6 Processing the samples and data treatment ..……………………..........................................................… 21 4. Physical environment ………………………………………………………................................….……………… 23 4.1 Geomorphology features …………………………………………….................................…….…...............……23 4.1.1 Enfeh-Selaata …………………………………………………..…..............….…....................................23 4.1.2 Raoucheh ……………………………………………………......................................................……… 26 4.1.3 Saida-Nakoura ……………………………………………………..............…….....................................26 4.2 Hydrology features ..…..……………………………………………………..........……........................................32 5. Lebanon’s marine biodiversity ..………………………………………..................................................…………… 35 5.1 Flora and fauna inventory .....………………………………………......................................................................35 5.2 New records for the Lebanon marine biodiversity …………………………………...........…………............…… 36 5.3 Fish populations …………………………………………………………………………............…..........…....... 40 5.3.1 Enfeh-Ras Chekaa ….….……….................................…………………………………..................…… 40 5.3.2 Saida-Tyre-Nakoura .…..…………….……………………………..............……....................................47 5.3.3 Discussion …………………………………………………............………….........................................55 5.4 Species with patrimonial and interest value ………………………..............…………….......................................55 5.4.1 Macrophyta .…………………………………………….............……………….................................…55 5.4.2 Invertebrata …..…………………………………………............………………................................… 60 5.4.3 Vertebrata ………………………………………………….............…………................................…… 69 5.4.4 Other species of interest ..…………………………………............………….......................................... 72 6. Benthic bionomy and marine habitats ..………………………………………..….……..............................……… 79 6.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………...........……............……........................ 79 6.2 Hard substrata ……………………………………………………….........……………....................................... 79 6.2.1 Littoral rock ………………………………………………………….............….................................… 79 6.2.1.1 Biocenosis of the supralittoral rock …….….……...............................................…………… 80 6.2.1.2 Biocenosis of the upper midlittoral rock …….......…............……..............................………. 81 6.2.1.3 Biocenosis of the lower midlittoral rock ……….......………............................................…… 82 6.2.1.4 Biocenosis of the midlittoral caves ……………............…....................................……………83 6.2.1.5 Littoral fringe ………………………..............…………...............................………..………83 6.2.2 Infralittoral rock. ……………………………………..…….......….................................………………85 6.2.2.1 Upper horizon ………………………………….............…..............................……..……… 85 6.2.2.1.1 Exposed photophilic algae ………………...........................................….….……. 86 6.2.2.1.2 Exposed sciaphilic algae ………….................……............................……...…….. 89 6.2.2.2 Middle horizon ……………………..…………................…..............................…………… 90 6.2.2.2.1 Sheltered photophilic algae ..…………...............................................…………… 90 6.2.2.2.2 Sheltered sciaphilic algae .....……………...................................................…..…..95 6.2.2.3 Lower horizon ......…………………...………………...............................…..............………96 6.2.2.3.1 Sheltered sciaphilic algae ……........................................………………….............97 6.2.3 Upper circalittoral rock ..............................………………………............................................................98 6.2.3.1 Biocenosis of the coralligenous ………...……….....…...............................…..............………99 6.2.3.2 Biocenosis of the semi-dark caves ….…………………......................….................................. 102 6.2.3.3 Biocenosis of the caves and ducts in total darkness …........................…................................... 103 6.2.4 Submarine cold and hot freshwater springs ………………………............................................................103 6.3 Soft substrata …..……….…………………………………………………........………....................................... 104 6.3.1 Infralittoral soft bottoms …………………………………………..............…......................................... 104 6.3.1.1 Biocenosis of well sorted sands …………………………..............……...................................104