Aims at founding a natural Reserve

The Parliament has ratified and the President of the Republic promulgates the law whose terms are as follows =

The isle of El Nakhel, the isle of Sanani and the isle of Ramkeen are considered maritime Reserve.

Article 1 . Also the public domain of Ehden woodland is deemed a natural reserve and its boundaries are shown below =

North = The Valley of Resurrection that separates both districts of “ Zgharta and Danniyeh``
East = “ Nawaheer `` area
North East = “ Btelaya `` area
South East = “ St Sarkis `` mountain
South = “ St Sarkis `` evergreen cypress
West = “ Jouit Fountain `` lands
South West = “ El Bououl `` area

Article 2. It is forbidden to cut and manufacture all various kinds of trees and shrubs, which exist within the protectorate mentioned in the article one of this law.

Thus, the entrance of cattle into the protectorate’s territories is also forbidden.

Article 3. It is forbidden to lift up any yield from the protectorate’s proceeds, such as the extract or the removal of stones or sand or metal or water or earth or herbs or flowers or grass or green flowers or natural manure from the woodland ground or oak or various seeds or other fruits and all yields or contents of the protectorate, unless it is for the purpose of Scientific research which aims at ameliorating the protectorate’s ecology.

Article 4. It is forbidden to perform any work or action, which infringes the natural equilibrium of the protectorate, particularly =

Setting fire to or burning herbs and other plants or natural garbage that exist in the protectorate, and also the same restrictions are in force less than 500 meters from the boundary of Ehden’s woodland protectorate.
Terrestrial hunting in the protectorate’s territories and within a distance less than 500 meters from the protectorate’s boundary.
Settling or camping in the protectorate’s territories or throwing garbage or doing any other action that hurts the protectorate or deforms the sights or damages its resources.

Article 5. Any legal term, current or future, and all duly international agreements focusing the protection of the environment, and the natural, beautiful and woodland wealth are put into effect within the protectorate’s framework.

Article 6. Whoever ventures to cut off or manufacture trees or herbs from the protectorate’s land and is fined two hundred fifty thousands Lebanese pounds on every head.

Article 7. Whoever breaks up or damages or removes any yield from the protectorate’s proceeds, or eliminates any boundaries or divided stacks is penalized from 15 days to six months of imprisonment and is fined from one hundred thousand to one million Lebanese pounds.

Whoever sets fire in the protectorate is penalized from six months to two years of imprisonment and pays a fine in proportion with the damage in process.

In case their is judgment out two penalties on different actions, the maximal penalty is penalized from 3 months to 3 years of imprisonment and is fined two million five hundred thousand Lebanese pounds on every cut tree, one hundred thousand Lebanese pounds on every Kilogram of wood, two hundred thousand Lebanese pounds on every manufactured case, one hundred fifty thousand Lebanese pounds on every Kilogram of all manufactured materials.

Thus, all herbs and all natural or manufactured wood are confiscated and sold at auction for the benefit of the committee of the protectorate from which they are extracted.

Article 8. Whoever makes the cattle enter the protectorate is penalized from 2 months to six months of imprisonment is implemented.

Article 9. In all cases and in addition to all penalties shown above, it is decided to recover all woodland materials taken or cut off from the woodland, and to confiscate the axes, cutters, nets, machines, cutting equipments and other materials and the transport means that are used to commit the infraction.

These confiscated materials and the fines are vested in the protectorate’s committee, which achieves the sequestration.

Article 10. A committee of seven volunteers is to be appointed for the period of three-years and that by a decree from the Minister of Environment.

The committee’s main tasks include both preservation and protection, as well gathering and attracting new studies and scientific experiments for the ecological rehabilitation of both natural reserves.

All concerned committees for the preservation of the “Ehden Nature Reserve”, as well as all those parties concerned with environmental issues should be represented in this committee. As for the Natural Island Reserves of “ Al Nakhl, Sinni and Ramkin”, they also should be represented by the Municipalities of “Tripoli and Al Mina” together with all those concerned with ecological issues; on condition that each of the Municipalities concerned should be able to handle all due expenses on their own.

Article 11. This Law is brought into effect immediately after being published in the official Gazette.

President of the Republic

ELIAS HRAWI

BEIRUT: 9/3/1992

Prime Minister

OMAR KARAME