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Description
Shouf Biosphere Reserve is a relatively open cedar forest, lying at 1750m above sea level, in a rocky mountainous area. The reserve hosts 290 pecies of birds and 32 species of mammals, including the grey wolf and striped hyena and 532 species of flora include 25 internationally threatened species.
In addition to being home to many mountain breeders and an interesting flyway for migratory birds, maybe the most attractive bird species that breeds in this reserve is the Syriairisk. Lebanon has one of the largest, if not the largest population of this species.
According to Birdlife DataZone, monitoring data of this site has been conducted with a relatively low observation pressure and dates back to 2005. Therefore, many rare and endagered species could benefit from more detailed and updated monitoring.
Details
Access
Shouf Biosphere Reserve is about 1 hour away from Beirut by car to the Barouk entrance. This entrance is located 2 km from the center of Barouk and includes tourist information, rest rooms (1), and a gift shop. Press P on the map for directions to the Barouk entrance. Some of the roads to the reserve are unpaved or not well maintained, and an SUV or 4 wheel drive vehicle is better suited. In winter, snowfall can block many of the roads in the area. From the Barouk entrance there are several hiking trails one can follow to explore over 400 hectares of cedar forest. There is a stone “blind” above the “Hill lake” to observe wildlife. The circular walking route shown on the map is about 8 km
The reserve can also be accessed via one of the other 5 official entrances. For detailed info on those entrances see the link to the website below.