• The Forest Code (Law 85, 12/9/1991), amended by the Parliament in 1996 (Law 558, 24/7/96) stipulates that all cedar, fir and juniper forests, and “other coniferous forests” in Lebanon are protected in facto.
• Ministerial decision issued by the Ministry of Agriculture prohibiting the import and introduction of all cedar seeds and plants (Decision 108/1, 12/9/1995)
• Ministerial decision issued by the Ministry of Agriculture which regulates the export of all medicinal and aromatic plants (Decision 92/1, 28/2/1996)
• Ministerial decision issued by the Ministry of Agriculture prohibiting the picking and export of ferrula plant & roots (Decision 177/1)
• Ministerial decision issued by the Ministry of Agriculture regulating the harvesting of oregano and salvia (Decision 340/1, 1/8/1996)
• Laws establishing nature reserves. Presently, there are seven nature reserves in Lebanon established by law and one declared by ministerial decision:

                      o Law 121-92: Establishment of Palm Islands Nature Reserve
                      o Law 121-92: Establishment of Horsh Ehden Nature Reserveo 
                      o Law 532-96: Establishment of Shouf Cedars Nature Reserveo 
                      o Law 708-98: Establishment of Tyre Coast Nature Reserveo 
                      o Law 11-99: Establishment of Bentael Nature Reserveo
                      o Law 10-99: Establishment of Yammouni Nature Reserveo 
                      o Law 9- 99: Establishment of Tannourine Cedars Nature Reserveo 
                      o Decision 14/1 95: Establishment of Karm Chbat Nature Reserve

• The Law for the Protection of the Environment (Law 444, 8/8/2002) put the general framework for the protection of the environment in Lebanon. Articles 47-48 call for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity, the establishment of nature reserves and for regulating access to genetic resources.
• An amended hunting law, modifying and updating the hunting law of 1952 (law no 580, 25/2/2004). The new hunting law regulates hunting practices, calls for defining an annual hunting season and period within the season and for defining prey, birds and animals as wild, resident or migratory which are considered protected all year long, and states that threatened and rare species must be defined and prohibited for hunting.
•  Ministerial decisions by the Ministry of Environment declaring natural sites and river mouths under the protection of the Ministry of Environment.

Other major legislative steps taken by the Lebanese government for the protection and proper use of environmental resources

Adapted from the MoE website
(http://www.moe.gov.lb/MOE%20Site/biodiv/interim1.html)