A troubled economy, political unrest and a spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases are clamping down on the Lebanese.

Yet, despite these difficulties, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lebanon and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) teams continue their mission to establish a rangeland management plan for the community of Tannourine, a typical rural community in North Lebanon.

The idyllic northern town is famous for its nature reserve, with some of Lebanon’s finest cedar stands. However, the community’s high mountain area, known colloquially as jurd, is certainly not as renowned, but just as impressive. The jurd area is above the tree line, and there are no mighty cedars to cast merciful shade and protect those seeking shelter from the blazing sun. Nonetheless, what the area lacks in trees it makes up for in impressive geological formations, unobstructed landscapes and a flourishing community of shrubs, forbs and annual plants, along with a sprinkling of juniper trees.

The bitter cold winters of the high mountains of Tannourine have effectively halted the development of any sophisticated form of agriculture. This means that the region has been used since times immemorial for grazing.

Grazing management remains a novelty in Lebanon. However, this is set to change as concentrated efforts deployed by key stakeholders are paving the way for an efficient national system of rangeland management.

FAO regional office in Lebanon, thanks to the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism project, is one of several pioneers working to present effective models of rangeland management, starting with the community of Tannourine.

The process of rangeland management requires a solid understanding of the ecosystem dynamics and plant community composition. As a result, FAO, MoA and the municipality of Tannourine collaborated to assess the rangelands of the high mountain area.

Starting late in May 2020, once the snow melt allowed access to the area, FAO and MoA personnel, guided by the municipality, began their arduous field work. Delayed by the repeated lockdowns the country experienced due to COVID-19, the work continued nonetheless and more field visits were conducted up to the end of July. The field visits aimed at assessing as many sample plots within the vast terrain of the high mountain as possible to capture the variability of the site in terms of species make-up and productive capacity. By the end of the field work phase, 14 sample plots were surveyed.

During each site visit, key data were collected, including the following:

• Description of each sample plot and visual estimation of its overall health/degradation.

• Detailed plant assessment using the point-intercept method following a transect of 25 m. At each sample plot, 100 readings of plant specimens were taken with the aim of grouping each species into five key functional groups: perennial grasses, annual grasses, perennial legumes, forbs and unpalatable species. This distinction is needed as it helps determine the productivity of the site and ultimately its carrying capacity.

• Collection of plant matter in each sample plot from 0.5 m × 0.5 m quadrats for drying and weighing. The plant matter that was cut was placed in a paper bag and then dried at 60 °C for two days.

The collected data are being analyzed to determine the site’s carrying capacity, a measure that reflects its capacity to accommodate a specific number of grazing animals beyond which significant degradation or loss of biodiversity can occur.

Likewise, FAO and MoA are collaborating with the Tannourine municipality to gather the relevant social and economic data so as to have all the pieces of the puzzle in place to allow the development of a solid rangeland management plan.

 Elias Chnais (FAO)