Protected areas, habitat integrity and terrestrial mammal biodiversity in Lebanon

Political instability, socio-economic challenges and ongoing conflict hinder effective conservation and monitoring efforts within Lebanon’s nature reserves (NRs) and thus threaten the country’s biodiversity. The first nationwide NR mammal survey in 2023–2024 employed camera traps and line transect sampling to assess species presence and evaluate the effects of habitat diversity and human disturbance on mammal richness. We confirmed the presence of 16 terrestrial mammal species, and species richness varied considerably across sites, with the greatest diversity found in large, ecologically heterogeneous NRs such as Shouf Cedar and Horsh Ehden. Although not statistically significant, habitat diversity was the strongest positive predictor of species richness (r = 0.45), followed by NR area (r = 0.40), whereas human disturbance tended to be inversely related to species richness. No significant differences were detected between the two survey methods. Despite logistical and security challenges, this study offers a baseline for future monitoring and conservation strategies and suggests that habitat heterogeneity is important for sustaining mammalian diversity.