All nature reserves in Lebanon are far from the nearest crowded residential area in Lebanon (Beirut and it suburbs). And nature reserves (such as Al-Shouf Nature Reserve, Tannourine Nature Reserve, and Ehden Nature Reserve) are at a high altitude where roads are completely closed in the winter season because of snow. Other coastland nature reserves (such as Sour Coast and Palm Island) are opened only 2-3 months every year during in the summer season. And from a different perspective, the construction of roads, bridges and buildings is evolving more and more with the rapid increase of the population and the mere absence of rural development which leads to an over crowdedness in the urban areas and its suburbs.

Baabda Forest is the only natural green area in greater Beirut where half of the Lebanese population can reach it in less than half hour.
There, we can find more than 20 types of trees and small trees and hundreds of wild flowers (included in Dr. George Tohmeh’s book “Alf Zahra wa Zahra”).

According to Dr. Ghassan Jaradi, the forest location is very important for the study of local and migrating birds where one of the studies showed that 189 species of birds are present in the forest (50% of the total number of species of birds in Lebanon).

Man lived a long time ago in this forest because debris of an old house and rain water well in the rocks are found there in addition to terraces where vineyards and olive trees were planted.

Baabda is in the Beirut Suburb and the nearest to Lebanon’s city. Construction is increasing which causes an important risk on the forests and green areas in the region; Baabda Forest encounters on daily basis human activities such as hazardous picking of medicinal plants, dumping of wastes and fires because of camping, trees cutting and uncontrolled hunting in addition to animals grazing during the winter season.

Therefore it is important to take care of the natural green areas and focus on the importance of protecting the biodiversity there and in parallel develop the local community’s activities.

For these reasons Baabda is an important forest that should be protected since it is accessible all over the year, it is the nearest forest to Beirut area and it has a very important educative aspect because of its biodiversity.

Hence, the organization considers the protection of Baabda Forest as one of its first projects that were launched since 1995. The project for the study and protection of the biodiversity in Baabda Forest is a twinning project between two organizations: The Friends’ Association of Baabda College and T.E.R.R.E Liban.

The goals of the two organizations met together in order to protect Baabda Forest for its environmental importance and in order to create some job opportunities through ecotouristic projects in it.