Tab. 1: Sites considered for the assessment of vermetid reefs along Lebanese coast, their
coordinates, and status*
Sites
Latitude, Longitude
Status
Nakoura
33° 8′25.15″N,
35° 9′14.82″E
Not-Impacted
Tyre
33°16′33.58″N, 35°11′34.64″E Moderately-Impacted
Beirut
33°54′9.15″N, 35°29′2.02″E
Impacted
Palm Island Nature Reserve 34°29'45.20"N, 35°46'26.24"E Moderately-Impacted
* The status was evaluated based on several pressures (i.e. urbanization, agricultural and industrial
activities, sewage outfalls, commercial harbors, freshwater input).
Results and Discussion
A total of 80 taxa, belonging to 8 Phyla, were observed and counted to 24312 individuals.
The main group was Mollusca with 30 taxa and 12,236 individuals, Arthropoda with 16
and 10,430 individuals, Annelida with 10 taxa and 1136 individuals, Cnidaria (with 10
individuals) and Nemertea (with 500 individuals) with 2 taxa each. Regarding the
macroalgae, the main represented group was Rhodophyta with ten taxa, Ochrophyta with
seven taxa, and Chlorophyta (3 taxa). Concerning Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), 35 taxa
were recorded: 16 Mollusca, 13 Annelida, 2 Chlorophyta, 1 Arthropoda; 1 Rhodophyta,
and 3 Ochrophyta. Subsequently, and in terms of abundance, the number of individuals
NIS (with 13,300 individuals, mainly Mollusca) was more than the IS counted (with
11,012 individuals, mainly Arthropoda). In addition, it was remarkable the abundance of
the Mollusca Brachidontes pharaonis, Conomurex persicus, Ceritium scabridum,
Trochus radiatus, Annelida Pseudonereis annulata, Timarate punctata, Artropoda
Charybdis helleri, especially in the moderately-impacted and impacted sites. The
Lebanese waters, like the entire Levantine Sea, are increasingly exposed to the continuous
entrance of NIS species, primarily through the Suez Canal. In this context, updating the
checklist of non-indigenous species along the Lebanese coast is recommended through
an efficient monitoring program targeting the most invasive NIS already established
along the Lebanese coast.
Acknowledgements
This study has been performed with the big help and support of the Special Protected Area
Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC) under the framework of the IMAP/ MPA project financed
by the European Union.
Bibliography
BADREDDINE A. (2018) - Les écosystèmes côtiers du littoral libanais: état écologique,
évolution, conservation. Doctoral thesis, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis: 218p.
GRUVEL A. (1931) - Les Etats de Syrie. Richesses marines et pluviales. Soc. Edit. Géogr. Marit.
et Colon., Paris, 453p.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
78
coordinates, and status*
Sites
Latitude, Longitude
Status
Nakoura
33° 8′25.15″N,
35° 9′14.82″E
Not-Impacted
Tyre
33°16′33.58″N, 35°11′34.64″E Moderately-Impacted
Beirut
33°54′9.15″N, 35°29′2.02″E
Impacted
Palm Island Nature Reserve 34°29'45.20"N, 35°46'26.24"E Moderately-Impacted
* The status was evaluated based on several pressures (i.e. urbanization, agricultural and industrial
activities, sewage outfalls, commercial harbors, freshwater input).
Results and Discussion
A total of 80 taxa, belonging to 8 Phyla, were observed and counted to 24312 individuals.
The main group was Mollusca with 30 taxa and 12,236 individuals, Arthropoda with 16
and 10,430 individuals, Annelida with 10 taxa and 1136 individuals, Cnidaria (with 10
individuals) and Nemertea (with 500 individuals) with 2 taxa each. Regarding the
macroalgae, the main represented group was Rhodophyta with ten taxa, Ochrophyta with
seven taxa, and Chlorophyta (3 taxa). Concerning Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), 35 taxa
were recorded: 16 Mollusca, 13 Annelida, 2 Chlorophyta, 1 Arthropoda; 1 Rhodophyta,
and 3 Ochrophyta. Subsequently, and in terms of abundance, the number of individuals
NIS (with 13,300 individuals, mainly Mollusca) was more than the IS counted (with
11,012 individuals, mainly Arthropoda). In addition, it was remarkable the abundance of
the Mollusca Brachidontes pharaonis, Conomurex persicus, Ceritium scabridum,
Trochus radiatus, Annelida Pseudonereis annulata, Timarate punctata, Artropoda
Charybdis helleri, especially in the moderately-impacted and impacted sites. The
Lebanese waters, like the entire Levantine Sea, are increasingly exposed to the continuous
entrance of NIS species, primarily through the Suez Canal. In this context, updating the
checklist of non-indigenous species along the Lebanese coast is recommended through
an efficient monitoring program targeting the most invasive NIS already established
along the Lebanese coast.
Acknowledgements
This study has been performed with the big help and support of the Special Protected Area
Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC) under the framework of the IMAP/ MPA project financed
by the European Union.
Bibliography
BADREDDINE A. (2018) - Les écosystèmes côtiers du littoral libanais: état écologique,
évolution, conservation. Doctoral thesis, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis: 218p.
GRUVEL A. (1931) - Les Etats de Syrie. Richesses marines et pluviales. Soc. Edit. Géogr. Marit.
et Colon., Paris, 453p.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
78