Lebanese Coastal Zone

1
Lebanese Coastal Zone

• Tony Assaf
• Ministry of Public Works Transport
• Directorate General of Land Maritime Transport
• Marseille, June 2009

2
Introduction

• The Lebanese coastal zone extends about 225 km,
  covering 162000 hectares of coastal plains and
  hills (16 of Lebanon's surface area) where 2.6
  millions inhabitants live (70 of the Lebanese
  population).
• Lebanon's economic activities are concentrated in
  this zone which contributes about three quarters
  of national income.

3
Lebanese coastal zone situation

• Urban areas stretch over 50 km of the coastline
  (21)
• Beaches and dunes cover a total length of about
  49 km (20)
• Bare rocky outcrops about 11km (4.7)
• Fruit trees on wet soil (primarily citrus groves)
  border the coastline over 34 km
• Large industrial or commercial units occupy about
  24 km (10)
• Tourism resorts about 18 km (7.5)
• Ports about 13 km (5.3)

4

• The town of "Jbeil" (Byblos) classified since
  1983 on UNESCO's world heritage list, with its
  sea castle harbor, temples and alleys

5

• "Saida" or old "Sidon" is the first city on
  southern Lebanon, with its majestic sea castle
  and remains of an ancient harbor, besides an
  important sea port.

6

• "Sour" (Tyr), a great Phoenician city state that
  established colonies in the Mediterranean basin
  like "Cartage" and resisted bravely the desirous
  kings of "Assyria", "Persia" and "Greece"

7

• So far, we have seen the shining side of the
  picture as the Coastal Lebanon contains
• The most intense settlements of population and
  urban various activities.
• Public Ports open to international trade.
• Private Ports destined to industrial activities
  (cement, chemicals...).
• Recreational Ports (Marinas).
• Fishing and Leisure Ports built by the Ministry
  of Public Works and transport- Directorate
  General of Land and Maritime Transport
• A critical picture as well, both environmentally,
  and aesthetically, as long as it is threatened by
  pollution problems and disfigurement of sites.

8

• Taking trip back from south to north, the
  "Nakoura" beach has lost huge quantities of its
  sand during the last two decades, same as the
  beach of "Tyr"

9

• In "Saida", the solid waste dump on the shore has
  grown into a mountain, dozens of meters high and
  transporting its garbage to neighboring shores.

10

• Between "Saida" and "Beirut, private commercial
  developments and industrial establishments, most
  of them built illegally

11

• Illegal slums were also built between "Khaldeh"
  and "Ouzaï", just in the vicinity of Beirut
  International Airport

12

• Reaching Beirut, we notice an area of 60
  hectares, equivalent to 1/3 of the city center,
  to be reclaimed from the sea.

13

• A development plan launched in 1983 to create a
  new town along the "Antelias-Dbayeh" shoreline,
  after reclaiming 1.4 million square meters from
  the sea.

14

• Between "Jounieh" and "Jbeil", many private
  recreation projects have appeared arbitrarily

15

• Much pollution may diffuse from industrial plants
  along the "Batroun-Koura" coast, contaminating
  vast area in sea and on land

16
-

• Ministries involved with coastal zone management
  issues

17

• A- Ministry of Public Works Transport
  Directorate General of Land Maritime Transport
  (DGLMT) involved in
• All affairs of maritime public domain including
  control, occupation, exploitation.
• Territorial waters including Navigation,
  occupation, exploitation, marine pollution.
• In addition to the higher urban council in the
  above mentioned ministry

18

• B- Partly involved, Ministries of
• Agriculture, with respect to preservation of the
  fish richness, living resources and its
  developments at sea.
• Environment as concerns marine and sea shore
  pollution, exploitation of maritime public
  domain.
• Interior-coast guards as relates to controlling
  on penal matters.
• National defense (army-marine forces) as
  connected to illegal acts to penal code smuggling
  threats of state security.
• Power and water (petrol) when projects consist of
  exploiting sea lines for discharging oil from the
  tankers to structures built on private lands.

19
.

• C- Council of Development and Reconstruction
  (CDR) once asked by the government to study and
  issue master plans, or to execute some projects
  on the coastal zone.

20
Regulations under control of the DGLMT

• Lebanon already has laws and regulations, some
  dating back to the 1925s, and which require a lot
  of updating and integration . Generally speaking,
  these laws and regulations deal indirectly with
  coastal zone management
• 1- Decree law No 144/S, 10/6/1925 (Definition
  of the maritime public domain)
• 2- Decree No 4810, 24/6/1966 (Conditional use
  of the maritime public domain) and revision
  decree no 1300 dated 1978
• 3- Proposal of a draft law on regularization
  of illegal status (contraventions committed on
  the coast line during the civil war till 1992)
  which has been recently transmitted to the
  parliament for approval.

21
Maritime Public domain Entities and Occupation

• Definition (Decree law N 144/S, 10/6/1925)
• The maritime public domain consists of seashore
  till the farthest distance that the wave could
  reach in winter and sand shores and pebbles and
  then, those coastal ground, and waters connected
  to the sea and do not form part of the natural
  cadastred land of the country.
• It is annexed the territorial waters over a width
  of 12 miles as from the shore starting at the
  minimum level of low tide
• It is not cadastred
• It cannot be bought
• Its ownership cannot be acquired by extinguished
  delay

22
Occupation and exploitation

• The maritime public domain (land/sea) may be
  occupied temporarily by an authorization
• The temporary occupation
• Is not for a public interest
• Is granted with preservation of everybody rights,
  by a decree from the president of the state for
  one year
• The decree that grants authorization defines
  taxes to be paid due to temporary occupations
  taking into consideration areas, places,
  surfaces, kinds of investments (marinas, hotels,
  restaurants, cafés leisure parts, play grounds,
  theaters)
• The authorization can be cancelled by a decree
  from the president of state, without compensation
  (Damage) at the first request from the
  administration and for public interests and
  purposes

23
Conditions for granting authorizations(Decree No
4810, 24/6/1966)

• By principle, the maritime public domain remains
  for the use of everybody
• The permission of intending parts of the sea to
  be submitted to the following general bases
• Large private lands adjacent to the maritime
  public domain with appropriate dimensions
  surfaces, length on sea front, depth in order
  to be available for containing big projects.
• Projects to be executed, should have a public
  character tourist and industrial justification
  according to certificates issued by competent
  services (higher council of urban planning)

24
Conditions for granting authorizations

• Permanent structures and constructions on
  maritime public domain are not allowed, only
  movable ones are allowed when related to sports
  and equipments with the following restrictions
• Height above the maritime public domain does not
  exceed 6 meters with a maximum exploitation of
  0.075 (as factor), and a maximum surface of 5 of
  the portion occupied.

25
Irregularities Situation

• War has created an illegal status of some 1269
  objects that were erected from 1975 to 1990
  were built along the coast without any permission
  
• Usage or exploitation of these projects are made
  without paying any dues or taxes.
• Only 64 projects were built legally with decrees.

26
Analysis of the regulatory instruments

• Projects for utilization and exploitation of
  coastal areas can be engaged by anyone under a
  basic condition a minimum private land adjacent
  to the maritime public domain. Then the
  administration cannot refuse the approval if the
  requirements have been achieved. This will lead
  to additional coastal projects.
• All the hinterland of the maritime public domain
  is cadastred while the coastline is not, which
  makes violations easier.

27
.
Analysis of the regulatory instruments

• Lack of national planning authority
• The Ex-Ministry of Planning, created in 1950s,
  was not able to prepare a national land use plan
  due to political difficulties. In 1977, the
  Council for Development and Reconstruction
  replaced the Ministry of Planning, with duties
  not widened enough to include land use and
  planning functions.
• The CDR was asked by the government to study and
  issue a master plan for the coastal sea defining
  the settlements, agricultural, industrial tourist
  and archeological zones. This plan is very
  important to restrict construction and bad
  utilization of the coast.
• The study has not been completed due to lack of
  funding

28
Analysis of the regulatory instruments

• The draft law on regularization of illegal
  status has been sent to the parliament since 2006
  but it is still pending although it is
  fundamental to remove the irregularities on the
  maritime public domain and to receive fees and
  taxes from those which their status will be
  settled.

29
Policies, Future Projects and Perspectives

• .

30

• The Ministry of Public Works and Transport
  DGLMT is carrying on executions of plans and
  programs along side the shore with respect to
• Building up and equipping 27 fishing/leisure
  ports along for developing trade of fishing
• Establishing a database for the coastal zone and
  maps via the GIS system to monitor violations
• Establishing public beaches open freely for
  everybody, and by cooperation with municipalities
  of cities/towns on the coastal zone.
• Establishing recreational areas in forms of
  maritime cornices estimated at 7 of length of
  the Lebanese coast.

31

• Extending Beirut Tripoli ports for meeting
  needs of transit movement between Lebanon and
  other Arab countries in the region.
• Proposal and pursuing the draft of law on
  regularization of illegal status (contraventions
  committed on the coast line during the civil war
  till 1992).
• Drafting a master plan for the shore showing
  where authorization of occupying parts of the
  maritime public domain is possible taking into
  consideration needs and requirements for
  protecting archeological ports and sites
  classified on the international heritage list. .
• Drafting laws/regulations for reviewing
  conditions related to
• Granting occupation and exploitation of ports of
  maritime public domain and territorial waters for
  touristic, industrial, agricultural and private
  purposes.
• Taxes imposed on these occupation and exploitation

32
-

• Implementing all international conventions which
  Lebanon has been adhered to, including those
  related to protect its marine environment like
  UNEP, Barcelona convention with its two
  protocols, MARPOL.
• Implementing provisions of the law of sea
  conventions 1982
• Prohibited zones in territorial waters as lines
  of circulation and arrangements of traffic
  separation, for the safety of navigation
  requirements.

33
Thank You

• .