Project overview 

CAMP Lebanon focused on the southern coastal region of the country, covering approximately 615 km², or about 6% of Lebanon’s total land area. The coastal stretch extends 85 km, accounting for 33% of the national coastline, from Khaldeh to Sour (Tyre). 

The project area was defined at two levels: 

  • National level: the broader coastal area south of Beirut 
  • Local level: three key municipalities – Damour, Sarafand, and Naqoura 

 

This area holds significant ecological, agricultural, and socio-economic value but faces intense urbanisation pressures, as well as a wide range of interlinked environmental and governance issues: 

  • Absence of a national coastal management plan and legal framework 
  • Fragmented institutional responsibilities and outdated regulations 
  • Weak civil service capacity and reliance on a top-down planning model 
  • Unregulated industrial expansion and tourism development 
  • Loss of agricultural land and degradation of woodlands 
  • Sea and freshwater pollution from untreated waste and solid waste dumps 
  • Air pollution in urban areas 
  • Poor coordination of external aid and lack of integrated strategies 
  • Limited public participation and technical capacity at the local level 

 

Key objectives 

The project aimed to: 

  • Support integrated coastal area and river basin management (ICAM and IRBM) 
  • Develop legal, institutional, and strategic frameworks for ICAM in Lebanon 
  • Align environmental protection with socio-economic development goals 
  • Build technical and institutional capacity at national and local levels 
  • Promote community engagement and participatory planning 
  • Provide tools and strategies to address priority coastal and urban challenges 

 

Results and outputs 

The project comprised eight main activity areas: 

  • Integrated Coastal Area Management 
  • Data and Information Management 
  • Integrated Water Resources Management 
  • Marine Conservation Area Development 
  • Integrated River Basin Management 
  • Sustainable Tourism Development 
  • Urban Management and Sustainable Development 
  • Participatory Programme 

 

Among the outputs, the following have been produced:  

  • Drafting of two major national policy documents: a legal framework for Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) and a National ICAM Strategy for Lebanon
  • Strengthened capacity through training, workshops, field visits, and on-the-job learning 
  • Active participation of local committees on water, waste, land-use, and tourism 
  • Systemic and Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA)
  • Carrying Capacity Assessment (CCA) for tourism
  • Integrated land-use management and Local Agenda 21 principles 
  • Promotion of links between cultural heritage and sustainable development 
  • Identification of policy, technical, legal, and administrative solutions for critical gaps 
  • Engagement with funding agencies to develop project proposals based on CAMP outputs 

 

Follow-up

Several follow-up initiatives and proposals have been developed to continue the work started under CAMP Lebanon, reinforcing its long-term impact on environmental governance and sustainable development in the country.