Firm and urgent action must be taken by UNESCO, the Center of World Heritage and ICOMOS to stop this tourist development in the zone of the nature reserve.
In October 1998, the Lebanese Parliament voted in a law (No. 708) regarding the creation of a nature reserve in Tyre on land that is the property of the Lebanese State. AIST was hoping that this decree would protect this zone that stretches over 4 ½ kilometers on the southern side of the town at a depth of 500-800 meters. These sandy beaches are amongst the most beautiful and largest in the country. It should be remembered that in 1996 this zone was destined to become a huge beachfront development but the plan was frustrated when AIST mounted a vigorous press campaign that was successful at that time. The deleterious text of this law authorized the creation of three distinct zones: one very small for the reserve, devoted to the culture of fauna and flora and comprising the source of Ras el-Ain, another destined for the promotion of real estate development and the third to tourism, the last two of which are damaging to Tyre.
There is a real trial of strength between those who defend the heritage of Tyre and those groups of promoters who dream of reproducing the Spanish Costa del Sol.
Regretfully, we were right because today political pressures are pushing the Municipality of Tyre to launch a project called "The rehabilitation of the recreation and swimming areas of the nature reserve of Tyre" with the aim of developing a tourism complex on the part of the reserve that they allocated to tourism.
This project will cover some 900 meters of beach and is expected to handle 5,000 people per day during the high season. This development will include:
Dr. Georges Tohme, the research director of CNRS, who frequently visits the reserve to study its fauna and flora has listed 274 animal species and many medicinal plants. He has come to the conclusion that some of the species are disappearing at an alarming rate. "5 endemic species exist in this region, and 2 of them have already disappeared." There is a total lack of understanding of what is a protected zone. According to Dr. Tohme, the real economic interest of the whole region lies in the preservation of its sites which will encourage Green Tourism. Therefore it is essential to stop the building projects on the beaches of the reserve as well as the real plans for the zone at the rear where archeological remains have been reported by Japanese specialists. This whole area must be converted into a true nature reserve and archeological park.
Professor Morhange of Provence University, commissioned by UNESCO, has proposed a plan to safeguard the archeological and natural patrimony of the coast of Tyre with particular emphasis on the submerged heritage of that city. (AIST contributed 7,007.99 Euros for the 16 datings relevant to the chronology of the harbors of Tyre and the lagoon of Paleo-Tyre which is situated in the natural reserve). ICOMOS has strongly urged Lebanon to comply with the recommendations of this report in order to improve our knowledge about this extremely important site.
According to Professor Morhange, the Egyptian port (southern port) is in a littoral zone that is submerged rather than underwater. The causes of such a change in the water level are certainly linked to the raising of the water level in the Mediterranean but also to certain sinking phenomena.
It would seem, according to the shards of ceramics from the Iron Age found on the scree, that this region is one of the oldest of the whole site. From that it would appear that this is the first coast protection ever built.