Cities North Lebanon: Palm Islands     Palm Islands A group of three flat, rocky islands of eroded limestone pavement, 5.5 km offshore and northwest of Tripoli, together with their surrounding seas constitute the Palm Islands Nature Reserve. The overall area of the reserve is 4.2 sq km. The reserve has recently been designated as a Mediterranean Specially Protected Area under the Barcelona Convention (1995). The islands were also identified as a Wetland of Special International Importance by Carp (1980), and have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International (Evans, 1994). Palm Island is the largest of the three islands, covering an area of 180796 sqm and is flat with no obvious relief; its highest point is only about 6m above sea level. The earthen middle separates a rocky shoreline extending from the northwest to south, and a sandy beach extending from the north to the east. The island contains evidence of past periods of human occupation in the form of a fresh water well, an old Salinas and the remains of an old church that date back to the Crusader period. Sanani Island covers an area of 45503 sqm south east of Palm Island. It is mainly rocky with a partially sandy shore that resembles that of Palm Island. The smallest island, with an area of 34.903 sqm is located north west of Palm Island. Ramkine Island is mostly rocky and rises to about 12 meters above sea level. The island contains the remains of a lighthouse in addition to cannon emplacements and underground galleries that were built early this century. A solar powered navigation light has now been installed in the tower of the old lighthouse. The importance of the reserve is mainly due to its biodiversity, i.e., what it encloses of species of fauna and flora as well as habitats and ecosystems, it also represents a resting area for rare and globally endangered migratory birds such as White-tailed Sea Eagle Haliaetus albicilla, Audouin's Gull Larus audouini and Corncrake Crex crex, during its passage or its wintering. Also, its sandy shore is considered one of the few remaining areas for the nesting of the globally endangered marine turtles such as the Green Turtle Chelonia mydas and the Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta. It also hosts in its caves the Mediterranean Monk seal Monachus monachus that is the sixth mammal on the list of globally endangered species. As for its flora, it contains medicinal plants and other rare and endemic species. But the remarkable is that the surrounding submerged area of the reserve, whether it is herbaceous, sandy or rocky with crevices, is considered as unique ground for spawning fish and sponges. The coastal flora of the Lebanese shore is subjected to extinction due to pollution and urban development. It is not the same for the reserve islands which are uninhabited, that gives it a better chance to enclose a variety of the Eastern Mediterranean coastal flora, and to be a sample of how the Lebanese coasts were in the past. In addition, the islands witness alternation of a variety of monthly plants, which leads to a different cover not only from one season to another but from one month to the other. The Palm Island Nature Reserve islands are also distinguished for the variety of medicinal and beehive plants that it has. The islands are distinguished by being the only place in Lebanon that has nesting sea birds (Yellow- Legged Gull), and that is because it is away from hunting and urban pressure. Also there are nine other species that nest on the islands such as the Hoopoe Upupa epops, Graceful Warbler Prinia gracilis, Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, and White Wagtail Motacilla alba … As for migratory and wintering species, there are about 156 species, 41 of which continue their route to nest on the Lebanese mainland. Worthy to say is that the chaos on the islands before it was declared a reserve, resulted in the disappearance of four species of birds that used to nest on them and these are: Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii, Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis, Common Tern Sterna hirundo and the Little Tern Sterna albifrons, that is normal because the islands are characterized wherever they are by a fragile ecosystem. But after the conservation, two of these species have returned to the islands these are: Audouin's Gull and Common Tern. And it is hoped that the other two species will return if conservation continues according to the management and action plans set for this purpose