The Qadisha Valley A historical, cultural, religious and natural heritage Fady ASMAR Lebanon

1. The Qadisha ValleyA historical, cultural, religious and natural heritageFady ASMARLebanon UNESCO Office - Beirut

2. A REMARKABLE SPIRITUAL, BIOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE • World Heritage Site since 1998 • Diversity of the landscape • Integration of the architecture in the local relief, a heritage of the ancestral human activities • Agricultural terraces , human valorization of a difficult relief • An important biological diversity • Geology and karstic specificity • The Cedars of God Forest • Site for refuge and meditation: foundations of Christian mysticism • Cultural and natural added value: • Traditional exploitation of land, • Jurassik calcareous caves • Biological diversity

3. THE QADISHA VALLEY • Important religious patrimony, natural and built • Steep cliffs and strong landscapes favoring a spiritual mode of living • Sacred character caused by the presence of hermites • Richness of biodiversity • Terraced fields planted with olives, vines, fruits, vegetables and cereals

4. THE CEDARS FOREST • Above the Qadisha valley • Age old cedar trees • Sacred character intensified by the existence of legends and traditions • The Maronite Church used to excommuniate those who dared to attack the Cedars • The Transfiguration of Christ is said to have occured on this holly land.

6. THE LEBANESE CEDAR • Symbol of Lebanon, rooted in the beleives and traditions • Largely exploited for the construction of temples, sacred monuments, fleets… • Locally used as a fuelwood and for small handicrafts.

7. THE QADISHA LANDSCAPE • The traditional exploitation has shaped the landscape • The space is organized around four components: • hortus: home gardens, fruits and vegetables • ager: terraced fields of cereals • silva: the forest for the fuel, building material and some grazing; • saltus: intermediary space, grazed, planted and covered by trees. • The development of agriculture on terraces allowed for an increase of the available space and an improvement of the water holding capacity. • Growing of olive, vines, mulberries, fruit trees, cereals fruits and vegetables.

9. Abandonment of villages and of agriculture • Soil degradation caused by destruction of terraces. • Natural forest vegetation recovering abandonned lands. • Which explains the fact that most of the forests in the area are young (except the Cedars of God Forest)

10. THE AFFECTIVE DIMENSION • Linked to the symbol value of the valley and to the concern of transmitting to future generations • Human settlements since early days of humanity • Natural refuge and then hermitage • Development of agricultural and grazing activities • Recently, abandonment of agriculture, forestry and herding • Ecotourism not yet properly implemented

11. A RISKY NATURAL DYNAMIC • Progressive disappearance of open spaces leading to loss of biodiversity. • Landscape degradation caused by the covering of abandonned agricultural fields with bushes • Loss of cultural character and historical value because of lack of maintenance of the landscape • Progressive enrichment but ultimately loss of biodiversity and increase of erosion

12. THE MEDITERRANNEAN GARDEN • The concept of the hortus, ager, silva and saltus allows for the conservation of the Mediterranean landscape and the heritage values • An organized and responsible tourism would give an added value to the site by increasing the functional mosaic.

13. PROSPECTIVE SCENARIOS

14. A NEGATIVE SCENARIO • External actors invading the site • A weak integration of the ecotourism and sustainable development dimension. • Progressive loss of identity of the territory, abandonment and loss of interest of tourists: high urban pressure, uncontrolled exploitation, lack of authanticity and quality.

15. A POSITIVE SCENARIO • Proper management of exploitation • Traditional rural activities • Multi-functional forestry • Reduced conflicts of use • Developped local values • Responsible tourism • Creation of new jobs • Respect of the Spirit of the Valley: « haut lieu » of prayers, meditation and pilgrimages. This scenario supposes a joint management of the land with all the concerned stakeholders.

16. RECOMMANDATIONS • Preserve the cultural and heritage landscape • Find an equilibrium between the hortus, ager, silva and saltus, through traditional agriculture as a tool for the maintenance of the space. • Preserve, promote and valorise the elements of the rural, historical, cultural and religious heritage. • Adopt a landscape approach for the management of the ecosystems. • Identify landscapes and species to be protected.

17. RECOMMANDATIONS • Awareness raising and eductaion of involved actors and stakeholders • Conflict resolution • Promote education at school level • Involve tour operators and concerned actors in the integrated and sustainable management of the land, taking into consideration the different values of the area.

18. CONCLUSION • Religious and biodiversity heritage The conservation of the local biodiversity is an important commitment for the perenity of the collective memory of the religious community and the local people. • Biodiversity, agriculture and exploitation of land  The biodiversity of the valley includes authentique natural landscapes and typical landscapes shaped by human activity. This diversity is threatened by the mismanagement of the tourist sector and the uncontrolled urbanisation. • The tourist: a main actor for the conservation of the Qadisha Altough tourism is a recent activity, compared to agriculture and hermitages, the responsible tourism could become the main activity for the protection of the biodiversity and of the cultural values of the site.

19. A GUIDED TOUR

21. A GUIDED TOUR