RECLAIMING COASTAL RIPARIAN LANDSCAPES: THE CASE OF DAMOUR RIVER, LEBANON

Abstract

Damour River is a coastal river in the Governorate of Mount Lebanon. The river’s headwaters originate in Jabal El-Barouk, thereafter the river flows westwards to the Mediterranean Sea. As with other coastal rivers in Lebanon, the Damour watershed sheltered people and nature, a rich cultural landscape equally rich in forests and scrublands. The biocultural diversity of the riparian landscape, however, is fragmented and under threat from increased unregulated development intensification in land and water use, as well as threats related to climate change. Biological and cultural diversity are compromised with fragmentation.

The thesis aims to reclaim bio-cultural heritage of Damour’s coastal riparian landscape, recognize coastal rivers in Lebanon as natural and cultural heritage, eroded bio-cultural diversity through a holistic landscape design to balance human and ecosystem health.

To address these challenges, the thesis is supported by the bio-cultural diversity (BCD) theoretical framework and the Ecological Landscape Design methodology (Makhzoumi & Pungetti, 1999) to integrate the fundamentals of time and space, nature and culture into a holistic understanding of the Damour River landscape. Ecological Landscape Associations (ELAs) were identified to serve as the foundation for understanding emerging ecological processes. ELAs were then consolidated into Landscape Character Zones (LCZs) and emerging landscape patterns, the building blocks that guide biologically and culturally sound design strategies. The thesis concludes by proposing an ecological urban design framework that prioritizes bio-cultural diversity support, helps to revive material and lived bio-cultural diversity, and explores stewardship of riparian landscapes heritage. Far from a master plan, the conceptual model proposed for Kfarmatta and Damour River’s seasonal streams aims to act as a prototype to reclaim riparian coastal landscapes.