“We have a dream that there will be a reserve [here],” said Ibrahim Bzieh, an elder from Zibqine, as he looked out over the green valley near his village in South Lebanon. Local leaders and the Green Southerners, an environmental advocacy group, have worked tirelessly to get the Lebanese authorities to declare Wadi Zibqine a natural reserve. They hope to prevent a road from passing through the wadi. In a gathering in Zibqine on July 19, the municipality declared the area a reserve, stating they had submitted all the necessary paperwork to the Ministry of Environment to uphold the decision.

Forty-two landlords agreed to have their land included in the reserve, which is proposed to be 60% municipal land and 40% private land. In Lebanon, the Ministry of Environment can declare a piece of land a reserve and then submit the motion to parliament for approval. Alternatively, parliament can take the initiative and pass a law declaring a reserve. The latter requires the support of at least 10 parliamentarians, and the Green Southerners have the word of as many parliamentarians that they will support the measure.

In the past, civil society groups have declared reserves in South Lebanon, but some of these have not secured ministry approval, thus there is no legal or formal protection or recognition. The Green Southerners and the residents of Zibqine are trying to secure this recognition for the wadi so that a planned road cannot be constructed through it.

Chairman of the Green Southerners, Hisham Younes, said more than 10 parliamentarians support the measure. Despite this and the local declaration of the reserve, Danash, a construction company, has continued to work on the road. Yet residents heard Danash was stopping construction.