BCHARRE, Lebanon (AP) — Majestic cedars towered over dozens of Lebanese Christians gathered outside a small mid-19th century chapel hidden in a mountain forest to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, the miracle where Jesus Christ, atop A mountain shone with light before his disciples.
The yellow light of the sunset streaming through the cedar branches bathed the head of the Maronite Church of Lebanon, Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, as he stood at a wooden podium and delivered a sermon. Then the gathering sang hymns in Arabic and Aramaic.
For Christians in Lebanon, cedars are sacred, hardy evergreen trees that survive the harsh, snowy winters of the mountains. They proudly point out that the cedars of Lebanon are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. Trees are a symbol of Lebanon, represented in the center of the national flag.
The emblematic trees of the north of the country are a far cry from the clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops along the Lebanese-Israeli border in recent weeks, against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war. The Lebanese government says Israel’s use of white phosphorus and other incendiary weapons has burned tens of thousands of olive trees and other crops in the border area, and poor Lebanese farmers fear the shells have contaminated their soil.
But the long-term survival of cedar forests is in doubt for another reason: rising temperatures due to climate change threaten to wipe out biodiversity and destroy one of the country’s most iconic heritage sites for its Christians.
The lush Cedars of God forest, some 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea level near the northern town of Bsharri, is part of a landscape cherished by Christians. The reserve overlooks the Kadisha valley – “sacred” in Aramaic – where many Christians have taken refuge to escape persecution linked to Lebanon’s tumultuous history. One of the world’s largest collections of monasteries remains hidden among thick trees, caves and rock outcroppings along the deep 35-kilometer (22-mile) valley.
The United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, declared the cedar forest and the valley a world heritage site in 1998. They have become popular destinations for hikers and environmentalists from around the world. A growing number of Lebanese of all faiths are also going there, seeking fresh air far from the cities.
“People of all religions come here, not just Christians…even Muslims and atheists,” said Hani Tawk, a Maronite Christian priest, as he showed a crowd of tourists around the monastery of Saint Elisha. “But we Christians are reminded of all the saints who have lived here, and we experience being in this sacred dimension.”
Environmentalists and residents say the effects of climate change, exacerbated by government mismanagement, pose a threat to the valley and cedar forest ecosystem.
“In 30 or 40 years, it is entirely possible to see the biodiversity of the Kadisha valley, which is one of the richest in the world, becoming much poorer,” Charbel Tawk, environmental engineer and activist in Bcharré – unrelated to Hani Tawk. Press
Lebanon has been bearing the heat of climate change for years, with farmers denouncing a lack of rain and wildfires ravaging pine forests in the country’s north, similar to fires that ravaged forests in neighboring Syria and Greece neighbor. Residents across much of the country, grappling with widespread power outages, could barely stand the searing summer heat.
Temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Bsharri, not uncommon along Lebanon’s coastal towns but unusual for this northern mountainous town.
The nuns of the medieval Qannoubin Monastery, perched on the side of a hill in the Kadisha Valley, fanned themselves and drank water in the shade of the monastery courtyard. They remember the days when they could sleep comfortably on summer nights without needing much electricity.
Worrying signs of the impact on the cedars and Kadisha are already appearing.
Warmer temperatures have brought larger colonies of aphids that feed on the bark of cedars and leave a secretion that can cause mold, Charbel Tawk said. Bees normally eliminate secretions, but they have become less active. Aphids and other pests also last longer during the season and reach higher altitudes due to warmer weather.
These pests threaten to stunt or damage cedar growth.
Tawk fears that if temperatures continue to change like this, lower elevation cedars may not survive. Fires are becoming more and more dangerous.
Cedars typically grow at altitudes between 700 and 1,800 meters above sea level. Tawk’s organization has planted some 200,000 cedars over the years at higher altitudes and in areas where they were not present. Some 180,000 people survived.
“Is it because of climate change or what is happening in nature that these cedars are able to survive between 2,100 and 2,400 meters above sea level? asked Tawk, while inspecting a grove of cedars atop a secluded hill.
Local priests and environmental activists have urged the Lebanese government to work with universities to conduct a massive study into temperature changes and their impact on biodiversity.
But Lebanon has been gripped by a crippling economic crisis for years. State coffers are drying up and many of the country’s top experts are quickly seeking work opportunities abroad.
“Today, there is nothing called the State… The competent ministries, even with the best intentions, no longer have the financial capacity,” declared the mayor of Bcharré, Freddy Keyrouz. He said he and the mayors of neighboring towns had asked residents to contribute to conservation initiatives and the Lebanese diaspora abroad to help with funding.
The Maronite Church has strict rules to protect the Cedars of God Forest, including prohibiting any development. Kiosks, tourist shops and a large car park have been set up away from the forest.
“We do not allow anything combustible to be brought into the sacred forest,” said Charbel Makhlouf, priest of Saint Saba Cathedral in Bcharre.
The Friends of the Cedar Forest Committee, to which Tawk belongs, has been caring for the cedars for nearly three decades, with the support of the Church. He installed sensors on cedars to measure temperature, wind and humidity, monitoring deteriorating conditions that could lead to wildfires.
Beneath the Kadisha Valley forest, Tawk highlights other concerns.
In particular, the spread of cypress trees threatens to crowd out other species, “breaking that balance that we had in the valley,” he said.
“We’ve seen them grow and dominate other species, whether it’s sunlight, wind or the expansion of their roots,” he said. “This will impact other plants, birds, insects and all reptile species there.”
Steps taken to protect the valley actually harmed its biodiversity by removing human practices that were beneficial to it, Tawk said.
In the past, ranchers grazing their goats and other animals in the valley helped prevent the spread of invasive species. Their grazing also reduced the risk of fire, as did local families collecting dead wood to burn in winter.
But residents left the valley when it became a heritage site and the Lebanese government implemented strict regulations. Few live there today, except for a handful of priests and nuns.
“Trees have supplanted the places where people lived and farmed,” Tawk said. “Now a fire could spread from one end of the valley to the other.”
Sitting in a cave near Qannoubine Monastery, Father Hani Tawk listened to the birds chirping in the valley. He said he believes in the community’s faith and awareness of nature, ingrained since their ancestors sought refuge here.
“When you violate this tree, you are damaging a long history, and perhaps your children’s future,” he said.
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