Boundaries

The ecoregion includes the coastal strip of the Levant from the western slopes of the Jabal an Nusayriyah Mountains in Syria, the Lebanon Mountains in Lebanon and the Judean Hills in Israel, to the Sinai. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Sinai ecoregion [435] to the south, and the Orontes [437] and Jordan River [438] ecoregions (with a small part of Arabian Interior [440]) to the east.

Topography

This ecoregion covers a narrow coastal plain backed by mountain ranges up to 3000 m. The southern Bekaa Valley of the Litani River is inland between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges.

Freshwater habitats

Coastal rivers descending from Mount Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea are short and steep. Some may dry up in late summer. The Litani River parallels the coast before it turns abruptly west and crosses the coastal mountain range to enter the Mediterranean Sea. It is heavily polluted. The swampy area known as Ammiq (not Lake Amiq of the Orontes) on the Litani River has been reclaimed for farming, and any remaining swamp dries out in summer.

Terrestrial habitats

River valleys are narrow and deep, and some are well-forested with Mediterranean maquis. Tree crops are grown in the north with some dry farming and irrigated farming in the south. Litani Valley and coastal swamps are mostly drained and now used for farming.

Description of endemic fishes

There are four endemic cyprinids in the ecoregion: Acanthobrama telavivensis, Alburnus qalilus, Hemigrammocapoeta festai, and Pseudophoxinus hasani.

Other noteworthy fishes

Four species of cichlids are present – Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus), redbelly tilapia (Tilapia zillii), and mango tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus). These are also part of the African fauna of the Middle East. Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is also native (Gasterosteidae).

Justification for delineation

Endemics and the species mix found here is unique in the Middle East. En Afeq Nature Reserve in Israel and the Ammiq Wetlands in Lebanon are Ramsar sites.

Level of taxonomic exploration

Good