Al Maydaneh Plain Wetland (MPW), Lebanon
Description
Location
Sketch
Information about lithology/geochemistry:
The wetland soil consists of thick (5-10 m) deposits eroded from surrounding carbonate mountains (limestone, dolomite, marl), with heavy clay content (~60%) enabling high water retention.
Main Description
- A seasonally saturated agricultural plain wetland within a semi-arid basin, fed by springs, runoff, and groundwater, focused on ecohydrological restoration and climate resilience.
- Enhanced: Waste-water treatment, flood moderation, and erosion prevention are improved via constructed wetlands and MBBR systems. Maintained: Food provision, freshwater supply, and habitat support are sustained through climate-resilient farming and water management.
Enhance ecohydrological processes in novel ecosystem
YES
Apply complementary Ecohydrological processes in high impacted system
YES
This table presents the different categories of ecosystem services that ecosystem can provide, divided in:
Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water and other resources.
Food: Ecosystems provide the conditions for growing food. Food comes principally from managed agro-ecosystems but marine and freshwater systems or forests also provide food for human consumption. Wild foods from forests are often underestimated.
Fresh water: Ecosystems play a vital role in the global hydrological cycle, as they regulate the flow and purification of water. Vegetation and forests influence the quantity of water available locally.
Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators eg. regulating the quality of air and soil or by providing flood and disease control.
Moderation of extreme events: Extreme weather events or natural hazards include floods, storms, tsunamis, avalanches and landslides. Ecosystems and living organisms create buffers against natural disasters, thereby preventing possible damage. For example, wetlands can soak up flood water whilst trees can stabilize slopes. Coral reefs and mangroves help protect coastlines from storm damage.
Waste-water treatment: Ecosystems such as wetlands filter both human and animal waste and act as a natural buffer to the surrounding environment. Through the biological activity of microorganisms in the soil, most waste is broken down. Thereby pathogens (disease causing microbes) are eliminated, and the level of nutrients and pollution is reduced.
Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility: Soil erosion is a key factor in the process of land degradation and desertification. Vegetation cover provides a vital regulating service by preventing soil erosion. Soil fertility is essential for plant growth and agriculture and well functioning ecosystems supply the soil with nutrients required to support plant growth.
Ecosystem services "that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services". These include services such as nutrient recycling, primary production and soil formation.
Habitats for species: Habitats provide everything that an individual plant or animal needs to survive: food; water; and shelter. Each ecosystem provides different habitats that can be essential for a species’ lifecycle. Migratory species including birds, fish, mammals and insects all depend upon different ecosystems during their movements.
Cultural Services corresponds nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.
Tourism: Ecosystems and biodiversity play an important role for many kinds of tourism which in turn provides considerable economic benefits and is a vital source of income for many countries. In 2008 global earnings from tourism summed up to US$ 944 billion. Cultural and eco-tourism can also educate people about the importance of biological diversity.
Aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for culture, art and design: Language, knowledge and the natural environment have been intimately related throughout human history. Biodiversity, ecosystems and natural landscapes have been the source of inspiration for much of our art, culture and increasingly for science.
Lifezones
Life zone
Polar
Nival
Dry Tundra
PPT(mm/yr): 1.0
T(ºc): 1.0
| Elevation of demosite: | meters above sea level |
| Humidity: | Semiparched |
| PETr (by year): |
EH Principles
Quantification of the hydrological processes at catchment scale and mapping the impacts
Distribution of ecosystems and their relevant processes (ex: metabolism=water and nutrient uptake and retention; biomass production)
Ecological engineering (integration, dual regulation and biotechnologies in catchment scale for enhancement of ecological potential)
ECOHYDROLOGY ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
Artificial wetland and pond-based Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) system for water treatment and flow regulation.
Ecohydrological Infrastructure
Use of vetiver grass, poplars, willows, and strategic crop planting (e.g., drought-tolerant potatoes) for phytoremediation and soil stabilization.
Phytotechnology
Indirect application through organic mulching and habitat creation to support beneficial soil fauna for natural pest control and soil health.
Faunatechnology
Major Issues
- Intensive land use: High-input agriculture increases production but leads to soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and biodiversity loss without optimized management
- Water over abstraction: Chaotic pumping from surface and groundwater reduces water availability and lowers water tables, stressing ecosystems and agriculture
- Floods: Torrential rain causes river overflow, inundating cultivated lands due to the wetland's low-lying position between mountain chains
- Invasive species: Non-native species like Tree of Heaven and Ring-necked Parakeet disrupt local ecosystems and agricultural systems
- Droughts: Reduced precipitation and higher temperatures decrease water supply, threatening agriculture, food security, and socioeconomic stability
- Habitat loss: Climate change and human activities (excavation, urbanization) destroy natural habitats, reducing biodiversity
- Loss of retention capacity of vegetation: Reduced vegetation cover diminishes soil's ability to retain water despite high clay content, increasing runoff and erosion
Expected Outcomes
mprove water quality and regulate environmental flow in the wetland and tributaries
Enhance climate resilience to droughts and floods through nature-based solutions
Conserve and restore biodiversity and habitats within the agricultural wetland
Increase agricultural sustainability and water security using efficient practices
Develop a scalable ecohydrological model and Decision Support System for national application
Strengthen local capacity and stakeholder engagement in wetland management
Latest Results
Contacts
Amin Shaban
- geoamin@gmail.com
- The Lebanese Center for Water and Environment (LCWE)
Social ecohydrological system
EH Objectives
EH Methodology
Catchment Ecohydrological sub-system
Objectives
Stakeholders
Catchment Sociological sub-system
Activities