Government legislation, Law No. 532 of 24 July 1996 declared “The communal lands of Niha, Jbaa, Mrusti, Khreibeh, Maasser, Barouk, Bmohray, Ain Dara, Ain Zhalta villages, in addition to the Government owned lands on the eastern side of Barouk Mountain” a Nature Reserve.

 
The Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve is under the authority of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment (MOE), which manages it through the Appointed Protected Area Committee (APAC) that includes among its members the Al-Shouf Cedar Society (ACS), the Mayors of the larger villages, and independent environment experts. APAC liaises with the reserves Management Team, which deals with the Reserves day-to-day management and planning. In addition to the Ministry of Environment, the following government agencies have roles and responsibilities that impact on the environment and the Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve:

The Ministry of Public Works is responsible for the Kefraya-Maasser Shouf road which passes through the SBR

The Department of Antiquities has jurisdiction over the antiquities and ancient ruins in the SBR

The Ministry of Information and the Maasser Municipality have authority over the T.V. transmitters in the SBR

The Barouk Water Office has authority over water rights, especially the Barouk water, in the Shouf area.

The SBR needs the cooperation of all government and non-government sectors in order to fulfill its goal of conserving the natural and cultural heritage of the region, while also enhancing the well-being and income of the inhabitants of the villages surrounding the SBR. This can only be accomplished through the application of laws and regulations across and between the various jurisdictions within the Shouf Biosphere Reserve International Standing
In July 2005, UNESCO declared the Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve a “Biosphere Reserve”called the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) with an area of approximately 50,000 hectare – or 5% of the total area of Lebanon. The SBR includes the International Standing
  • 01.
    Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve (established in 1996) and located in the Shouf mountains of central Lebanon.
  • 02.
    Ammiq Wetland, east of the Shouf in the Beqaa Valley. Ammiq is a Ramsar site and one of the last remaining wetlands in the Middle East.
  • 03.
    Twenty-five (25) villages surrounding the biosphere from the eastern and western sides of the Barouk and Niha mountains.