Protected areas of Libya

Protected areas of Libya include any geographical area protected for a specific use.

Most protected areas are intended for the conservation of flora and fauna. Libya's national parks and nature reserves are maintained by the "Technical Committee of Wildlife and National Parks" which was created in 1990, as part of the General Secretariat of Agricultural Reclamation and Land Reform.[1][2]

Areas may also be protected for their value and importance as historical, cultural heritage or scientific sites. More information on these can be found in the list of heritage sites in Libya.

There were no national parks or protected areas in Libya prior to the Libyan coup of 1969. The new revolutionary government began to designate national parks and nature reserves in the 1970s. By 2009 seven national parks, five nature reserves and twenty-four other protected areas had been established, mostly along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.[3] Among the most visited of these areas are Karaboli National Park, El-Kouf National Park, Benghazi Nature Reserve, and Tripoli Nature Reserve along the coast, and Zellaf Nature Reserve in the southwestern desert.

  1. ^ "Parks, Reserves, and Other Protected Areas in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". Parks.it, The Portal about Parks in Italy. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  2. ^ Auzias, Dominique and Labourdette, Jean-Paul (2008) Le Petit Futé Libye (2nd edition) Petit Futé, Nouvelles éd. de l'Université, Paris, France, page 27, ISBN 978-2-7469-2276-1
  3. ^ Davies, Ethel (2009) North Africa: The Roman Coast Bradt Travel Guides, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, England, page 326, ISBN 978-1-84162-287-3