A sign placed on the cedar of Kobayat, Akkar, says that photos can be taken next to it but not on it. (Photo sent by Michel Hallak)
In the Karm Shbat reserve of Kobayat, Akkar, a famous cedar tree now bears a sign inviting visitors to have their photos taken next to the conifer, not on top of it.The matter is no joke: many influencers, internet users and even artists had recently taken to climbing the tree — whose shape is quite horizontal, as is often the case with the centuries-old Cedrus libani — to take photos atop the cedar and garner complimentary likes and comments on social media. One particularly careless visitor even placed a man’oushe oven, used to bake the Lebanese flatbread, on top of it.This very damaging behavior to the tree was strongly condemned by many environmentalists from this region in Lebanon's far north. Their complaints to the Ministry of Agriculture yielded results: Akkar's agricultural service, part of the ministry and represented...
In the Karm Shbat reserve of Kobayat, Akkar, a famous cedar tree now bears a sign inviting visitors to have their photos taken next to the conifer, not on top of it.The matter is no joke: many influencers, internet users and even artists had recently taken to climbing the tree — whose shape is quite horizontal, as is often the case with the centuries-old Cedrus libani — to take photos atop the cedar and garner complimentary likes and comments on social media. One particularly careless visitor even placed a man’oushe oven, used to bake the Lebanese flatbread, on top of it.This very damaging behavior to the tree was strongly condemned by many environmentalists from this region in Lebanon's far north. Their complaints to the Ministry of Agriculture yielded results: Akkar's agricultural service, part of the ministry and...
