Ras el Maten is typical of the Eumediterranean biome and is dominated by mixed woodlands of pine and oak, represented mainly by the stone pine (Pinus pinea), Calabrian pine (P. brutia), cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus), Kermes oak (Quercus calliprinos), and Cyprus oak (Q. infectoria).
Hundreds of woodland species can be found here, some of which are medicinal or aromatic. Species include the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), terebinth (Pistacia palaestina), buckthorn (Rhamnus punctata), hawthorn (Crataegus azarolus), Syrian maple (Acer syriacum), green olive (Phillyrea media), madder (Rubia tenuifolia), tall birthwort (Aristolochia altissima), cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), eryngo (Eryngium falcatum), storax (Styrax officinalis), black bryony (Tamus orientalis), thyme-leaved St. John’s-wort (Hypericum thymifolium), long-leaved phlomis (Phlomis longifolia), Syrian marjoram (Origanum syriacum), shrubby sage (Salvia fruticosa), woundwort (Stachys distans), summer savory (Satureja thymbra), spiked thyme (Thymbra spicata), lavender (Lavandula stoechas), chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria), three-leaved garlic (Allium trifoliatum), broom (Spartium junceum), ash (Fraxinus ornus), hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), buttercups (Ranunculus spp.), and peonies (Paeonia spp.).
The pine underwoods host a number of mushroom and lichen species. Damp rocks host numerous species of mosses and liverworts, while shaded spots are also home to many fern species.
Ras el Maten lies on the main flyway of many bird species, chiefly soaring birds like storks and eagles and semi-soaring birds like cranes and pelicans. Being situated at the upper northern edge of the Beirut River Valley, a bottle neck for migratory soaring birds, Ras el Metn has a rich and significant biodiversity including 31 resident or sedentary bird species such as the Blackbird, Rock Nuthatch, and Blue Thrush; 27 summer breeding visitors like the Redback Shrike, Northern Wheatear, Spotted Flycatcher; and up to 108 migratory and wintering bird species such as the European Bee-eater, White and Black Storks and the Willow Warbler. Nocturnal bird species are also present and characterize the Hima of Ras el Maten where the Barn Owl, Tawny Owl and the rare Eurasian Eagle-Owl roam the area in search of rodents, mainly mice.
Ras el Maten is considered a sensitive area of very high importance, not only because it is on the main flyway of migratory avifauna or on the edge of a bottle neck for these migratory species but also due to the significant number of the globally threatened species regularly recorded in it. These include the Egyptian Vulture, Imperial Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Great Spotted Eagle and Saker Falcon.
The nationally threatened Chukar is found at the highest points of the rocky areas with reduced scrubs cover of the prickly shrubby burnet and heaths. Ras el Maten is also known for hosting the post breeding dispersal of the globally threatened Syrian Serin and the biome restricted species: Kretzschmar’s Bunting, Masked Shrike, Black-headed Bunting and Rock Nuthatch. More research in the area will almost certainly reveal a higher and more diversified degree of avifaunal richness.
The mammalian fauna of Ras el Maten is diverse. Shrews live in shady, humid places. Bats emerge at dusk from caves and feed in valleys and along riverbanks; many of them are rare or threatened. Persian squirrels (Sciurus anomalus), once common in the woodlands, are now considered as being nearly threatened. Hares (Lepus capensis) are dwindling in the mountains because of hunting.
The hyrax (Procavia capensis), (Tabsoun colloquially) is a small, shy mammal that hide in cracks and burrows away from humans. It lives in groups of up to seventy individuals. The Hyrax is currently found in the Middle East and Africa only. In Lebanon there are three types: rock, forest and tree haris.
The hyrax belongs to the family of angiosperms, with the elephant being its closest species. The two are similar in anatomy and smell, and scientists believe that they have a common origin dating back about 50 million years.
The hyrax is a diurnal animal that feeds on plants, shrubs and oak leaves, and needs only small amounts of water to obtain from its food. It is considered endangered in Lebanon, due to overfishing and urban expansion at the expense of forests and woodlands.
Other carnivores include the weasel (Mustela nivalis), whose numbers have been reduced due to extensive logging, the stone marten (Martes foina), and the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), whose numbers have been reduced by poaching. The Red Fox, Jackal, Indian Porcupine, Hedgehog and field mouse were all recorded in the area and in addition to the globally threatened Kuhl’s pipistrelle that breeds under the bricks of the roofs of the village’s houses.
In the past, the alpine woodlands and stony valleys were home to mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervix elaphus), and fallow deer (Dama dama).
The herpetofauna include all 7 species of Lebanese amphibians, notably the banded newt (Ommatotriton vittatus) and fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata), and a number of reptiles, especially the tortoise (Testudo graeca), bent-toed gecko (Cyrtopodion kotschyi), Lebanese mountain lizard (Parvilacerta fraasii), an endemic species, the snake-eyed lizard (Ophisops elegans), North Levant snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus budaki), bridled skunk (Mabuya vittata), glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus), and snakes.
