Colorful spring wildflowers are abundant. Few other wild animals are left in Lebanon. D. Natural Resources Abundant water, productive soils, and extensively terraced slopes contribute to Lebanon's varied agriculture. The fertile soils of the coastal plain are alluvial, while the soils at higher elevations are a more typical example of the Mediterranean terra rossa, or red earth. Only 30.1 percent of Lebanon is agricultural land, and 5 percent is forested.
Limestone is widespread and quarried extensively, but there are few other mineral resources.
E. Environmental Issues Environmental protection received minimal attention before the civil war ended in 1990. Since then the government has created a ministry of environment, which has taken measures to lessen the country's environmental damage. Among other problems, the ministry has addressed the severe pollution of Lebanon's coastal waters, caused by oil spills and the discharge of pesticides, fertilizers, and untreated industrial and human wastes. In general the government gives environmental conservation and cleanup a lower priority than basic reconstruction projects.