Words: Assad Serhal
Photo credits: Afonso Rocha
“From Portugal , the nesting white storks .You can see them everywhere on the Portugal Landscape , nesting on road signs , electric power towers and platforms created by farmers to attract them to their farms and fields to help them clean it from harmful rodents and other pests , and save them money from using harmful chemicals, and preventing pollution to the water , soil and the eco-system at large .
A true partnership between people and white storks I witnessed at the field visits in Portugal, even storks and other birds of prey are respected at Responsible Hunting Areas , and not harmed .
We are certainly a long way to go from our European partners , here in Lebanon , but the long journey starts with a step , and the RHAs initiated by SPNL under the Patronage of Mrs. Claudine Aoun Roukoz, special advisor of the president of the Republic of Lebanon General Michel AOUN, is certainly heading into the right direction . Together for Birds , Nature and People, a Peace Treaty as our Lebanese president called it . An action on the ground with the respected municipalities from Hima Akhoura , to the other 9 municipalities that are taking the new hunting law seriously , and hiring  and training the needed guards and guides from their local communities with SPNL support and the Responsible Hunting Federation , and the sustained partnership with the respected ministry of environment , and hunting higher council in Lebanon .
A story of hope , is being built up stone by stone for the last 30 years , which is to be put to the test this 15 September , 2017 the official open hunting season in Lebanon, after over 20 years of ban .
Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) volunteers will be joining Claudine Aoun and SPNL Team from All over Europe this September, to monitor, witness and document the story of stopping the illegal killing of birds and using Lebanon as a grave yard to migrating birds by poachers , into a story of hope and respect to life and nature, a new image for Lebanon as Claudine puts it” .
