SPNL organized the second round of biodiversity monitoring training in West Bekaa Country Club- WBCC in Hima Kherbet Kanafar. The training is part of the “Shouf Landscape” pilot project funded by MAVA and implemented in partnership with ACS.
More than 20 participants/volunteers from Al Shouf and West Bekaa region and undergraduates of reputable universities from Beirut participated in the training.
The training focused on monitoring of three selected biodiversity indicators, which are butterflies, reptiles and amphibians, and plants with their habitats.
Part of the training was theoretical, by which Dr. Mohammad Al-Zein of AUB, Hussein Zorkot of SPNL, and Nijad Saed Eddine of ACS explained the different monitoring protocols and techniques of plants, butterflies, and reptiles and amphibians respectively.
The second part of the training was practical, by which the trainees visited the butterfly and botanical garden and applied what they learned directly in the field.
Further biodiversity monitoring training on birds, ants, and bees will take place in March 2019.
This edition of Al Hima magazine weaves together inspiring stories of nature conservation and community resilience, highlighting how Lebanon is being stitched back to life—one Hima at a time. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) continues its mission to preserve the country’s natural heritage by empowering local communities. A cornerstone of this effort is the BioConnect project, funded by the European Union, which has achieved three national firsts: Lebanon’s first natural park (Upper Matn), first geological park (Shouf-Jezzine), and first endowment Hima (Btekhnay).