Hima

As climate change talks continue in Doha, Qatar at the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, it is increasingly clear that even if the highest ambitions to mitigate climate change are realised (and at the moment these commitments continue to fall far short of what is needed), the world will have …

The fifth day of COP18/CMP8 saw engagement from the host country’s top leaders with observer organisations and members of the press, while delegates prepared for a weekend full of events. As part of Qatar’s commitment to hosting an open, transparent, and inclusive process, the President of the conference, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, along with other top figures from the host …

A centuries old method of conservation is being revived in Qatar and other parts of the Islamic world. At the fifth Hikma session at COP18/CMP8, participants from countries such as Lebanon, Morocco, Bahrain and Egypt explained how the ancient principle of Hima was being reintroduced. The session was moderated by SPNL director general Assad Serhal, a Birdlife special envoy to the …

Hima means protected area in Arabic; it is a community based approach used for the conservation of sites, species, habitats, and people in order to achieve the sustainable use of natural resources. It originated from more than 1,500 years ago where it was spread along the Arab Peninsula as a “tribal” system of sustainable management of natural resources. It was …

 Secrets of Birds Migration and Forests of Hope Festival – Aanjar On Saturday October 6, a day full of environmental activities attracted more than 150 students aged between 8 and 12 from Aanjar and its neighboring villages under the theme of “The Secrets of Bird Migration and Forests of Hope”. Aanjar’s festival allowed students and attendees to collect firsthand information …

For an almost entirely desert country, with no natural surface water and no forests, Qatar is home to 280 species of bird. Many of these call Qatar home for only a few days, weeks, or months a year, as they stop on their migratory paths. Keen birdwatchers can spot everything from Hoopoes and Common Chiffchaffs, which are a type of …

Top delegates of the 2012 World Conservation Congress pose after signing the Jeju Declaration during the closing ceremony on the 10th day of the environmental conference in Jeju Island. Starting from the left, they are Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Woo Keun-min, the Minister of Environment Yoo Young-sook, the Chairman of the organizing committee Lee Hong-koo, and the president …

Almost 1,500 years before modern conservation research arrived at the same idea, a tradition originating from the Arabian Peninsula realised the importance of community involvement when preserving natural areas and managing natural resources. Essential practice for human survival in Arabian climes, the hima was a traditional sustainable protected area system that went further than being a strategy to conserve biodiversity: …

The regional workshop on the “Hybrid HIMA approach to community based resource management” took place in Istanbul, Turkey from the 14th to the 16th April 2011. The Hybrid Hima is a community-based approach to managing the natural and human resources that utilizes traditional knowledge and modern-day innovation. Hima is a traditional system of land management and customary practices that can …