From protecting birds and habitats to building bridges between communities, Lebanon’s Hima revival offers a community-led pathway to conservation, resilience and peace

Nairobi, Kenya — The ancient Hima system of community-based conservation took centre stage in Nairobi, as the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) brought its Hima for Peace initiative to the BirdLife International Global Partnership Meeting and Global Flyways Summit.

The special session brought together conservation partners from across the Middle East and beyond to explore how community stewardship of nature can protect birds and biodiversity while fostering cooperation, resilience and peace among communities sharing landscapes and natural resources.

Opening the session, Assad Serhal, Director General of SPNL, welcomed speakers and participants from 14 countries and presented the journey of the Hima—from an ancient system of community stewardship dating back some 4,000 years, to its spread across the Arab region over the past 1,500 years, and its modern revival by SPNL in Lebanon.

Today, 65 Himas have been established across Lebanon, in cooperation with municipalities and local communities.

“Conservation can no longer be done for communities. It must be done with communities,” Serhal has emphasized. “Hima offers a locally rooted pathway to connect people, culture and nature, while strengthening cooperation across landscapes, borders and migratory flyways.”

The message resonated strongly with the wider BirdLife agenda, which brings together conservation organizations across countries to tackle biodiversity loss through collaboration and locally rooted action.

Kahder: Hima Can Help Conserve Important Bird Areas

Dr. Ibrahim Kahder, Regional Director of BirdLife Middle East, reflected on BirdLife’s cooperation with SPNL in reviving the Hima since 2005, when the approach was recognized for its potential to strengthen the conservation of Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

Kahder pointed to the remarkable growth of the Hima movement in Lebanon, arguing that its success lies in its connection to identity, culture and history.

“Hima is no longer just an approach; it’s rather a legacy as we are exploring ourselves and our history,” he said.

He stressed that the Hima movement is now well positioned to expand across the region after decades of neglect.

“Hima can bring peace to different groups in the community, to adjacent communities, to the whole country, and even among countries,” Kahder added.

Haddad: From Bird Conservation to Peacebuilding

Raghida Haddad, Editor-in-Chief of Al Hima magazine, explored the connection between bird conservation, community stewardship and peacebuilding.

Lebanon lies along the Eastern Flyway, making its forests, agricultural landscapes, wetlands and open areas vital for migratory birds. Himas can provide integrated landscapes where habitat protection, bird conservation, sustainable livelihoods, scientific research and community action reinforce one another.

Haddad highlighted the continuing challenge of illegal bird killing and SPNL’s work promoting Responsible Hunting Areas and anti-poaching action, emphasizing the role of Homat Al Hima—the Guardians of the Hima—in protecting wildlife and building a culture of stewardship.

But the Hima approach, she explained, can go beyond conservation.

SPNL’s Hima for Peace initiative is based on five principles: participation, ownership, shared interests, practical action and resilience. Its aim is to turn shared natural resources from potential sources of tension into opportunities for cooperation.

A practical example comes from Kayfoun and Shimlan in Mount Lebanon, where neighbouring communities have cooperated around a shared water resource through participatory planning, joint management and a solar-powered water-pumping project.

The initiative also connects the Quranic Garden in Kayfoun, the Biblical Garden in Shimlan and the Lavender Garden in Souk el Gharb through Hima Trails, creating a landscape where biodiversity, cultural heritage and community interaction come together.

Eight Mount Lebanon municipalities have further committed themselves to cooperation through a Hima Charter.

Haddad presented SPNL’s newly introduced Hima for Peace Charter, a 10-point declaration linking community conservation with peacebuilding, climate resilience, sustainable development, cultural heritage and regional cooperation.

The Charter is open to endorsement by organizations and individuals through SPNL’s website.

Regional Partners Commit to the Hima

The Nairobi session also provided a platform for Hima partners from across the region to share their experiences and ambitions.

Fadi Nasser and Tareq Qaneer of Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) expressed the benefits of the Hima approach while stressing the importance of ensuring its long-term sustainability and drawing lessons from Lebanon’s experience. RSCN is also working with partners on Special Conservation Areas and participating in the Hima Corridor Coalition.

Imad Al Atrash of the Palestine Wildlife Society (PWLS) reported that work is underway towards establishing four new Himas in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

Hounada Sadat of the Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) expressed optimism about establishing Hima sites in Syria after identifying a provision in Syrian environmental legislation that allows municipalities to establish Himas.

Azzam Alwash of Nature Iraq highlighted the urgent need to revitalize Iraq’s agricultural sector through nature-based solutions. He pointed to opportunities to combine wastewater treatment, wetland restoration, agriculture and bird conservation, while reporting on efforts to develop a Hima brand and identify three potential Hima sites.

Together, the regional partners identified several common challenges, particularly sustainable financing, ensuring tangible local economic benefits and strengthening the capacities of Hima communities.

They also expressed strong interest in developing a regional Hima initiative in cooperation with UNESCO, IUCN, Flyway and other international organizations.

From Shared Landscapes to Shared Responsibility

The Nairobi discussion demonstrated that Hima is evolving beyond a Lebanese conservation experience into a broader regional conversation.

Across the Middle East, communities share ecosystems, water resources, migratory routes, cultural traditions and environmental challenges. Birds cross the same landscapes without recognizing political borders. The Hima approach offers a way of connecting these ecological realities with the people who live alongside them.

For SPNL, this is the essence of Hima for Peace: protecting the habitats birds and wildlife need, empowering the communities that depend on them, preserving cultural heritage and creating shared interests around natural resources.