Anjar Kfar Zabad

Spring flowers blossom next to marshland and Anti-Lebanon Mountain at Kfar Zabad Globally Important Birding Area in Bekka Valley region of Lebanon Monday April 28, 2008. In 2005, the Kfar Zabad wetlands earned Hima status through the collaboration of local municipality officials and landowners with SPNL and other organizations engaged in wildlife conservation and eco-tourism.
Spring flowers blossom next to marshland and Anti-Lebanon Mountain at Kfar Zabad Globally Important Birding Area in Bekka Valley region of Lebanon Monday April 28, 2008. In 2005, the Kfar Zabad wetlands earned Hima status through the collaboration of local municipality officials and landowners with SPNL and other organizations engaged in wildlife conservation and eco-tourism.

Location:

Eastern Bekaa, at foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, in the municipalities of Anjar and Kfar Zabad. Total area: 326 ha

 IBA Criteria met: A1

Explanation:

At least fifteen breeding pairs of Syrian Serins (Serinus syriacus) were present at the site in spring 2005, plus Lebanon’s second only record of Bearded Tit. Number of species observed: 69

Hima Anjar - Kfar Zabad

Habitat:

Freshwater wetland, Agriculture / cultivation, Woodland / forest

Other wildlife interest:

Common Otter (Lutra lutra), Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris), reptiles and amphibians.

kfar_zabad,_hima_entrance[1] (2)

Threats:

Hunting, disturbance of birds, water abstraction, diversion of water/canalization, irrigation, agricultural intensification, grazing.

 Current conservation measures & future plans:

Declaration of Hima at Kfar Zabad, including hunting ban, access restriction, habitat creation / restoration. Current-declaration of Hima at Anjar from the mountain slopes along the riverside. Future – Extension of Hima conservation approach to the entire site.