In the quiet hours of dawn, when most of Lebanon still sleeps, Husein Ali Zorkot is already awake — sketching, cataloging, and writing about the creatures that inhabit its mountains, valleys, and coasts. For over two decades, Zorkot has been building a monumental archive of Lebanon’s biodiversity through scientific art and field research. His October 2025 report marks another milestone in that long, tireless journey.
Between September 24 and October 24, Husein worked full time on the Pictorial Guide for the Animals of Lebanon, a comprehensive visual encyclopedia that now covers 170 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The work combines precise scientific detail with artistic sensitivity, making it both a research reference and an accessible window into Lebanon’s natural heritage. Alongside this, he has begun developing companion volumes on coastal and aquatic plants, forming part of a larger goal to produce a 24-volume collection covering nearly 2,900 species of Lebanese and Middle Eastern flora and fauna.
From Field to Illustration: A Living Record of Lebanon’s Nature
Zorkot’s method is immersive. He moves between biomonitoring sites, Hima gardens, and coastal habitats, documenting every detail of the ecosystems he studies. During this period, he oversaw the butterfly and botanical gardens in Mount Lebanon and the West Bekaa, ensuring that each site continues to function as both a refuge for species and an educational space for visitors. His fieldwork blends hiking, photography, and illustration — a seamless integration of science and art.
Each photograph informs an illustration; each illustration reinforces the scientific record. The Pictorial Animals volume he’s now finalizing builds upon years of observation and collaboration, integrating credited photographs, original artwork, and updated ecological data. When published, it will stand not only as a scientific achievement but also as a cultural one — a reminder that Lebanon’s wildlife still thrives, often against daunting odds.
The Vision: 24 Volumes of Life
The scope of Husein’s project is vast. He envisions 24 pictorial volumes dedicated to Lebanon’s biodiversity: from mountain flora to desert insects, from forest mammals to marine life. Four volumes have already been published; two others — Animals of Lebanon and Coastal Plants — are nearing completion. Together, they represent one of the most ambitious natural history endeavors in the region’s modern history.
Beyond publication, the project feeds directly into SPNL’s BioConnect initiative, where Zorkot’s illustrations and field data support ongoing species inventories across 40 Hima sites. His work helps visualize what numbers alone cannot: the faces, colors, and forms of Lebanon’s living diversity. Every print, every poster, and every book becomes both a scientific tool and an advocacy message — a “Souk el Hima” product with purpose.
Chemlan and the Gardens of Learning
This month also marked Husein’s move to Chemlan, where he will continue managing Hima gardens and advancing the botanical and butterfly collections. These gardens are microcosms of Lebanon’s ecosystems — spaces where schoolchildren, tourists, and researchers can observe the natural cycles of pollination, migration, and seasonal bloom. For Zorkot, managing them is as integral as publishing books: they are the living classrooms that give his illustrations context and meaning.
Looking Ahead
In the coming months, Husein aims to finalize and print the Pictorial Animals volume, expand the coastal plants series, and update biomonitoring checklists for multiple Hima locations. His goals also include identifying priority species and flagship habitats, ensuring that Lebanon’s conservation strategies remain grounded in data and field observation.
But beyond checklists and deadlines, his commitment speaks to something deeper — a lifelong mission to make people see what is often unseen. In every drawing of a chameleon or lizard, every sketch of a bat or mountain fox, there is reverence for a fragile world that still survives in Lebanon’s fragmented landscapes.
A Legacy in the Making
Few conservationists have merged art, science, and community outreach as seamlessly as Husein Zorkot. His illustrations bridge generations, reminding viewers that knowledge and beauty are not separate pursuits. As he continues his 20-year quest to document all of Lebanon’s wildlife, his work becomes not only an archive for researchers but also an invitation for the public — to look closer, learn deeper, and care more profoundly for the living world around them.
