In Harajel, the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) organized an engaging awareness session for the Lebanese Relief Scouts – Mar Roukoz School Troop in Qlayaat. The session was held as part of a camp that brought together more than 40 scouts and leaders, who gathered to learn about the dangers of illegal hunting and the role young people can play in protecting Lebanon’s natural heritage.
The session provided detailed explanations on the environmental and social impact of poaching, as well as the legal processes that violations follow until they reach the security forces and the environmental public prosecutor. Trainers emphasized the importance of field monitoring and the pivotal awareness role that scouts can play in their communities. The discussion also highlighted how biodiversity ensures ecological balance and safeguards the future of coming generations.
The lectures were delivered by Adonis Khodr El Khoury, Head of the Middle East Center for Sustainable Hunting and Field Coordinator for Responsible Hunting at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL); Shireen Bou Rfoul, Head of the Anti-Poaching Unit and Director of CABS International in Lebanon; and Maroun Bou Rfoul, APU’s field investigator.
The session concluded with an open dialogue where the scouts reaffirmed their commitment to nature protection and pledged to spread environmental awareness in their surroundings—fully in line with the scouting movement’s mission of serving both society and the natural world.
The APU, which operates under the Middle East Center for Sustainable Hunting (MESHC) and SPNL, implements Lebanon’s anti-poaching project with the support of the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, in cooperation with BirdLife International, and in partnership with CABS. The unit works in close coordination with the Internal Security Forces, the Information Branch, and Army Intelligence to enforce wildlife protection laws.
These activities also contribute to the BioConnect Project, a 45-month initiative running until October 2025. BioConnect seeks to strengthen governance and management of sites of ecological importance, create new protected areas and other effective conservation measures (OECMs), and promote large-scale landscape conservation. The project also aims to improve ecosystem health, provide socio-economic benefits, and support local communities by addressing key pressures on biodiversity.
