Dr. Sami Alawieh Receives the “Homat Al Hima Environment Hero Award – 2025” 🥇
As part of the strategic agreement signed between the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) and the Litani River Authority (LRA), and following three years of positive and fruitful cooperation, both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding one of Lebanon’s most vital ecological corridors: the Litani River Hima zone. Their joint efforts continue to focus on rehabilitating and protecting key bird habitats and areas of high biodiversity value extending across the Central and Western Bekaa, from the Kfar Zabad–Anjar Hima complex to Saghbine and the wider network of Hima sites in the West Bekaa.
These activities are carried out in close coordination with local municipalities, and in alignment with the Hima decisions issued for communal lands — decisions that empower communities to sustainably manage their natural resources while preserving their environmental and cultural heritage.
This collaboration is implemented under the DIMFE Project, which plays a pivotal role in addressing pollution at the source, restoring degraded ecosystems, and contributing directly to the revival of the Upper Litani River and Qaraoun Lake. The project has significantly enhanced the capacity of local communities to participate in conservation, supported the recovery of fragile ecosystems, and strengthened Lebanon’s largest river basin as a haven for biodiversity.
In recognition of his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to environmental protection, SPNL awarded Dr. Sami Alawieh, Director General of the Litani River Authority, the “Homat Al Hima Environment Hero Award – 2025” 🥇. The award celebrates his instrumental role in facilitating SPNL’s programs, expanding environmental partnerships, and championing integrated river-basin management.
During the ceremony, Dr. Alawieh presented a commemorative medal to Mr. Assad Serhal, SPNL President and Director General, honoring his decades-long contribution to conservation efforts within the Litani River Basin and his pioneering work in advancing the Hima approach as a model for community-based nature stewardship in Lebanon and the region.
Both institutions agreed to further strengthen and expand their cooperation to cover all migratory flyways of waterbirds, soaring birds, and resident species along the Litani River. Special emphasis will be placed on protecting key sites for resting, breeding, and feeding along major migration routes, recognizing the river basin as an essential ecological corridor within Lebanon’s wider flyway system.
Moreover, SPNL and LRA committed to developing a five-year joint implementation plan that will:
• Protect and restore natural habitats across the basin,
• Support local communities through sustainable livelihood and conservation initiatives,
• Expand scientific monitoring using GIS, remote sensing, and field surveys, and
• Advance integrated river-basin management as a national priority.
This renewed partnership marks an important step forward in unifying conservation actions across Lebanon’s most threatened river system, reinforcing the role of local communities, public institutions, and environmental organizations in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for the Litani River.
