Last week footage emerged online of a clip taken by a farmer in Western Bekaa, showing dozens of resting storks walking around his tractor foraging for food freely and safely. The footage was initially praised by environmentalists and pro-regulation hunters alike as a positive example of sustainable hunters working in harmony with nature. However, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon and the Middle Eastern Sustainable Hunting Centres (MESHC) Anti-poaching unit have reported in this video a furthermore deeply disturbing element to the story today: a further image has come to light showing dozens of dead storks bundled next to what clearly appears to be the same tractor. It would appear that after filming, the same person or psychotic persons unknown massacred dozens of the birds. The available information has been passed to the internal security forces and army intelligence officers and an investigation is currently ongoing in an effort to bring the perpetrator to justice.
This edition of Al Hima magazine weaves together inspiring stories of nature conservation and community resilience, highlighting how Lebanon is being stitched back to life—one Hima at a time. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) continues its mission to preserve the country’s natural heritage by empowering local communities. A cornerstone of this effort is the BioConnect project, funded by the European Union, which has achieved three national firsts: Lebanon’s first natural park (Upper Matn), first geological park (Shouf-Jezzine), and first endowment Hima (Btekhnay).