Homat Al-Hima Guideline Manual

By Assad Serhal, Director General, SPNL

Homat Al Hima (HH) are intrinsic to the Hima communities, the same villages and towns are inbred and inborn. The experiences Nature and Biodiversity bring to people are mainly local. The Hima is the Homat Al Hima’s first love from which they grasp the first breath of fresh air. Their ears get tuned to the soft whispers of the nearby forest tree leaves’, to the songs and sounds of the birds and wildlife, to the water rushing down from the Hima hills, and to the waves crashing endlessly on the Hima beaches inviting local farmers, shepherds and fishermen to harvest and gather the Hima resources while the first rays of sunshine paints the Hima landscapes; a picture we, Homat Al Hima , will cherish till the last days of our lives .

Successful Conservation of Eurasian Stone Curlew at Fakiha/Ras Baalbek IBA

During the last 138 years, the rare Eurasian Stone Curlew was recorded 10 times only in Lebanon by seven birdwatchers from different countries, and in 1983, Cramp & Simmons considered this species as extinct in Lebanon. In 2016, following four years of concerted conservation effort at this IBA, chiefly in the Hima of Fakiha; eight Eurasian Stone Curlews were recorded, along a transect from Fakiha to Hermel, through Ras Baalbek, beside 26 Cream colored Cursors (highest number ever recorded in the country) and at least three Near-threatened Cinereous Buntings for the first time in the Fakiha Hima.

Luc Hoffmann Memorial Ceremony, at Tour du Valat, Camarque, South France

By Assad Serhal – SPNL Director General

Twenty years have passed, since our first encounter with Luc, where my wife Zeina and I were invited to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and National Resources (IUCN) Anniversary, at the place where it got established since 50 years before, at Napoleon Bonaparte Palace, Fontainebleau forest, France.

The Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza Hortulana)

By Fouad Itani,

The Ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a small passerine bird of the bunting family Emberizidae. It measures 17 cm in length and has an average weight of 23 g. The male is greenish with a yellow streaked throat and upper part, as well as orange underparts. The female is much duller with a finely streaked crown and upper breast.

Moving into action: IUCN World Conservation Congress opens

As the IUCN World Conservation Congress opened today in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, thousands of government and NGO representatives prepared to debate and act on key issues including conserving the oceans, climate change and the role of private investment in nature conservation.

Youth’s Training in Hima al Fekha

As the IUCN World Conservation Congress opened today in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, thousands of government and NGO representatives prepared to debate and act on key issues including conserving the oceans, climate change and the role of private investment in nature conservation.

Special edition of On The Move at IUCN’s Congress in Hawaii

We’re very happy to announce that a special edition of On The Move will be presented at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Hawaii from the 2nd – 10th September – featuring beautiful photography from celebrated photographers: Asaad Saleh, Lebanon; Baris Koca, Turkey; Gema Arrugaeta, Spain; Stamos Abatis, Greece; Wassim Ghozlani, Tunisia; and Younes Tazi, Morocco.

Homat Al Hima celebrates International Youth Day

A workshop was held on August.11.2016 in the Cultural Center of Byblos / Jbeil through the generous support of the European Union as a dedication for the International Youth Day stressing on the leading role of the children in evaluating and supporting natural and cultural resources, sustainably using these resources, and spreading the awareness on to their friends and families.

The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production

The theme of the 2016 IYD is “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production”. This year’s IYD is about achieving the 2030 Agenda for 

Top conservation players partner to identify the most vital places for life on earth

Today, eleven of the world’s leading conservation organisations, including BirdLife International and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), announced an ambitious new partnership 

Giant forest fires exterminate spotted owls, long-term study finds

As climate changes and wildfires get larger, hotter and more frequent, how should public lands in the American West be managed to protect endangered creatures that, like the spotted owl, rely on fire-prone old-