Wings & Waves – SPNL’s Newsletter May 2015

 

Wings & Waves - SPNL's Newsletter
It was attended for the first time by the new Birdlife International Chief Executive (Mrs Patricia Zurita) as member of the HF Board.

Fifth Hima Fund Board Meeting in Doha- Qatar

Fifth Hima Fund Board Meeting was held in Doha – Qatar during the period 19-21 April 2015 at the Friends of The Environment Center – the Partner representing the funder & host country.

On the Move is an exhibition of professional photography commissioned by the Mediterranean Consortium for Nature and Culture.

On The Move is going to Asturias, Spain

After a lovely stay in Byblos Cultural Centre, Lebanon, On The Move exhibition moved to Madrid Botanical Gardens from 19 February to 15 March 2015, where it received a lot of exposure and thousands of visitors.

 
In attempts to protect sea turtles, the reserve is working to raise awareness among the younger generation by teaching them a simple equation.

May 5th: National Sea Turtle Day in Lebanon

Tyre Beach Nature Reserve, along the coast of the southern city, is known for being the site where, every year without fail, sea turtles come to the shore to lay their eggs.

Assad Serhal says that the society which is the national partner for BirdLife International has found an ideal solution to implement the hunting law, which is in limiting hunting within specified Public areas in several Lebanese regions, owned by the municipalities.

Responsible Hunting Zones: First Step to Save Migratory Birds, Enforce Law 580

Who benefits from unregulated hunting in Lebanon? Why does the Ministry of Environment practice the policy of “burying its head into the ground”? And when will the moment of truth arrive, in which the Ministers of Environment and Interior announce that they are unable to apply the hunting law throughout Lebanon?

The poachers risk up to one month of imprisonment and a fine equivalent to five hundred thousand Lebanese Pounds as well as the withdraw of their hunting license for a period of one to three years.

Strong move by Lebanese minister asking for prosecution of poachers

In a rare and strong move, the Lebanese Minister of Environment, H.E. Mohammad Machnouk, handed a letter to the Environment Attorney General of Mount Lebanon, judge Claude Ghanem, asking for the prosecution of 3 hunters that violated the law No. 580/2004.

Malta is the only country in Europe to allow the killing of turtle dove and quail in spring. Both species have suffered serious declines across Europe, with turtle dove numbers plummeting by 77% since 1980. Many other types of rare and protected birds are also targeted by hunters during the spring hunting season in Malta.

Malta misses a chance to end spring hunting of birds

The referendum was called for by Maltese citizens, 43,000 of whom signed a petition to ask for the abrogative referendum to be held. While the outcome was not what environmental campaigners had hoped for, the process has nonetheless been hailed as putting nature and environmental issues firmly on the agenda.

 
Each year on the second weekend in May, dedicated organizations, governments and people around the world plan events to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) celebrating migratory birds and raising awareness about the need for their conservation. Since World Migratory Bird Day began in 2006, events have been held in 130 countries and this year we hope to reach even more people and organizations to connect and work together towards conserving migratory birds and their habitats worldwide.

World Migratory Bird Day 2015 – “Energy – make it bird-friendly!”

#WorldMigratoryBirdDay

The World Migratory Bird Day Social Media Hashtag is #WorldMigratoryBirdDay. Please add it to your Facebook and Twitter posts to connect with the WMBD Social Media community. You can also search for it to see what others all over the globe are doing for World Migratory Bird Day!

SPNL representative in this event was Ms. Tala Moukaddem. she is the Knowledge Node Coordinator for Lebanon in the R-KNOW network.

R-KNOW at the 7th World Water Forum, Daegu, Korea

The “Regional Knowledge Network on Systemic Approaches to Water Resources Management” project is a three year regional project working in five countries (Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco)

In 2013  SPNL launched an educational program titled “SNOW- School with No Walls” ,which aims to raise awareness about the Hima IBAs and KBA, species and ecosystems through the hands on program, and learning through fun.

Teach children outside to save their vision, say scientists

Children should be allowed to study outside to stop them becoming short-sighted, a new study suggests.  Researchers believe that youngsters are spending so long inside for lessons that it is damaging their eyesight.

Book Review

Back from the Brink

• Success stories of animals threatened with extinction whose fortunes have been reversed
• Tales of lifetimes dedicated to wildlife conservation
• Features some of the most iconic animals from around the world

 

Order Now

Back from the Brink is an antidote to a world that seems full of stories of wildlife doom and gloom.

News in Photos

Wild Turkey by John Goldie

The turkey was Benjamin Franklin’s choice for the United States’s national bird. The noble fowl was a favored food of Native Americans. When Europeans arrived, they made it one of only two domestic birds native to the Americas—the Muscovy duck shares the distinction.

 

Photograph by John Goldie

Only male turkeys display the ruffled feathers, fanlike tail, bare head, and bright beard commonly associated with these birds.

News in Photos

SPNL Volunteer Monitoring Migrating Cranes in USA

Ghazi Rifai, SPNL volunteer took the initiative to monitor migrating cranes while refueling in his front yard, for their long journey between south and North America.

 

Photograph by Ghazi Rifai

Last year Ghazi sent us a picture while he was feeding the cranes.  This year the Cranes came back with a couple of fledglings birdie Cranes.In North America Cranes continue to suffer from low numbers and are far short of establishing a self-sustaining population.
 
This video has been developed within the CEPF funded Act4Drin project led by MIO-ECSDE and implemented in collaboration with KAQKA PRODUCTION, BIOSFERA, EDEN, GREENHOME and MES.

Act4Drin launches the “Echoes from the Drin” short films triplet

The core message that the Act4Drin short films seek to bring forward is all about “Living in harmony with the Drin”.

 

 

Address: Awad Bldg, 6th Floor, Abdel Aziz Street, P.O.Box: 11-5665, Beirut, Lebanon
Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon – SPNL
Email: news@spnl.org
Web: http://www.spnl.org
Tel/Fax: 00961 1 343 740 / 00961 1 344 814 / 00961 1 748308
Like   ·   Tweet   ·   Contact Us