Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information At least 15 pairs of Syrian Serins Serinus syriacus breed in the woods at the southern end of the site. This species is classified as Vulnerable in the 2008 IUCN Red List and is also a restricted range species, found mostly in the Levant, with its breeding stronghold in Lebanon and nearby areas of Jordan and Syria. Although the IBA designation of the site is due to the Syrian Serins, the wetland habitats are included because of their importance in national terms. The reedbeds and grassland hold good numbers of breeding wetland birds and reedbed warblers. Many other birds use the IBA as a migration stopover site or wintering ground. Various species of soaring birds occur on migration, including storks and pelicans in moderate numbers, while raptors are usually relatively few. Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus and Long-legged Buzzards Buteo rufinus are regularly seen outside the migration seasons although neither is confirmed as breeding. The farmland, woods and hillside at the periphery of the site hold a broad range of typical commoner species, both on migration and breeding.

Site description Located in the eastern Bekaa valley at the foot of the arid Anti-Lebanon mountain range, the Anjar-K’far Zabad IBA consists mostly of freshwater wetland with some mixed woodland and cultivated fields. There is open scrubby hillside and several commercial fish farms in the southern half of the site.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Kfar Zabed	Reserve	0	unknown	0

Local conservation groups The local conservation group below is working to support conservation at this IBA.

Habitats

Land use

Management considerations The northern half of the site has been protected since 2004 by the municipality of K’far Zabad, which has banned hunting (previously a problem of immense significance here) and carried out various habitat restoration activities with the help of SPNL. The northern half is designated as a Hima, a traditional Arabian system of community-led management, which is being promoted by SPNL in several sites around Lebanon. The southern half of the area, which previously had no formal protection, was added to the Hima in 2008. The biggest threat to birds in the IBA is hunting, which is a very popular national pastime. However, with the declaration of the Hima, work is ongoing to promote positive attitudes to conservation and to discourage hunting. Other threats include disturbance to birds, water abstraction, agricultural intensification, grazing and eutrophication.

Related state of the world's birds case studies

• BirdLife’s Partner in Lebanon (SPNL) uses a traditional Hima approach in IBA conservation

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hima Anjar--Kfar Zabad. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife