Identifying and Conserving IBAs in Lebanon

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL; BirdLife in Lebanon) and A Rocha Lebanon have completed a three year, nationwide search for new Important Bird Areas (IBAs). In a country critical for many birds - such as migratory soaring birds, species with restricted ranges, and over-wintering waterbirds - Chris Naylor from A Rocha Lebanon said: “3,000 hours of monitoring has more than tripled the number of IBAs in Lebanon, marking the start of the conservation process for these sites”.

Prior to the recent surveys, four sites in Lebanon had been recognised as IBAs. “It was essential to collect more information about our bird havens, and identify more Lebanese IBAs”, noted SPNL’s Bassima Khatib. “Having identified the key sites, we can now seek to ensure their protection and management for the future”.

One newly identified IBA – the Beirut River Valley – covers over 8,000 hectares of riverside, woodland, cultivated ground and high cliff tops. “During the migration periods, more than 70,000 soaring birds fly through the Beirut River Valley IBA, including White Stork Ciconia ciconia, European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus, and Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina”, commented Bassima Khatib. Many migratory soaring birds funnel through Lebanon as they glide on thermals; exposing them to threats such as illegal hunting, water pollution and habitat loss.

"It was essential to collect more information about our bird havens” —Bassima Khatib, The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon

SPNL The completed project marks the beginning in the conservation process for Lebanon’s newest IBAs. Zoom In

“Our united approach has helped to pin-point Lebanon’s bird oases” —Bassima Khatib, SPNL

The completed project marks the beginning in the conservation process for Lebanon’s newest IBAs. SPNL and A Rocha Lebanon are now planning to publish education and training materials for local groups, build their combined capacity for undertaking research and surveying work, elaborate site monitoring programmes, provide networking between the IBA sites and initiate conservation projects for the declared sites. 

Following a successful regional project ‘Promoting Sustainable Hunting Practices in the Mediterranean’, BirdLife has recently launched a new ‘Migratory Soaring Birds’ project to tackle wider threats to soaring birds in the Middle East and Africa. The nature of the threats to soaring birds and their pattern of migration, means that their conservation can only be achieved by considering land-use beyond the boundaries of protected areas and by involving national economic sectors other than conservation in implementation.

SPNL are a key Partner in the Migratory Soaring Birds project who will ensure conservation is incorporated into the production sectors where the threats originate – primarily energy, agriculture, waste management, development and tourism. To remove the threats, BirdLife will engage these sectors in meaningful conservation action, with conservation and biodiversity integrated with, rather than distinct from, the rest of the economy. Read more about BirdLife’s work to conserve migratory soaring birds here. Click to download a poster (pdf; 2.6 mb) or brochure (pdf; 2.3 mb) detailing more about IBAs in Lebanon.

This news is brought to you by Born to Travel - BirdLife's Flyways Campaign. To read more about the BirdLife Partnership’s global work to save migratory birds, click here.