On World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) announced the designation of the Eghbé area in Keserwan–Ftouh as a safe corridor for migratory birds, stressing that any violation or attack against birds in this area will be prosecuted in accordance with applicable laws. The announcement was made during an official ceremony held for the occasion.
This declaration is the result of years of fieldwork, awareness-raising, and monitoring carried out by the Anti-Poaching Unit in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), in partnership with the international organization CABS (Committee Against Bird Slaughter), and with the support of local and international partners, with the aim of stopping illegal hunting and protecting one of Lebanon’s most important migration routes for birds of prey.
The event was attended by the Mukhtar of Eghbé, Patrick Hakim; the Mayor of Delbta, Jack Khoury; the Mayor of Shehtoul, Jack Salameh; and the Mukhtar of Jdeideh El Metn, artist Hadi Yazbek, in addition to a number of sustainable hunters, environmental activists, and heads of hunting groups from various Lebanese regions.
During the ceremony, SPNL Director General and international advisor to the World Council for Birds, Assaad Serhal, emphasized the importance of partnership with the local community and hunters’ awareness in protecting migratory birds. He also referred to religious and human values that promote compassion toward animals and birds, and paid tribute to the security forces and the Lebanese Army for accompanying the work of the Anti-Poaching Unit.
Mukhtar of Eghbé, Patrick Hakim, affirmed that cooperation between him and the Unit led to this practical outcome, stressing the need to continue along this path to protect nature and regulate hunting responsibly within the framework of the law.
For his part, Adonis El Khatib, President of the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center (MESHC), stated that declaring Eghbé a safe corridor for migratory birds is the result of cumulative work and genuine partnerships among field groups, committed hunters, and the local community. He confirmed that the Anti-Poaching Unit will move in this area from awareness and warnings to legal prosecution against any poacher who kills migratory birds.
In a touching human moment, El Khatib opened his speech by inviting the young girl Nour Eid, daughter of Agence France-Presse photographer Joe Eid, to stand beside him. He reminded her of her tears two years earlier when she saw a bird of prey killed in Eghbé, and assured her that the promise made then to prevent such crimes has now become a reality with the declaration of the area as a safe corridor for migratory birds.
In turn, APU President Shirine Bou Rafoul explained that four years of joint work with CABS have achieved tangible results, emphasizing that the members of the Anti-Poaching Unit are themselves hunters who chose to protect nature and the hunting tradition, and to restore the image of the responsible hunter after it had been tarnished by illegal practices.
The ceremony also included the release of a black kite in the Eghbé area in tribute to the late Ramzi Al-Saeedi, President and founding member of SPNL, as well as the raising of a white peace flag affirming the protection decision, bearing the inscription “Eghbé Safe Corridor – 5 June World Environment Day 2021.” In addition, the Anti-Poaching Unit’s team, equipped with specialized cameras, carried out a field monitoring exercise with the participation of male and female volunteer hunters.
This article was published on this date when the organization was known as the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center. The name was later changed to the Middle East Center for Sustainable Harvest and Anti-Poaching.
