The Minister of Environment, Ms. Tamara El Zein, received the President of the Middle East Sustainable Hunting Center MESHC, Adonis Khoury, and the Head of the Anti-Poaching Unit APU, Shireen Bou Rfoul, to discuss the regulation of the hunting sector in Lebanon and the protection of nature and birds.
During the meeting, Minister El Zein stressed the importance of organizing hunting through a clear and legal open season, alongside strict enforcement against violations. She emphasized that effective regulation, rather than random bans, has proven successful in protecting nature in many countries.
For his part, Khoury highlighted that uncontrolled bans have failed to protect birds and biodiversity, reaffirming that law-abiding and ethical hunters are essential partners in environmental protection, monitoring violations, and contributing to field research and awareness campaigns.
Bou Rfoul presented the field efforts carried out by APU in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon SPNL and in partnership with the international Committee Against Bird Slaughter CABS, in coordination with sustainable hunters and security agencies, to reduce the killing of migratory birds protected under international agreements.
Both Khoury and Bou Rfoul expressed full readiness to cooperate with the Ministry of Environment and to place all available expertise and resources at the service of shared goals aimed at safeguarding biodiversity and achieving balance between people, nature, and birds.
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.
