Beirut, Lebanon (November, 2018) – The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in closely cooperating with the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the second consecutive year, to launch the “Let them Fly Safely” educational campaign in all governorates in Lebanon; Bekaa, Mount Lebanon, Beirut, North, South and Nabatiyeh governorates in 1, 3, 5 and 7 November 2018 and will be implemented by the team of the Health Education and environmental Unit at DOPS and the health educators in schools through activities for the students at a later stage.
The main objective of this campaign is to cultivate love and interest in school students for animal welfare and raise their awareness about the threats of random and illegal hunting on resident and migratory birds. Furthermore, highlight the importance of preventing this type of destructive hunting to preserve the environment in Lebanon.
This year’s campaign aims to reach 8,000 students from local schools to raise their awareness about the illegal hunting of birds and seasons of migration. The “Let them Fly Safely” campaign will be carried out by Health educator in each of the participating schools with the Environmental Health Education Unit guidance. Booklets consisting of 52 pages entitled “Let them fly safely” will be distributed to the students, as it was especially designed with appealing graphics and interesting content such as How Birds Fly, What Makes Birds Unique Creatures, and Lebanon: A Bird-Loved Country. In addition, there will be amusing games and activities that even attracts adults interested in birds to refrain from random and illegal hunting – which also complies with Lebanese national laws in regards to hunting. The team of the Health Education and environmental Unit and the health educators will achieve that with the help of presentations and of course the booklets.
Lebanon is one of the most important sites on one of the most important routes of bird’s migration in the world, as it is located in the bottleneck of the migration line that starts from Europe and North Asia and ends in Africa through the Raft Valley, This geographical advantage makes Lebanon a destination for local and foreign hunters. Furthermore, this is one of the reasons why Lebanon ranks fourth in countries with illegal hunting in the Mediterranean basin after Italy, Egypt and Syria – according to the International Birdlife Report 2015. This prompted the Lebanese National authorities concerned, such as the Ministry of Education and the Higher Education, Ministry of Environment to target the this issue seriously, committing to reduce the illegal hunting and properly regulating the entire activity. Raising children to love the animals and nature is an important element of the IFAW’s mission. Moreover, raising their awareness at a young age about the illegal and random hunting is important to cultivate their interest in animal welfare and build a positive attitude towards it. Nevertheless, children will help spread the message to their parents, family and those around them.
Founded in 1969, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit organization that protects animals and the places they call home. With offices in 15 countries and projects in over 40, we rescue, rehabilitate and release animals into secure landscapes around the world. In collaboration with both governments and local communities, our experienced campaigners, legal and political experts, and internationally acclaimed scientists pioneer lasting solutions to some of the most pressing animal welfare and wildlife conservation issues of our time.