Under the patronage of the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment (MLAE) and in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR), the Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) held a workshop “Towards sustainable hunting and the Launch of the new Arabic version of the field guide for Birds of the Middle East”. This event was held in the National Museum Hall in Damascus on Wednesday, December 27, 2017. A wide variety of interested people in environmental affairs and wildlife and Birds participated in this important workshop from governmental bodies, universities, researchers, students, hunters, and SSCW members. The expected results from the modernization of the hunting law and the remaining procedures needed to reach an updated Hunting Law were presented. The advantages and sequence of steps needed for the update of the law and reviewing it in line with international conventions and agreements related to the protection of environment, biological diversity and wildlife in order to reach sustainable hunting in the country were reviewed and explained. The current status of hunting activities and its current developments with the imposed ban for all related activities, as well as what hunters have to do to reach an effective implementation of the hunting regulation and law in Syria, were also reviewed.
At the end of the workshop, all the topics presented in the workshop were discussed and the attendees participated in this effectively. The panel answered the questions raised and there was an agreement about the importance of organizing the hunting activities in a way that makes this practice sustainable and through updating the national legislation. There is a need to rehabilitate an appropriate team of observers and enforcing agents to implement the process in the best way, as well as the importance of disseminating the concept of sustainable hunting among the hunters with urging them to respect wildlife to remain for them and the future generations.
