Lecture: A guide to Lebanon's natural history and its conservation.

TIME: Refreshments from 7pm, lecture from 7.30pm

VENUE: Salon 1, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi 

LECTURE TITLE:  A guide to Lebanon's natural history and its conservation.

LECTURE SUMMARY: Lebanon, well known as a cross roads of cultures is also host to a fascinating diversity of plants and animals; forest mammals from Europe, desert birds from Arabia and plants from the Irano- Turanian Steppe can all be found in close proximity. Spectacular flocks of migrating eagles, storks and other soaring birds fly over snow capped peaks  and turtles nest on the southern sandy beaches.

As well as exploring this rich biodiversity the talk will look at conservation efforts working against rampant development, illegal hunting and pollution seeking to preserve  refuges for wildlife by the creation of nature reserves and public awareness campaigns.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:  Chris has been Executive Director of A Rocha since April 2010. He joined A Rocha in 1997 working, until 2009, as Lebanon Director where he cofounded the work. He oversaw the habitat restoration programme at the Aammiq marsh, the development of the environmental education project and the field research programme; identifying 11 new Important Bird Areas nationally.

Prior to joining A Rocha, Chris had a wide experience of science teaching and schools’ management in the UK and the Middle East, attending Bible College and learning Arabic (in Jordan) along the way.

He holds a Master’s degree from Cambridge University and a PGCE from Nottingham. He was born in 1961 and is married with three children.

Chris’s book, Postcards from the Middle East: How our family fell in love with the Arab world was published by Lion Hudson in March 2015.