AUB’s Contribution to Bird Conservation Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The American University of Beirut (AUB) is well-positioned to contribute to educating its broad community about birds and actions for their conservation. Experts have recorded around 70 bird species on or above campus, constituting 30% of bird species reported in Lebanon. For these reasons, the university administration declared the campus a bird sanctuary in 2003, a status reaffirmed 15 years later. The value of the AUB campus in terms of bird diversity in Beirut is particularly evident in that at least 19 bird species observed on campus are not otherwise present in the city, including the threatened Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur). Hence, safeguarding birds and preserving their habitats within the AUB campus should be a priority if the institution aims to contribute to bird conservation, at least through education.