President Michel Aoun said “even when they are requested to address several crises, it does not mean that they should ignore other matters of vital importance,” adding that respecting the laws of nature is not a luxury and seeking a peaceful environment is not among the amenities.
“We are aware of the repercussions of pollution, the spread of garbage and deforestation and their negative effects on public health,” he added.
During the launch of Migratory Bird stamp, Aoun pointed out the major role that could be played by the educational institutions by including environmental courses within their academic programs to educate the students to respect and preserve the environment.
“Confusing hunting with killing must end,” he stressed, adding that a law was issued in 1952 regulating the hunting activities and determining the types of birds allowed to be hunted, but the chaos and failure to abide by the law led to the issuance of a law banning hunting in 1996.
“We must help the people abide by the law and this is a joint responsibility that imposes the cooperation between several ministries, mainly the Environment, Agriculture, Interior and Justice Ministries, in addition to the security apparatuses and the civil society groups,” he explained.
“It has become unacceptable for Lebanon, which signed in 1992 on the International Convention on the Conservation of Endangered Birds in the World, to be categorized among the dangerous places where these birds are killed because some people confuse hunting with killing,” he said.