When a place is part of us, and we are part of it

Guest blog by Mervat Batarseh of RSCN Not too long ago, children used to spend most of their time in the nature playing and relaxing. Their connection to the place was solid, and it meant for them to preserve it. We...

Finding Steppe Whimbrels in the Middle East

Guest blog by Gary Allport A Steppe Whimbrel in Maputo in February 2016 was thought to be a female as she was large and very long-winged. Note the wing tip (primaries) extending well beyond the tail tip.  This...

I love nature 1

Guest blog from Anna Zavalishina, Kazakhstan ​This is a new series of blogs from young people in the OSME Region telling us about their interest in nature and conservation. We are really pleased that Anna from Kazakhstan...

The OSME Conservation Fund

OSME’s small grants programme is now known as the Conservation Fund and has been funding projects since the early 1980s. In recent years OSME Council has been working hard to grow the fund and to provide support for more...

OSME highlights from 2017

As we start to get to grips with 2018, it is worth reflecting on another good year for OSME and the conservation work across the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus that our members support. The...

Podcasts from the OSME region

Podcasts from the OSME region

Charlie Moores of Lush has recently done a series of excellent interviews with some key figures from the world of birdwatching and conservation in the Middle East region. They are available to listen to free from LushPlayer....

A Guide to 200 Common Birds of Lebanon, by Richard Prior

A Guide to 200 Common Birds of Lebanon, by Richard Prior. ISBN 978-9953-0-3964-0   In English and Arabic Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL)/A Rocha Lebanon Arabic Translation by Assad Serhal and Jumana Serhal Published...

Birding for bird conservation in Azerbaijan

The bird migration bottle neck of Besh Barmag, on the Caspian Sea north of Baku, Azerbaijan, is currently the scene of some of the most inspiring international bird conservation work in the OSME region. In May 2017,...

How to make Urungoch Lake cleaner? Decision found!

A guest blog from the UzSPB/OSME/Van Tienhoven Project Team Do you know why nature conservation in Uzbekistan is so much challenging and exciting at the same time? Apart from diverse wildlife, unique ecosystems, extensive wilderness there are responsive...