Syria: circular calls on governors to curb illegal hunting during bird migration and strengthen monitoring.
Syria’s Ministry of Local Administration and Environment issued a circular on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, asking governors, in their capacity as heads of local hunting councils, to tackle illegal hunting during the autumn bird migration and take legal action in coordination with the relevant authorities.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the move aims to protect wildlife, particularly endangered species, and preserve biodiversity. In a related statement, Minister of Local Administration and Environment Mohammad Anjarani called on local administrative units to step up monitoring and coordination and take violations affecting birds and their migration routes seriously.
In a post on his official Facebook page reported by the agency, the minister stressed that protecting birds requires community participation and commitment alongside the work of public institutions, and that safeguarding the environment protects future generations’ right to it.
Monitoring during the migration season
These instructions are particularly important as migratory birds pass through Syria and stop there to rest while travelling between Africa and Eurasia. Indiscriminate hunting threatens their journeys, as well as the roles they play in controlling insects and pests and dispersing seeds.
A SANA report published on 27 October had documented an enforcement operation in the Nabk and Yabroud areas of rural Damascus, during which officers destroyed more than 500 metres of illegal nets and freed birds caught in them. The report highlighted the dangers of nets that do not distinguish between species and can cause injuries that prevent some birds from continuing their migration even after they are released.
The new circular stresses enforcing hunting regulations and pursuing violations during the migration season. Sayd previously covered campaigns against illegal hunting in Syria in the October edition of Sayd Arab Radar.
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. · 1 · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
