Israel 
To celebrate 40 years of nature and 
environmental protection, the Society 
for the Protection of Nature in Israel 
(SPNI) is organising a series of events 
in Israel in Spring 1994: 
20 to 24 March: The role of Non 
Governmental Organisations in 
protecting the environment - an 
international conference 
25 March to 10 April: The SPN I Annual 
International Seminar on 
Environmental Education, 
Conservation and Public Action 
13 to 25 March: Migrating, wintering 
and breeding birds as a subject for 
protection, research and public 
education - an international seminar 
20 to 24 March: International Bird 
Festival in Elat 
3 to 7 April: Scientific Conference on 
Bird Migration 
21 and 28 March: Paul Winter's Global 
Flyway Concert 
28 to 31 March: Nature Trips Peace 
Festival - from the Negev to Sinai 
For additional information please 
contact The Secretary of the 40th 
anniversary's events, SPNI's Executive 
Director's Office, 4 Hashfela Street, Tel- 
Aviv 66183, Israel. 
Egypt 
In June and July 1993 the Regional 
Activity Centre for Specially Protected 
Areas, Tunisia (RAC/SPA) and the 
Mediterranean Association to Save the 
Sea Turtles (MEDASSET), in close 
cooperation with the National In s ti tu te 
of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) 
in Alexandria, surveyed the Egyptian 
coastbetween Alexandria and El Sal urn 
on the Libyan border. Approximately 
248 kilometres of beach suitable for 
nesting turtles were found, together 
with tracks of Loggerhead Turtle Carctta 
caretta, the first time that nesting by 
this species has been confirmed in this 
part of the Mediterranean. Compared 
with countries like Turkey, only 
relatively low numbers of turtles were 
found. Further information on the 
project and copies of the interim report 
on this phase of the study are available 
from MaxKasparek, Bleichstr. 1, 69120 
Heidelberg, Germany. 
Kuwait 
Following the Gulf War a resurgence 
of birdlife and vegetation in western 
Kuwait has been reported with The 
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists claiming 
a one hundred-fold increase in bird 
populations. The presence of thousands 
of unexploded bombs and mines has 
halted human encroachment in many 
areas allowing natural vegetation to 
become re-established. However, the 
slowing of desertification is considered 
temporary, as munitions experts 
continue to remove mines and 
unexploded bombs in the area. (From 
American Birds) 
Since 1979 Charles Pilcher has been 
Bird Recorder in Kuwait and in 1985 he 
took over from the late Paul Haynes as 
Country Correspondent for Birds of the 
VJestern Palearctic. Prior to the Iraqi 
invasion of Kuwait he had maintained 
a da taba se of bird records on the Faculty 
of Medicine's mainframe computer, but 
the Computer Centre was stripped and 
the machines taken to Iraq. Fortunately, 
a few storage tapes had been smuggled 
out of the Faculty early in the 
Occupation and one of them contained 
a section of the bird records. 
Since returning to Kuwait shortly after 
liberation, Charles has re-established 
the computerised database. As Bird 
Recorder and Chairman of the Rarities 
Committee in Kuwait, he would be 
glad to receive details of records from 
the State after 1990. The address for 
correspondence is: Professor Charles 
Pilcher, Faculty of Medicine, PO Box 
24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait. 
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