‘Barn owls know no boundaries’: How Arab and Israeli conservationists transcend the division of war

While division persists in the Middle East, wildlife experts refuse to be kept apart.

They are united in saving an important predator: the barn owl.

The moon-faced, shoebox-sized owl is a ruthless pest controller that helps farmers by protecting crops from rodents and other nuisances.

“A pair of barn owls eats between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents every year, allowing farmers to stop using pesticides,” says Yossi Leshem, professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology.

Conservationists from across the Middle East work together to protect the barn owl by creating artificial nests, typically modified plywood boxes.

Israeli Professor Leshem pioneered the nesting project in the early 1980s on a community farm.

“From 14 nesting boxes in one kibbutz, it grew into a national project with 5,000 boxes in Israel and partnerships in Jordan, Palestine, Cyprus and Morocco,” he says.

Experts from 12 countries gathered in Greece last week to help this remarkable predator that began decades ago as an unlikely Israeli-Jordanian collaboration.

In 2002, Professor Leshem partnered with retired Gen. Mansour Abu Rashid, to bring the boxes to Jordan.

Abu Rashid helped extend the project to Jordan, using lightweight radio transmitters to monitor the birds.

“Barn owls know no boundaries; they fly between Jordan, Palestine, and Israel," said Leshem. "They symbolise cooperation.”

The Middle East is a critical region for bird conservation of all kinds, sitting at the junction of long-distance migration routes.

Arab and Israeli scientists have kept their collaboration going during periods of tension and war, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza. When necessary, they switch to online meetings and talks at international conferences.

According to