Muscat,(ONA) - The Environment Authority launched today the first land-planting sites in the Mina Al-Fahal area as part of the national initiative to plant 10 million wild trees, which was launched last January with the support and initiative of the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
The inauguration of the cultivation site comes within a series of other campaigns that will be implemented in various governorates of the Sultanate during the coming period. In the previous period, work was done on expanding the nurseries, establishing new ones and supplying them with seeds from the recently established seed bank, and working groups were formed in cooperation with the community to collect these seeds of the various types of wild trees in the Sultanate.
Since the announcement of the initiative, the authority has endeavoured to produce healthy seedlings that are suitable for the environment and withstand difficult climatic conditions in suitable places. Emphasis has been placed on the well-known wild trees in the Sultanate, including Ghaf, Samar, Sidr, Shua, Taiq, Talh, Mitan, Sabbar, Sarh, Alalan and others, according to the environment and the appropriate climate for their cultivation.
Dr. Thuraya Al-Sariri, Assistant Director General for Nature Conservation, said: “Today witnessed the planting of the first group of Omani wild seedlings as part of the National Initiative Project to plant 10 million wild trees in the Mina Al-Fahal area. This project was launched at the beginning of the year to coincide with the celebration of Omani Environment Day, with a memorandum of understanding between the Environment Authority and PDO.”
Al-Sariri confirmed during her speech that the first goal of this project is to rehabilitate degraded areas, preserve biodiversity and increase the green area to create a public outlet for all, which supports the tourism side as well, and during the project period of 10 years.
On the other hand, Nabil Al Lawati, Head of the Compliance and Environmental Impact Division at PDO, said that this initiative was launched last January in cooperation between the Environment Authority and the Petroleum Development Oman in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two parties, and today we celebrate the planting of the first sites with 1,800 seedlings of different wild trees. There is continuous coordination with various parties in the Sultanate.
Al-Lawati added that this year is considered the foundational for this national initiative, and we are preparing nurseries in cooperation with the authority by expanding the nurseries and adding new ones, after which we proceed to plant seedlings in the various governorates of the Sultanate. There is great cooperation from all ministries, bodies, NGOs and individuals to contribute to this initiative, and we hope that everyone will contribute to this national initiative.
The initiative aims to increase and improve vegetation cover in pastoral and degraded natural areas, raise awareness of the importance of increasing green space and its benefits to the environment and society, the contribution of all segments of society in preserving the natural environment, and the possibility of economically benefiting from some plant species. It also aims to activate community participation in preserving wild plants and preserving plant diversity within the vision of the initiative, which will continue for 10 years until 2030.
(ONA)