DOHA: More than 20 Arab and foreign experts in nature and insects are attending the first Congress of Insects in Qatar which began at the Grand Heritage Doha Hotel at Aspire Academy yesterday.
The two-day congress is being organised by the Friends of the Environment Centre under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani.
The purpose of the conference is to study the geographical distribution of the native insects and identify insects and pests that are harmful to the plants- native and ornamental- to protect crops and the biodiversity.
The main topics being discussed at the conference are insect classification, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and miscellaneous insect-related topics.
In his inaugural address, Dr Saif Al Hajari, Chairman of the Friends of Environment Centre, said that this congress, the first of its kind, is part of the national project for classification of insects in Qatar.
He thanked the project partners, namely the National Institute for Agricultural Research, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, the French Embassy in Doha and the Total E&P Qatar and Friends of Environment Centre.
He added that the benefits of the project include the training of Qatari teachers and school staff to pass on knowledge to students.
Al Hajari also referred to the cultural and scientific dimensions of the project saying insects in Qatar and the newly discovered ones will be saved at Qatar National Museum for scientific, research and knowledge purposes.
Nasreen Abdullah Al Hashimi, Head of Corporate Events at the Community College of Qatar lauded Qatar insects project and it scientific and national benefits, referring to other similar projects, including a project on the classification of flowers and birds of Qatar, which aims to classify environmental and ecological life, to document the natural heritage in Qatar and to, subsequently, provide service to countries of the region in these areas .
She said as part of Qatar insects projects, over 450 insects have been identified and classified with some of them known for the first time in the world .
Head of the project Khaled Mardini gave a presentation on insects in Qatar and the different phases of the project, initiated by former scientists in Qatar and adopted later by Friends of the Environment Centre.
The Peninsula
