QNA
The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, will participate in the celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought , which this year focuses on the theme “Food. Feed. Fibers”, and the relations between consumption and land, in terms of changing public tendencies towards production patterns of the excessive human consumption, which is the main cause of desertification and land degradation.
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, represented by the Environmental Affairs Sector, is making great efforts in the field of desertification control, through the implementation of several programs, initiatives, projects and works related to preserving the vegetation and working to rehabilitate the nursery and cultivate the Qatari land with plants from the Qatari environment.
These efforts included the cultivation of (3,280) seedlings Land within the framework of rehabilitating the Qatari mainland during 2019, transferring (1,773) wild trees from infrastructure projects sites, collecting large quantities of wild plant seeds, and enhancing the State’s seed stock in the genebank, including endangered and rare plants such as Ghaf and land bomber, respectively.
In this regard, the Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie issued the ministerial decision No. (180) of 2019 to extend the decision to ban camel grazing in the country for a period of two years, which contributed to the restoration of some lands on the Qatari mainland for its natural growth, while it is noticed in the Qatari mainland in recent years, the renewal of wild trees such as tanning, Sidr and Al-Osaj significantly after the issuance of the decision.
The permanent work team to study the positive and negative effects of the decision to ban grazing on the vegetation and camel herd, which was also formed by H E the Minister of Municipality and Environment, set out his own plan, with the formation of field teams that started field studies, where the study relied for the first time on comparisons between completely closed grassland, and grassland prone to grazing, and others exposed to camel herding, to determine the actual effects according to the study’s outputs, given that the first report of the team has been completed.
In a related context, a working group has been formed to update the national strategy to combat desertification from the relevant authorities in Doha, in accordance with the decision of H E the Minister of Municipality and Environment No. (373) of 2017, as well as the completion of drafting a national plan of action to combat desertification, while work is underway to introduce the required amendments and updates on it in preparation for adoption.
Within the framework of protecting and rehabilitating nurseries, (16) have been fenced to date in various parts of the State, some of which have been completely closed to protect the threatened or extinct species of plants, while some nurseries have been partially closed to protect plants from the threat, in addition to carrying out farming and re-operations in addition to carrying out farming operations, rehabilitation and protection of others as an important source of plant genetic resources in the State.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought falls on June 17 every year and aims to raise public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification, and remind everyone that neutralizing the impact of land degradation can be achieved through problem solving, strong community participation and cooperation at all levels.
