Since the dawn of Renaissance, Sultan Qaboos bin Said has continued to consider environment spheres as a priority and has given appreciable care for the same within the vision of government that focuses on the significance of protection of environment and preservation of natural resources.
A clear evidence of this was the Royal Decree No. 90/2007 promulgated by Sultan Qaboos bin Said on September 9 establishing the Ministry of Environment and Climate affairs and the Royal decree No. 18/ 2008 ratification on its prerogatives and organisational structure. The said decrees reflected the Sultan’s prolonged visions with regard to environment issues and preservation of environment.
The Sultan’s vision on the significance of optimal usage of the nation’s natural resources represents the core of Oman’s national strategy for protection of environment.
The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation reflects the Sultanate’s continued efforts in preservation of environment and expresses his continued care for environment issues. The prize is a meaningful historic event hailed by UNESCO.
The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation was first launched in 1991 and awarded to a number of international personalities for the contribution in the field of environment world wide.
The Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, has recently awarded the 200 Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation jointly to Dr Julius Oszlányi, director of the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and to the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (Ethiopia) in recognition to their efforts in the field of preservation of environment.
The Ministry has launched a project for satellite observation and control of turtles in Ras Al Hadd and Al Dimaniyat islands.
The project enables identifying the habitats of turtles, presenting recommendations to eliminate the turtles at risk.
The ministry in cooperation with the experts from the international organisations concerned has set a national strategy and an action plan on biodiversity and preservation of natural life. In 2007, Royal Decree No. 117/2007 was issued by Sultan Qaboos ratifying the Sultanate’s joining the Convention on International Trade in endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international agreement between governments, aimed to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Al Qurm trees (mangrogrove trees) play a key role in preservation of environmental balance and a habitat for various types of fish and other sea species. For this, the ministry has begun re-planting of Al Qurm trees since April 2000. During 2001-2007, some 346,655 trees were planted in the coastal areas of the Sultanate.
Coral reefs represent an integrated eco-system and are of great economic, natural, social and tourism advantages. For this, the ministry has conducted a comprehensive survey for coral reefs in the Sultanate of Oman territorial waters. The ministry has also carried out a project on artificial coral reefs at Al Fahal Island and Al Dimaniyat Islands in cooperation with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
The national network for monitoring of air pollution project began in 2004 and aimed to provide a new mobile unit for monitoring of air quality and increase the number of the current observation terminal at Mina Al Fahal, Al Ruasyl Industrial Estate and Sohar Industrial Estate.
Due to the rapid growth in the industrial sector in the Sultanate, the ministry pays great attention to management of hazardous chemicals and hazardous waste management in the light of the Royal Decree No.46/95 on handling and usage of chemicals in the Sultanate.
The ministry has also proceeded with a project on combating desertification utilizing modern technology in the field of remote sensors and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
The project is implemented in the Dhofar governorate and includes a programme for qualifying national cadres in the field. The programme on monitoring the marine environment pollutants is one of the significant programmes introduced by the ministry. The programme commenced in 1996/1997.
The ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of National Economy issued the first edition of the Sustainable Development Index and a guide for Sustainable Development Methodologies in both Arabic and English.
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