KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority (EPA) confirmed on Tuesday its keenness to rehabilitate the Kuwaiti environment by completing its Gulf projects for the cultivation of (Qurm) plants in cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman. Dr Abdullah Al-Zaidan, Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs at the Authority, said that on a recent visit to Oman, he met with the Director General of Nature Conservation at the Environment Agency of Oman, Sulaiman Al-Akhzmi, and expressed his "appreciation for their constant efforts to improve environmental conditions locally and in the Gulf.”
Al-Zaidan added that the visit came as a continuation of Gulf cooperation in environmental fields and the contribution of the Environment Agency of Oman in providing Kuwait with seeds of mangrove plants, which the Authority has succeeded in cultivating since 2018 through cooperation between the two sides. He explained that during the visit, Kuwait was provided with 2,000 seeds of mangrove plants, which were collected and provided by the Environment Agency of Oman during this season to be transported and cultivated in the Jahra Reserve.
They also visited the Qurm Reserve in Muscat and met the Head of the Wetland Environments Department, Bader Al-Busaidi. Qurm Reserve was declared a nature reserve in 1975 and is the first site registered in the Ramsar Wetland Convention, with a total area of 104.5775 hectares. Al-Zaidan pointed out that the Omani Qurm Reserve consists of natural forests in which there is one species of natural mangrove trees — the only Avicenna Marina that has the ability to adapt to the climatic situation of the environment there.
He pointed out that the reserve has played a key role in the rehabilitation efforts carried out by the Environment Agency to restore mangroves in the Sultanate since 2,000 through the National Mangrove Cultivation Program to preserve biodiversity and promote the concept of ecotourism. He said that during the visit, many topics were also discussed on ways to promote sustainable environmental development and to enrich the cultivation of mangrove plants, which existed 80 years ago in the north of the coast of Kuwait Bay, where logging and overgrazing led to their extinction.
He stressed that the step of cultivating these plants will address the global climatic conditions. Qurm plants contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide rates three to five times more than tropical forests and create natural habitats for fish, crustaceans, and birds. Qurm plants work to protect the coasts from erosion, purify seawater, and adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change faced by Kuwait.
The officials also discussed the best ways of cooperation for the two countries to achieve environmental sustainability and preserve its natural resources in line with achieving the goals of Kuwait’s sustainable development plan and implementing the commitments of international agreements in the fields of climate change and biodiversity preservation ratified by the two countries.
He expressed his thanks to the Director General of Nature Conservation at the Environment Agency, Sulaiman Al-Akhzami, the Assistant Director General at the Authority, Dr. Thuraya bint Saeed Al-Sarri, and the Qurm expert in Oman, Bader Al-Balushi, "for their continuous cooperation with Kuwait, providing it with Qurm plants and discussing the best sustainable environmental solutions.” — KUNA