KUWAIT: Head of the UN Human Settlement Program (UN-Habitat) in Kuwait and GCC Dr Ameera Al-Hassan said that the 'Kuwait Plants' campaign, which was launched in 2019, aims at planting 1,000 trees in Al-Abdaliya Oasis in cooperation with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), in order to promote environmental awareness and achieve sustainable development.
During an afforestation campaign organized by the UN-Habitat yesterday, Hassan said that the campaign aims at greening areas to resist the impact of global climate change, face desertification and reduce the severity of climate change caused by high temperature and lack of rains.
All the trees that will be planted are all desert trees, resistant to heat and water shortages and help improve the general health of the population, as they are an important element in the nature cycle, noted Hassan. In addition, the participation of more than 50 ambassadors aims to raise awareness about the importance of steps taken to improve the climate.
Director of East Kuwait Operations at KOC Omar Sadiq said that Al-Abdaliya Oasis is located west of Kuwait in Kabd extending to south of Kuwait, and started working on it 2011, in cooperation with the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, where we were provided with wild plants. The Reserve in the first phase was 1,200,000 square meters, where we succeeded in cultivating 20,000 wild plants, we moved to the second phase two years after, with 1,800,000 square meters' area, aiming to preserve biodiversity and developing the local wildlife, explained Sadiq.
After the success of the second phase, we proceeded with the third, where the total area space is now 8 million square meters and has 155 thousand plants and wild trees, which includes 40 types of trees and plants such as Al-Arfaj, Al-Arti, Al-Ramth, Al-Qarsi and others.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to Kuwait Alina Romanowski said that this is the second time she visits the wonderful and distinguished Al-Abdaliya Nature Reserve, where she enjoys being there because she leans a lot about nature, with all its plants, animals, and trees in Kuwait. Kuwait showed a great commitment to protecting the environment during its participation in the 27th UN Summit on Climate Change and the Environment (COP26), which was held in Glasgow, Noted Romanowski.
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan Dr Zubaydzoda Najot, said in the meantime that participating in the campaign is the best way to get rid of global environmental and climatic problems, which lies in adhering to initiatives aimed at protecting the environment, rationalizing the use of natural resources, giving priority to green energy, and developing the green economy. He said that in the interest of strengthening ties between Tajikistan and Kuwait, several seedlings of ornamental and fruitful trees were brought from Tajikistan. - KUNA