QNA
Doha
The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) participated in the 10th Regional Conservation Forum (RCF) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA), held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 9 to 11.
Through its participating delegation, the Qur’anic Botanic Garden reviewed its flagship plant conservation programme, represented by its initiative to revive Qatari meadows in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, as well as its efforts to plant 2.5 million trees as part of Qatar’s efforts to plant 10 million trees by 2030.
QBG participated in the exhibition on the sidelines of the forum by showcasing its scientific publications and documenting its internal and external plant conservation programmes in Qatar. It also highlighted the results achieved through technical protocols for the reintroduction of plants mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, focusing on Qatar’s native plants and its leading project to revive Rawdat Al Faras on Dukhan Road.
The QBG also showcased its publication about the Qatari Acacia tortilis published by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Publishing Press (HBKU Press). The book offers a comprehensive environmental survey and agricultural and ecological studies on this culturally and environmentally significant tree in Qatar. Additionally, the garden’s booth featured its social media application, allowing the public to explore the garden’s plants across various geographical environments.
The garden also displayed rare seeds from its seed bank, which contains nearly 3.5 million seeds from these species. The garden is actively engaged in preserving the genetic resources of these endangered species in their native habitats.
In this regard, Director of the QBG Fatima Al-Khulaifi emphasised that participating in this important regional forum reflects QBG’s great efforts to preserve the plant component of the Qatari environment, especially the rehabilitation of meadows, which are an incubating environment for biodiversity and serve as a legacy for future generations, aligning with Qatar’s Vision 2030 for sustainable environmental development.
Regional Director of IUCN ROWA Dr Hany El Shaer expressed his pleasure at the QBG’s participation in this important forum, which brought together over 400 environmental experts from West Asia. He emphasised that the IUCN is looking to working closely with Qatar in environmental and plant conservation, drawing on its over 100 years of experience in these areas.