Oman calls for afforestation on World Desertification and Drought Day
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has called for afforestation on the day the world is celebrating the Desertification and Drought Day on June 17 towards a sustainable environment.
Desertification is a significant environmental challenge for all countries of the world in view of the growing demand for nutritious food and clean water as the world's population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
Speaking to the
Observer
, Masoud Sulaiman Abood al Azri, DG of Marketing for Agriculture and Fisheries and spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR) said that this increasing demand for food and clean water means that restoring degraded land is no longer optional but of top priority for human existence.
'In Oman, we have devised manifold steps to combat desertification through various projects and initiatives, including reforestation efforts, rangeland restoration, and awareness campaigns with multiple agency collaboration and public and private participation,'he said.
Oman has incorporated desertification control into its national strategy, focusing on environmental protection, natural resource management, and sustainable land use. Some of the steps taken by Oman are reforestation, range-land restoration, community awareness, sustainable agriculture, and fog harvesting.
'The Omani government is planting trees in arid places like Al Rumayl and Hayal, to increase vegetation cover and combat desertification, we have rangeland restoration projects in Dhofar are aimed at addressing soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and declining vegetation cover, besides carrying out extensive community awareness campaigns towards sustainable agriculture,'he said adding that Oman is promoting sustainable farming practices, encouraging the use of water-efficient crops, and supporting farmers with environmentally friendly technologies, as well as using fog harvesting techniques in Dhofar to mitigate desertification and provide water for irrigation.
The Desertification and Drought Day 2025 is led by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) with leaders calling for global land restoration as basis of peace on on 17 June in Bogotá, Columbia, where civil society organisations, and indigenous representatives will convene and advocate for global land restoration as a foundation of food security, sustainable development, and lasting peace.
Convened under the theme 'Restore the Land; Unlock the Opportunities will spotlight the undeniable economic, social, and environmental benefits of land restoration for people and the planet.
In a statement, the UNCD said, 'Every US$1 used to restore land yields a return of US$7 to US$30 through enhanced ecosystem services and livelihoods, making for an investment case that the world cannot afford to overlook. Nations need to invest US$1 billion per day by 2030 to bring some 1.5 billion hectares of land back to health in support of human security and dignity, according to UNCCD.'
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