4 days ago
Dumfries and Galloway landmine clearing charity to help protect frankincense trees in Somalia
The HALO Trust will remove the landmines to allow the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to carry out vital environmental work on the economically important species.
The HALO Trust has joined forces with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to protect frankincense trees in war-torn Somalia.
The Thornhill-based charity signed an agreement yesterday to clear landmines which standing in the way of vital environmental work.
The trees are an economically and culturally important species under increasing threat from environmental pressures.
Frankincense resin has a wide range of uses, including in aromatherapy, skincare and traditional medicine.
CEO of The HALO Trust, James Cowan, said: 'War leaves behind a legacy of devastation, splintering the lives of people and destroying the fragile environments upon which they depend.
'By fusing our respective expertise, passion and knowledge, our shared vision of helping people to recover and thrive after conflict while restoring the natural world is brought to life.
'Together, we envision a future rooted in peace — where both the land and its people can flourish again.'
Explosives experts from the charity have already been busy clearing landmines from parts of Puntland and south-west Somalia.
That will allow experts from RBGE safe access to carry out ecological studies, looking at tree health and how they can support tree nurseries.
Similar projects could be carried out in other parts of Africa and the Middle East in the future.
Regius keeper of RBGE, Simon Milne, said: 'This partnership represents an innovative alignment of missions.
'By combining HALO's deep field knowledge and community networks with our expertise in plant science and conservation horticulture, we can support some of the world's most vulnerable regions with practical solutions to strengthen ecosystems and livelihoods alike.'
