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Conservation
The establishment
of a National Committee for Biodiversity is currently under
consideration, to address, amongst other matters, biodiversity
issues of immediate economic importance. It could also consider
the setting up of a national gene bank. A detailed study has
also been carried out to address major problems of overgrazing
in the rangelands of the Dhofar Mountains and is waiting funding
for its implementation.
Following
the recent establishment of the Terrestrial Mammals Working
Group, a Plants Technical Working Group is now in the process
of being established under the auspices of the Ministry of
Regional Municipalities and Environment. Similar in operation
to the Terrestrial Mammals Group, its aim will be to bring
together the available technical expertise within various
ministries in the Sultanate in order to consider all aspects
of plant data collection, site monitoring and threats. The
objective is to draw up a national action plan for plant conservation
in Oman, reviewing its implementation at regular intervals
and recommending changes whenever necessary. A proposal for
a seminar to consider threats to biodiversity from invasive
alien species, including plant species has also been drawn
up. A new draft ministerial decision, currently undergoing
legal scrutiny, is designed to address certain issues relating
to the export of native plants, as well as the export of charcoal.
An enabling
project, under the terms of Article 6 of the Biodiversity
Convention, has been drawn up and submitted through IUCN with
an application for funding by GEF. Its aim is to examine the
present types and distribution of databases in the Sultanate.
This will eventually lead to a central system that will co-ordinate
the preservation and analysis of data in the Biodiversity
Section of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment.
It will also examine its interface with the Ministry's GIS
facility, implement the system and provide operator training.
It would facilitate the process of environmental scrutiny
of development projects, as well as regional co-operation
in the exchange of plant data.
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