DohaThe State of Qatar is preparing to enter the new year and is strengthening its position in its commitment to joint work with the international community in addressing the threat of climate change facing the world and the resulting effects of desertification, through the implementation of a number of successful projects in combating desertification and supporting the growth of Qatar’s national economy.
As the program officer for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification stated in 2018, the numbers indicate that 70% of the land in the Arab region has deteriorated due to drought, climate change, and sandstorms, while 30% of the total land in the world has lost its real value. Projections also indicate that drought may affect more than 75% of the world’s population by 2050.
The steps taken by Qatar in combating drought and desertification have revealed effective programs in supporting and diversifying the economy, as well as confirming Qatar’s role as an active partner in the international collective action system to combat desertification and drought since its accession in 1999 to the program of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
During the exhibition “Horticultural Expo Qatar 2023“Which is being held for the first time in the Middle East with the participation of about 80 countries, bodies, non-governmental organizations and international experts, in addition to private sector companies, universities and research laboratories. Qatari achievements in combating desertification were reviewed.
Sustainable environment
Researcher in Earth and Climate Sciences at the Qatari Ministry of Environment, Muhammad Saif Al-Kuwari, explained to Al Jazeera Net that the Ministry is playing its role in achieving Qatar’s Vision 2030, which aims to achieve a sustainable economy and a sustainable environment by addressing and combating desertification and drought.
He said that there are a number of initiatives being implemented, such as the project to plant 10 million trees until 2030, which the State of Qatar has committed to in the framework of supporting the Green Middle East Initiative, which was launched by Saudi Arabia in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, last year, which aims to plant 50 billion trees throughout the Arab world. . This is in addition to the one million trees that were completed last year.
Al-Kuwari adds that the state intends to continuously expand the tree belts in various places in Qatar to reduce heat and dust, in addition to working to increase natural reserves, pointing to Al-Bidaa Park as a model green space that is applied in all projects.
He stressed the economic benefits of combating desertification, as trees and natural plants can be exploited to establish medical factories and provide several jobs.
In addition, environmental stability in general contributes to economic stability and growth, stressing the importance of surveys in strengthening the state’s efforts to combat desertification. He also stressed the importance of spreading what he called “the culture of green cover.”
For his part, Assistant Director of the Wildlife Protection Department, Fawzi Al-Shammari, revealed the launch of a comprehensive plan to transform Qatar into green lands in a few years, within the framework of Qatar Vision 2030 to preserve the environment and combat desertification and drought.
He said that the program, which will be launched next week as a first phase, includes the distribution of 3,000 seedlings of Qatari wild plants, in addition to distributing large quantities of seeds and Qatari wild plants to those owners of estates and camps who wish to grow these plants in homes or gardens.
Al-Shammari stated that the first stage will be followed by stages in the following seasons, starting with the planting of 6,000 seedlings, followed by the planting of 10,000 seedlings, so that Qatar will transform within the next few years into green lands.
It is noteworthy that the number of gardens, according to the Ministry of Municipality, is about two thousand, spread throughout Qatar and covering 2.5% of the area of Qatar. It is one of the types of low terrain with different shapes and dimensions.
Innovative projects
Economic expert Abdullah Al Khater stressed the need to expand the work currently underway to green the streets and squares and support the greenness of the environment.
He said that Expo Doha 2023 confirms the country’s commitment to moving forward in this direction. He explained that preserving the environment and combating desertification and drought contribute effectively to economic growth, by reducing the cost to the economy, supporting the tourism, hospitality, business and health sectors, and preserving large liquidity that may leak out of economic sources due to the lack of green outlets.
He added that the government’s interest in the environment opens broad horizons for internal investment for the business sector, including youth, entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized companies.
He proposed to take advantage of the large areas that are not currently covered by greenery to support the economy and achieve a sustainable environment, to build an integrated maritime transport system within the country and to work on creating channels for movement and internal maritime transport, explaining that this could open the way for increasing green spaces and establishing waterfronts and tree forests.
Economist Ali Behzad said that the great efforts led by Qatar in the field of combating desertification and drought are one of the most important programs supporting Qatar’s vision of achieving economic stability, because desertification has negative repercussions on many sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and the like.
He added that transforming the desert into green land contributes to increasing the agricultural area, as well as preserving the existing agricultural areas from decreasing in light of the advanced capabilities of the present era, as greening the desert has become possible through technologies and combining traditional agricultural practices and technology in sustainable ways and enhancing environmental awareness. To reduce natural disasters, pollution, desertification and climate change.
He attributed the great interest in the agricultural sector from all concerned parties, because it motivates farmers, owners of agricultural initiatives, sustainability projects, and entrepreneurs in this field to establish specific initiatives that seek to achieve some aspect of food sufficiency for the country.
