Mirbat: Acting in cooperation with an initiative undertaken by the "Environment Conservation Society" (under establishment), the Environment Authority today implemented a campaign to plant 160 baobab trees in the Wilayat of Mirbat.
The campaign was the first step in establishing an environmental park for baobab trees in the Sultanate of Oman.
The baobab park will be added to a set of sites for domesticating wild trees in different governorates of Oman under the supervision of the Environment Authority.
The new project, which seeks to preserve and spread the species of such rare plants, is being carried out in conjunction with the “National Campaign to Plant 10 Million Wild Trees” in the governorates of Oman.
Eng. Zahran Ahmed Al-Abdussalam, Director General of Environment in Dhofar Governorate, said that the establishment of the new environmental park in Hasheer Plain, in the Wilayat of Mirbat, stems from the area’s proximity to the most important sites of natural growth of baobab trees in the governorate, including Wadi Hanna.
Al-Abdussalam pointed out that, as part of the campaign, baobab seeds were transported and planted in nurseries before being re-planted in the environment park, which houses about 160 baobab trees. He explained that a distance of about 8 meters is kept between the trees, known for developing huge trunks.
By establishing such parks, the Environment Authority seeks to protect and preserve rare species of plants, said Al-Abdussalam, noting the Authority is also establishing permanent centres for studying these plants, introduce them to members of the public and produce seeds from them so that they could be grown in larger numbers in future.