A high-level meeting to discuss environmental phenomena

In the presence of a number of Excellencies.
A meeting to discuss the environmental and health phenomena in Dhofar Governorate and their environmental impacts

- The spread of the Parthenium herb leads to the deterioration of natural ecosystems and has economic impacts.
- Activating the role of the private sector to participate in finding innovative solutions to eradicate mesquite trees.
- Recommendation to form a working group to prepare an integrated management plan for controlling invasive birds.
- Early interest in conducting an insect survey of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

The Environment Agency held a meeting this morning (Tuesday) to discuss the environmental and health phenomena in the Governorate of Dhofar and the environmental impacts of what the phenomena left, with the participation of several bodies and government officials in the presence of the Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, His Excellency the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries And water resources, His Excellency the Minister of Health, His Excellency the President of the Environment Authority, and His Excellency the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation for Scientific Research and Innovation.

This meeting comes within the framework of cooperation between various government agencies to find out the environmental impacts left by environmental phenomena, the most important of which are the spread of the Parthenium plant, the death of livestock, the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, as well as the myna and the Indian crow.

The meeting started with a visual presentation by Dr. Thoraya bint Saeed Al-Clinri on the partium plant, and she mentioned that the Parthenium herb was recorded for the first time in the Governorate of Dhofar through a survey of local Omani plants in the governorate, and this type was recorded in 1998 as a type of alien species The Salalah-Ayoun road, and it took some time to get to know the origin of this herb, which had not been previously registered in the Dhofar Governorate, and this was documented in a scientific study issued in 1998.

She indicated that the spread of the Parthenium herb leads to the degradation of natural ecosystems as a result of its excretion of biochemical compounds known as allelopaths in which the organism excretes chemicals, and it has a negative effect on the local plant and species. It becomes a major threat to biological diversity, as it has a detrimental effect on the health of grazing animals, as animals that feed on it suffer from acute dermatitis, changes in their behavior, and diseases of the kidneys and digestive system. Some people also suffer from severe sensitivity to this herb and its pollen grains, as it may cause dermatitis, hay fever and asthma.

She also touched on the economic impacts of this plant, among which it is in competition with local plant species, agricultural crops and pastoral plants. - Lead to a decrease in the value of agricultural land, and it has a direct impact on agricultural crops, such as what happened in India, corn crop losses amounted to 40%, and also in one of Australia's provinces, the spread of the herb led to a reduction of the number of livestock by 80%.
The recommendations came to form a national work team from the relevant authorities to monitor and document all invasive species in the Sultanate and to work on preparing integrated action plans to combat and manage these species according to their nature and specificity of each species, as well as to strengthen research work to identify invasive species that were not previously identified in the Sultanate. Research and academic bodies and bodies that have expertise in this aspect, issuing legal legislations that regulate and define invasive species, prevent their entry into the Sultanate and how to deal with them, as well as encourage community initiatives to combat invasive species, support and direct them with optimal guidance to ensure their continuity, integrity and effectiveness.

On the other hand, Dr. Hamdan bin Salem Al Wahaibi from the Ministry of Agricultural Wealth, Fisheries and Water Resources gave a visual presentation on the marine Ghaf tree (Mesquite), in which he talked about the efforts made to limit the spread of marine Ghaf trees, including the applied research project for the integrated management of Ghaf trees, as well as the campaign In addition, the challenges were discussed, including the high cost of tenders and work contracts for uprooting and transportation, as well as the difficulty of disposing of fallen seeds, wood and tree residues, the speed of growth of mesquite trees and the difficulty of continuous follow-up to get rid of new growths after uprooting at the targeted sites.
The proposals came for the necessity of activating the role of the private sector to participate in finding innovative solutions and presenting projects and investment opportunities to benefit from mesquite trees in the manufacturing industries.
The proposals came for the necessity of activating the role of the private sector to participate in finding innovative solutions and presenting projects and investment opportunities to benefit from mesquite trees in the manufacturing industries.

The proposals came the need to activate the role of the private sector to participate in the development of innovative solutions and projects and investment opportunities to take advantage of mesquite trees in the manufacturing industries.

Engineer Saleh bin Naghmoush Al-Saadi gave a visual presentation on invasive birds, which are the species that are introduced in an environment other than their original environment, and spread through the import and export of wild birds or by cargo ships, etc., and threaten natural habitats, ecosystems and local species, and work to change the composition of the ecosystem. And causing an imbalance in the environmental balance, which is considered one of the main threats that lead to the loss of biodiversity in the world, negatively affects the economic, social and environmental aspects.
The environmental, health and economic impacts of these birds were discussed, including aggressiveness and the ability to compete on food and housing, and their elimination on some local birds for destroying their nests, as well as causing the destruction of some agricultural crops, and some of these birds feed on insects of all kinds, bird eggs and fish, and destroy them The nests of local birds represent a threat to the tourist and industrial facilities in some areas, in addition to a vector for some intestinal diseases.
The recommendations came to form a working group to prepare an integrated management plan to combat invasive birds, and the team includes specialists from the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Agricultural, Fisheries and Water Resources, the Royal Oman Police, the Office of the Minister of State and the Governor of Dhofar, Sultan Qaboos University, the Environment Agency, and the Conservation Office Environment, the National Center for Field Research in the field of environmental conservation, and specialists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

The meeting also witnessed a visual presentation on the Egyptian Aedes aegypti mosquito presented by Dr. Abdullah bin Bashir Al-Munji from the Ministry of Health. During the presentation, he mentioned the early interest of the Ministry of Health, by conducting an insect survey of the Egyptian Aedes aegypti mosquito in the Governorate of Muscat from June 2006 to May 2007, which showed that the governorate is empty From any positive foci of Aedes aegypti, "as a precautionary measure due to the spread of dengue fever as a health and global problem and its spread in many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean at that time, and in August of 2008," Dhofar Governorate was chosen as a priority for the Intensive Insect Survey, "and that survey indicated the presence of some foci In the governorate, specifically in the village of Deem, and based on that result and the nature of the climate in the Governorate of Dhofar, a "working group was formed to establish a mechanism to eliminate the breeding places of the Aedes aegypti mosquito."

In conclusion, their Excellencies and Excellencies held a closed meeting to discuss the environmental and health phenomena that were presented in the working papers and visual presentations, with the aim of making the necessary decisions to reduce the environmental impacts as a result of these phenomena.