Qatar marked yesterday the 38th World Environment Day (WED), celebrated this year under the theme “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” and hosted by Rwanda.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly created the World Environment Day (WED) in 1972 to promote environmental awareness. This day is celebrated each year on June 5.
In a statement issued on the occasion, the Environment Ministry said: “WED is a major instrument to raise environmental awareness”, noting that this year’s slogan contains the norms of interdependence among the incalculable species in the planet.
It added that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), adopted by 150 states in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and ratified by 175 states aims to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
The convention has three main goals which are: The conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); sustainable use of its components; and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources, the statement added.
The statement said Qatar accords a great importance to the environment and has achieved a great success in this regard under the wise leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani through the establishment of the Environment Ministry and the issuance of a number of laws and legislations on the environment protection.
It referred in this context to number of wildlife and protected areas in Qatar such as Shahaniya Wildlife Park and Ras Osheirij and Al Mas-habiyya in addition to marine protected areas namely Khor Al Udaid, which represents a unique tidal lagoon inside an area of mobile sand dune. The landscape includes parabolic dunes, rowdats, wadis, mesas and sabkhas and the seascape covers coral reefs, seagrass beds, algal mats, etc.
Over 8,300 plant species and 7,200 animal species around the globe are threatened with extinction, and many thousands more become extinct each year before biologists can identify them.
Qatar is planning to achieve a terrestrial protected areas accounting for about 16% of the total land area.
Qatar ratified the CBD in 1996 and the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flor (Cites), drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. In March, Qatar hosted Cites conference.
QNA
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