QBG celebrates Qatar Environment Day by restoring wild desert trees during an event

Representatives from the QRCS, Dukhan Independent School for Girls, Dukhan Independent Preparatory Secondary School for Girls, and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science joined forces to preserve and restore 300 Umbrella, Acacia ehrenbergiana, Sidra, and Leptadenia, (Marakh), trees and shrubs that are native to Qatar and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
These environmental protection efforts were made within the framework of Qatar’s bid to support key components of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), such as the UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organisation, which aims to halt the deterioration of ecosystems and restore them in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Fatima al-Khulaifi, director of QBG, said: “Qatar Environment Day is a very special occasion for our garden and a reminder of the importance of taking conscious decisions today that protect our planet and keep it healthy for the generations to come. QBG’s core mission is to work with the community to care for the environment.
“In previous years, QBG has also helped restore the Rawdat Al Faras area by planting wild plants and our environmental specialists provided detailed explanations of the types of wild plants, insects, and reptiles inhabiting the area, and their important role in preserving the ecosystem.”
Ali Saleh al-Marri, head of the Wildlife Section, Protection and Wildlife Department, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, explained: “The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change places among its priorities the protection and conservation of local plants, the rehabilitation of endangered species in the country, the conservation and preservation of local vegetation cover and the resettlement of endangered flora and fauna. I thank the QBG for its tireless efforts and constructive cooperation with the administration in rehabilitating the Qatari ecosystem and providing us with large quantities of wild seedlings to revive plant nurseries in Qatar.”
Muna Fadel al-Sulaiti, executive director of Volunteering and Local Development at QRCS, said climate change is one of the most serious global challenges: “Humanitarian work is harnessed to mitigate the negative impacts on the present or future, adapt to challenges, build knowledge and awareness and create effective partnerships with diverse stakeholders in government, civil society organizations, the private sectors and local communities in accordance with the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations, of which QRCS is a signatory.”
The event featured presentations by environmental experts and researchers who provided detailed explanations about the types of wild plants, reptiles, and insects that inhabit the area and their importance in conserving the ecosystem.
QBG’s ecological restoration activity falls in line with the UN’s SDGs, the environmental pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030, and QBG’s goal of restoring Qatar’s ecosystem, combating desertification, and empowering the local community to make decisions and take actions that help protect the planet and restore its natural ecological balance.
In a bid to further support Qatar’s sustainability and environmental protection efforts and as part of QBG’s recently signed MoU with QRCS, QBG has pledged to donate 2.5mn trees to be planted by QRCS volunteers throughout Qatar over a period of 10 years. This is part of the greater goal of contributing to the environmental initiative of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organisation to plant 50mn trees in Arab countries, and consistent with Qatar’s commitment of planting 10mn trees by 2030.