The new measures to protect plant ecosystem include placing signboards at all roads leading to meadows, guiding motorists to use only designated paths strictly.
Doha: With a special focus on meadows, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has launched new measures to protect plant ecosystem from destruction caused by unlawful practices of visitors.
“The initiative also aims at rehabilitating meadows by planting suitable local plants and protecting them from encroachment,” said Muhammad Al Khanji, Director of Wildlife Development Department at MoECC.
Speaking to Al Rayan TV recently, he said that the new measures to protect plant ecosystem include placing signboards at all roads leading to meadows, guiding motorists to use only desingnated paths strictly.
He said that the department has intensified patrol by dispatching municipal inspectors to curb the violations of environmental law at meadows and grassland.
“The Ministry will also hold a series of workshops and seminars to educate people about the provisions of the law to curb the violations. We believe that with increasing awareness among the community members, the environmental violation will go down significantly,” said Al Khanji.
Speaking about the response of the community to the directives of the Ministry about following the law, he said the number of violations have reduced compared to the past years. Explaining the environmental violations, he said that some practices of visitors led to the violations due to their lack of proper knowledge about the provisions of environmental law and harmful activities to the plant ecosystem.
“I would like to mention some harmful practices by visitors like vehicles running over the meadows, leading to destruction of the grassland, plants and soil which eventually has impact on environment of the country for long term,” said Al Khanji.
He said that the plant ecosystem is habitat of various types of invisible living creatures, the destruction of the habitat by vehicles running over it and other machines kill them.
According to some provisions of the Law No 32 of 1995, it is prohibited to harm the plant ecosystem and its components. The law stipulates that it is not allowed to take randomly cars and machinery in areas of the plant ecosystem. The motorists should use the roads designated for them.
The Department of Natural Reserves at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change recently rehabilitated seven meadows and nature reserves which were destroyed by vehicles.
The rehabilitated meadows are Al Khuwaymat, Rawdat Saleh in Al Areek area, Brahas, Al Nu`man, Boufasilah, north of Al Sidria Rawdat in Al Reem Reserve.
