Image used for representation only.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality has planted 24,000 trees along Al Matar Al Qadeem Street, which shows the huge success of plantation campaign of Qatar.
The figure was released on the occasion of Tree Week 2024 which is celebrated across the country by planting trees and holding awareness programmes.
Over 600 trees have been planted at Umm Hawtah in coordination with Friends of the Environment Centre on the occasion of the Tree Week.
The Municipalities of Doha, Al Daayen, Al Sheehaniya, Al Rayan, Al Wakra, Al Ashamal, Public Parks Department and Food Security Department organised environmental awareness activities.
As many as 150 students participated in the events.
To tackle climate change by preserving local ecosystem, the Ministry of Municipality (MoM) represented by the municipalities planted over 332,000 trees in 2023.
Most of the trees about 330,000 were planted in Doha Municipality followed by Al Rayan Municipality which planted 1,599 trees, said the Ministry of Municipality in a report on the achievements of the municipalities in the last year. Umm Salam Municipality witnessed the plantation of 860 trees.
Planting trees is one of the biggest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, as is carbon observed by the trees and soil, and trees release oxygen into the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Municipality built 15 new public parks across the country in 2024. The public parks increased from 113 in 2019 to 144 in 2023 recording 27 percent growth.
Qatar also has mangrove forests in a total stretch of 13 square kilometre in its coastal areas at Al Zakhira, Al Khor, Al Shamal and other parts of the country.
Mangroves’ capacity to store carbon — up to five times more than upland tropical forests — make them a powerful natural solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change.
Given the great environmental importance of mangrove trees in the State of Qatar, in addition to their various economic, social and tourism benefits, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is working to preserve and protect mangrove trees and prevent their excessive exploitation, in addition to applying the best practices for its development.
The mangrove forests in Qatar are one of the country’s environmental wonders and are a carbon reservoir that protects the earth.
Most of the mangrove forests in Qatar are located along the eastern coast — the largest of these forests is in the Al Zakhira area, north of Al Khor City and consists of different types such as Marina Ibn Sina, also known as gray mangrove.
Mangroves are considered a very rare ecosystem, as they constitute less than 1% of all tropical forests, and less than 4% of global forests, despite their presence in 123 countries.
The Ministry of Municipality pays great attention to increasing the green areas in various regions of the country, through the establishment and development of gardens and public parks, planting trees, and launching national initiatives.
