Environmental violations decline during winter camping season
- 3 years ago
The Assistant Director of the Natural Reserves Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), Salem Hussain Al Safran, has disclosed that there's a decrease in environmental violations this winter camping season compared to previous seasons. “Although the present camping winter season has not ended yet, indications thus far show that there's a big decrease in environmental violations compared to past camping seasons,” Al Safran told Qatar Radio recently.
The violations which are normally committed during the camping season include drifting on soil, grazing camels on prohibited pastures, hunting prohibited birds, cutting trees illegally, and dumping sewage water. Al Safran explained that preserving the environment supports sustainability, and it is everyone’s responsibility, not just the MME, to be responsible for it.
Regarding violators, he said that there are deterrent measures for those that commit violations against the environment.
He also emphasized that the Ministry has deployed special patrolling teams to protect natural reserves and the environment. He encouraged people to report any form of environmental violation they may have witnessed to the Department.
“Many parties are cooperating with the Natural Reserves Department to rehabilitate natural reserves which may have been affected by lack of rain or overgrazing before the grazing law,” Al Safran noted. The Department of Protection and Wildlife at the MME recorded 393 violations of some provisions of environmental law in 2019 that include throwing wastes at unauthorised places, drifting on soil, grazing camels on prohibited pastures and cutting trees illegally among others.
During the year 2018-19, the Ministry made many achievements in various environmental fields, especially natural reserves. The MME formally approved the Al Reem Reserve’s administrative plan, which Unesco declared a natural reserve. It also started fieldwork to release the bustard (an endangered bird species called Habari) and Reem gazelles within the Al Reem Reserve.
Source: The Peninsula Qata
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