monitor-raised
Prepared by: Jamila Hebrew
The Omani environment is characterized by the multiplicity and diversity of its plants and trees, and the competent authorities seek to expand the scope of its spread and cultivation, as well as to preserve it by enacting laws and entering into international agreements in this regard.
Among these trees is the “sarh tree”, which spreads in large areas of the Sultanate’s environment, and is among the trees targeted to be planted in the national initiative to plant 10 million trees, which is being implemented by the Environment Agency with a number of relevant authorities.
According to the monitoring of “Atheer” from the Omani Encyclopedia, the most prominent location of this tree is the Green Mountain, and it is characterized as a deaf tree with a height of up to 10 meters, resistant to drought and erosion, and grows naturally in dry and desert regions, with high temperatures, including the Arab Gulf countries and countries From parts of the African continent such as Sudan.
-The tree has multiple uses, including in the manufacture of traditional furniture, agricultural and musical tools, as well as uses in traditional medicine, such as herbal treatment and medicines extracted from it, in addition to being a source of food for bees.
-In the past, the population in the Sultanate used tree wood to light a fire for their daily living uses such as cooking, heating, etc., due to the lack of other sources of energy. Now, with modern development; Citizens were instructed to use other means of starting a fire instead of firewood, such as alternative biofuels and natural gas; This is to avoid environmental degradation and preserve this endangered tree.
Article 12 of the logging regulation regulation clarifies the penalties for those who engage in logging without a permit, as follows:
A- Whoever violates Article (12) of these regulations shall be punished with an administrative fine of not less than (200) two hundred Rial Omani and not exceeding (1000) one thousand Rial Omani, and the fine shall be doubled when the violation is repeated.
b- Anyone who violates Article (3) of these regulations shall be punished with an administrative fine of no less than (50) fifty Omani riyals and not more than (500) five hundred Omani riyals, and the fine shall be doubled when the violation is repeated.
C- Anyone who violates the conditions of the permit granted to him shall be punished with an administrative fine of no less than (30) thirty Omani riyals and not more than (300) three hundred Omani riyals, and doubled when the fine is repeated.
It is worth noting that the Sultanate has joined, by royal decrees, a number of international organizations and agreements on preserving wildlife and plant protection, including: membership in the Near East Plant Protection Organization, CITES Convention, the International Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Preservation of Wildlife in the GCC countries and other agreements. other than environmental laws.
