Quranic Botanical Garden Plays Vital Role In Preserving Country’s Plant Resources

QNA Doha The Director of the Quranic Botanical Garden, Fatima bint Saleh Al Khulaifi, has emphasized the vital role of the garden in preserving the country...

QNADohaThe Director of the Quranic Botanical Garden, Fatima bint Saleh Al Khulaifi, has emphasized the vital role of the garden in preserving the country’s plant resources and preserving them for future generations. She explained that nearly 3 million seeds of rare plants, Qatari mainland plants and plants mentioned in the Noble Quran and the Noble Prophetic hadiths were collected, and those seeds are preserved in highly efficient facilities to preserve them for decades.She added that the garden has live assemblies of plants, amounting to 18,500 trees and shrubs of 115 species, and they are preserved in its nurseries, pointing out that during the current year 2022, nearly 55 thousand trees and shrubs were produced. Out of a total of 100,000 trees planned to be produced in high-quality production methods and are cared for in the “Plant Resources Conservation” centre in the Qatar Foundation nursery, where they will be distributed to the community as part of the park’s endeavor to support community campaigns for planting trees.She indicated that the garden has 2,500 herbal plant samples that represent identification cards bearing the botanical indications of the plant type, and these samples enable botanists to conduct research reviews on the classification of plants and their scientific re-gradation, which is a large environmental footprint for the garden not only at the local level but also at the global level because it allows all scientists at home and abroad to see and benefit from those samples.Regarding the plant conservation centre and seed bank affiliated with the garden, she said that the centre seeks to preserve plant resources inside and outside their natural habitats, while the seed bank, which is one of the most important facilities in the plant conservation center, collects the seeds of plant species mentioned in the Holy Quran and the Prophets hadith, both from inside or outside of Qatar, noting that the collection efforts are not limited to the plants of the garden, but also include cooperation with the concerned authorities in Qatar to collect seeds of threatened wild plants, preparing databases for seed characterization of the Qur’anic Botanical Garden, as well as plants that grow in different parts of Qatar and conducting studies of seed patterns.She added that the seed bank includes about 3 million seeds belonging to about 200 plant species, and sometimes there may be a sufficient stock of seeds for one of the plant species, and at the same time there is a limited number of seeds that are considered wealth according to the scarcity of species in their wild areas and the possibility of obtaining them.Al Khulaifi stated that since the beginning of this year until today, nearly 35,000 wild seedlings have been produced within the garden’s programme to grow wild seedlings to rehabilitate ecosystems, and within the framework of the garden’s commitment, which it announced as part of its partnership with Qatar Red Crescent, to donate two and a half million trees to be planted by volunteers in all areas across the country over the next 10 years. She noted the monitoring of 70 species of plants mentioned in the Noble Quran and the Noble Prophetic hadiths, 90 percent of which were collected and cultivated in the garden or preserved in the plant conservation facilities of the Qatar Foundation nursery.Al Khulaifi indicated that there are live assemblies of the garden estimated at 18,500 plants, including trees, shrubs and perennial plants, including rare agarwood trees, eucalyptus trees, Indian premium and bananas, which are grown in thermal environments prepared parallel to their original growth environments, indicating that the garden has so far produced 55 thousand in the framework of it aims to produce 100,000 plants during 2022, as these plants will be used to replant the original habitats on the Qatari mainland and campaigns for reforestation and greening in the community.Al Khulaifi said that the garden had launched “Gharss” campaign for planting trees and re-greening since Qatar’s bid to organize the FIFA World Cup, as a green environmental message from Qatar to the world. Since then, 250 trees have been planted, with nearly 4,000 plants distributed every year to community members to emphasize the importance of the environment and its connection to football. During the tournament, the garden will plant the number 2022 tree as part of its celebration of the Cultural Years Initiative Qatar, South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.Al Khulaifi said that the garden has five main roles, “environmental, community, scientific, recreational, and educational,” stemming from a strong vision to support sustainable development bonds and enhance environmental awareness in the community, indicating that the garden launched a number of campaigns and initiatives related to the rehabilitation of the land which seeks to develop the vegetation cover in Qatar, which suffers from many threats such as overgrazing, lack of rain, high temperatures, mining activities and urban expansion, in addition to the poor land stock of seeds and the spread of exotic plants.Al Khulaifi added that by involving the local community, the garden seeks to educate citizens about the need to preserve the environment and participate in its maintenance, rehabilitation and protection from deterioration, as well as educating new generations and introducing them to the types and names of Qatari wild plants, and the need to preserve natural resources from deterioration and its impact on people’s lives.She added that one of the main objectives of the garden is to produce basic and applied information about plants and environmental awareness through educational programs directed at students of different age groups, through three educational programmes, “Food Security”, which aims to improve the food security system in Qatar.