A BUSY YEAR FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) is rounding off a busy year, which saw it continue to fulfil its mission to protect Oman’s natural heritage and influence environmentally sustainable behaviour. With the steadfast and generous help of its members, sponsors and supporters, ESO, which is the Sultanate’s only non-profit organisation focusing on environmental conservation, carried out a number of educational programmes, awareness campaigns and conservation projects. During the year, it produced seven educational materials, including booklets, infographics and videos, distributed more than 700 frankincense tree seedlings together with the Dhofar communities, and distributed 4,600 reusable bags to communities in Muscat, Sur, Masirah, Al Wusta, Sadah and Thamrait. Bolstered by the Summer Sea Turtle Sustainability Grant from the Turtle Island Restoration Network and SEE Turtles, a grant awarded to ESO thanks to an international public vote, ESO also removed almost 200 tonnes of abandoned fishing nets in Masirah.

Continuing to drive community engagement, ESO has ended the year with 356 individual members, 30 corporate members, as well as strengthening relationships with educators and fishermen across the country. It also held several of its long-running programmes, including the Turtle Research and Conservation programme, the Renaissance Whale and Dolphin Conservation Programme and the Green School Initiative. Building on its 16-year precedence, ESO continues to bring together governments, organisations, communities and individuals on a shared cause, each year stepping closer to environmental sustainability, while securing Oman’s natural health for the coming generations.