The Oman Botanic Garden (OBG), situated on the outskirts of the capital, will not only be the first of its kind in the region but also perhaps among the biggest in the world.
Located just around 35 km from Muscat International Airport, the project has been designed to represent the native flora in naturalistic habitats that reflect the rich botanical heritage of the region. Additionally, it serves as a one-stop destination for various avenues such as research, fun, learning, expert interactions, and an extraordinary visitor experience.
Set to be completed in 2024, OBG will offer a cable car experience to visitors for the first time in the country. Other amenities will include open playgrounds, event spaces, and interactive areas.
The garden demonstrates a sustainable approach in its design, construction, and operation.
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The nursery in Oman Botanic Garden serves as the basis for work in the garden, supplying all required plants spread over an area of 20,000 sqm. It includes three covered glasshouses, four greenhouses, shade areas, and open areas.
While the Garden is still under construction, the Observer gained access to its nursery and learned about the flora during an interaction with Dr. Khalid Al Farsi, head of the horticulture department.
He said, “We record all the information about each single plant in our master database, including their original location, the method of propagation, ethnobotanical uses, and more. The majority of the information about plant uses can only be sourced from specific local experts.
Al Farsi added, “Once we receive the seeds, they are conserved for short-term curing until they are sent to us. Curing is a process of holding the plant seed in specific climate conditions for a short duration before moving to very different storage conditions. Seventy percent of the total flora is part of a seed collection, and upon receiving them, we commence propagation and cultivation. The nursery must be set to the right climate conditions, which are necessary to propagate all the native plants.”
The dedicated team conducts propagation using different procedures according to the plants’ needs, such as soil type and temperature. Plants sourced from the mountains of Jabal al Akhdar need different temperatures than those sourced from down south in Dhofar.
Al Farsi highlighted that the focal point isn’t merely the process of propagation and cultivation, but the underlying science, gathered information, and the developed database.
“All plants and seeds are coded and fed into the system so that they can be accessed anytime using the accession number (like an ID).
The Oman Botanic Garden is also committed to conserving the plants specified in the Red List, which has increased over time. “We obtained and successfully grew some plants from places like Dhofar.”
It is crucial to note that trees were saved from urban expansion. In the garden, we refrain from uprooting trees from their original environments.
The outdoor habitats in the garden include sand deserts, central deserts, gravel deserts, date palm areas, agricultural terraces, and wadis. The indoor habitats, contained within two large biomes, represent the Dhofar Mountains and the Hajar Mountains.
“We aim to plant almost all the species from each natural habitat of Oman. This approach will help us identify the best plants suitable for landscaping and gardening.”
The horticulture team is responsible for managing, evaluating, and caring for all plants produced and grown in the garden. It supervises the propagation and production of plants in the nursery, protecting plants from diseases and insect pests, as well as caring for all plants grown in the garden facilities.
Since the establishment of the nursery, the focus has been on building the capability of technical staff to propagate and produce Omani wild plants. There have been efforts to design new protocols for the best methods to grow and care for these plants.
OBG currently contains the largest living collection of plants in the Arabian Peninsula that live outside their original habitat in the world. The number of plants in the nursery is about 70,000, belonging to more than 380 plant species.
One of the most important goals of the garden is to support the preservation of plants living outside their natural habitats by propagating threatened plant species. Currently, the nursery includes about 85 species of plants listed on the Red List.
The garden employs the Integrated Agricultural Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) strategy in the nursery. The plant health team protects and treats plants in the garden using sustainable methods that reduce health, environmental, and economic risks.
The team has also achieved self-sufficiency in examining plant samples, diagnosing any infection with harmful agricultural pests, determining treatment mechanisms, and documenting all of this in reference protocols.
OBG aims to gain international recognition by obtaining platinum LEED certificates, which certify Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Obtaining this certificate indicates the garden’s efficient water usage, safe use of locally recycled materials, reduced energy consumption, and investment in renewable energy sources.
Key Facts
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