Symposium looks at Oman’s efforts to combat wildlife abuse

MUSCAT: The Environment Authority on Thursday organised a specialised symposium highlighting the Sultanate of Oman’s efforts in combating infringements on wildlife.

The symposium saw the participation of officials representing the Supreme Judicial Council, members of the State Council and Majlis Ash'shura and specialists in wildlife conservation.

The symposium was held under the auspices of Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy, Governor of Musandam. It was attended by Dr Abdullah bin Ali al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority. The symposium aims to enhance the concept of the environment protection law, rationalise the conduct of those involved in trespassing wildlife and raise the sense of collective responsibility in preserving the environment.

The symposium provides examples of efforts undertaken by the Environment Authority in this regard, acting in cooperation with the departments concerned. This includes measures to contain the negative consequences of damage to wildlife zones and consolidating existing means of cooperation among legislative, coordination and management institutions tasked with the conservation environmental resources.

The symposium came out with a number of recommendations, most notably the need to raise the level of environmental awareness among members of society, appointing adjudicators specialised in environmental law and international agreements, conducting more legal research on the analysis of environment-related rulings and propagating legal provisions to enable lawyers and government departments to learn about judicial principles that are most appropriate to environmental issues. - ONA