IBRA: The Environment Authority has highlighted major environmental achievements between 2020 and 2025, including the planting of more than 72 million trees and the expansion of Oman’s nature reserve network to 32 protected areas, supporting the country’s path towards Net-Zero emissions.
The review was presented at a joint meeting in the Wilayat of Ibra, Al Sharqiyah North Governorate.
The Authority reaffirmed Oman’s commitment to national and international environmental obligations under Oman Environment Strategy and Oman Vision 2040. It noted that Oman has joined 22 international conventions and protocols, including key agreements on biodiversity, climate change, desertification, and hazardous waste management.
It also detailed the expansion of protected areas covering 17,827 sq km, with terrestrial coverage reaching 4.85 per cent and marine protected areas 0.51 per cent — exceeding set national and global benchmarks.
In its vegetation and desertification control efforts, the Authority reported a significant scale-up of tree planting initiatives, achieving 72,071,551 trees planted nationwide.
This includes more than 11.3 million mangrove seedlings and over 856,000 wild trees, supported by 1,325 field campaigns, 652,000 distributed seedlings, and 47 nurseries. These efforts have contributed to an estimated reduction of 108,520 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
On waste management, 1.77 million tonnes of waste were collected with a 39-per cent recycling rate, while over 85 materials were recovered and reused through circular economy practices.
In climate action, the Authority highlighted progress under the Blue Carbon initiative, including large-scale mangrove cultivation to enhance carbon sinks and absorb up to 14 million tonnes of CO₂. It also noted a reduction in emissions to 94.7 million tonnes and a rise in green investment to 27 per cent.
Oman’s environmental performance has also gained international recognition, ranking first in the Arab world and second globally in the Numbeo Pollution Index 2025, and 55th in the Environmental Performance Index, placing it second in the Middle East. - ONA
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