Planted forests
Description of plantation resources
Introduction
Kuwait is an arid and hyper-arid country. It is bounded north by the southern sediment plains of the crescent valley .The land surface is nearly level. It declines slightly from west to east. The country can be divided into four regions: the northern desert region, the southern desert region, the coastal plains and the coastal highlands.
The majority of plantations around cities are used for recreation and need to be under the authority of specialised agency for their maintenance because they are still under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Development of forest plantations
Forest plantation began in 1966, the sewage water of Kuwait city was used due to the scarcity of water in planting trees and shrubs to avoid its hazardous effect on the health. The planted species were selected from native trees and shrubs in addition to the perennial range plants such as Atriplex spp. Selection of species was based on their tolerance to drought and the harsh environmental conditions. Other species including Acacia spp., Eucalyptus spp., Parkinsonia aculeata, Prosopis spp. and Tamarix spp. were tested and proved to be adapted to the prevailing conditions. The General Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries is responsible for the afforestation activities and stabilisation of areas affected by sand dune encroachment. By 1996 the planted area in the country was 4 294 ha including about 682 400 trees.
Species composition
Beside the indigenous species, Acacia arabica, Atriplex spp., Salvadora persica, Parkinsonia aculeata, Prosopis juliflora, Pirhecel obiumdulce, Phoenix dactylifera, Tamarix aphylla and Zizyphus spina-christi, species trials were carried to introduce new forest trees that can grow satisfactorily under the Kuwaiti conditions. Other acacia species were introduced including Acacia farnesiana, A. cyanophylla, A ligulata, A. raddeana, A. salicina and A. tortilis. Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. camaldulensis var. obtusa, E. condinensis, E. intertexta and E. occidentalis also proved to be adapted.
Other introduced species are Prosopis specigera, P. chilensis, Tamarix jordanis, T. africanum and T. pasazinodes.
Trend
Additional 3 000 ha are allocated for afforestation programs in the future plan for the protection of four main highways, settlements, infrastructure and aesthetic purposes beside the amelioration of the harsh conditions.
Issues
Plantations have been established more than thirty years for the protection of environment and infrastructure. They depend mainly on irrigation by untreated sewage water transported by tankers. The expansion of plantations and the construction of sewage treatment plants need to train technical staff for management and maintenance of plantation projects.
References
GAAFA. 1999. FRA 2000 Input of Kuwait, General Authority of Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs.
Haider H. Al-Qattan. 1996. Report on the present situation of Forest Resources in Kuwait, submitted to Near East Forestry Commission, 12th session, 21-24 October, Cairo, Egypt, p10 (in arabic).