Countries

Forestry policies, institutions and programmes

In view of the water crises in the arid and semi-arid areas, Bahrain has been tenaciously following the strategy of preserving its water resources on the one hand and containing the greenery over most of the area on the other. The adverse agro-climatic conditions and soils of the country motivated the Government of Bahrain to look into the challenge of growing fauna and flora on the lands available.

Programmes
Afforestation activities are carried out by the Ministry of Works and Agriculture, the Ministry of Housing, Municipalities and Environment as well as by the Royal Prince Bureau. By 1998, the afforested area in the State of Bahrain was 341 hectares. The afforestation plan aims to expand the planted area in the Wasmia, Sakhir and southern Al-Areen regions by 250 hectares. The planting programme in these areas will start in 2002. It is expected that afforestation programmes will be larger in the future when treated sewage water can be provided to irrigate areas that will be planted. A sewage treatment plant is being constructed to increase the annual amount of treated sewage water to 73 million cubic metres to compensate for the overexploitation of groundwater.

A National Plan of Action to Combat Desertification in Bahrain was prepared in 1992. Bahrain became a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1997 and is well on its way to implementing it.

Institutions
The main body concerned with protected area administration and management is the Environmental Protection Committee, which was established in 1980 and is supported by the Environmental Protection Technical Secretariat. Its activities include the development of comprehensive environmental legislation, education, research, the establishment of protected areas and protection of individual species such as dugong and turtle. The Council of the State Presidency is considered to be the responsible authority for protecting and developing the reserves and parks in the country.

Non-governmental bodies actively concerned with protected areas include the Bahrain Natural History Society (BNHS) which conducts fauna and flora surveys and publishes environmental reports and a monthly journal. The park management at Al-Areen has been deeply involved in conservation, not only by keeping and breeding endangered species, but also by cooperating with other conservation projects in the Near East, particularly for Arabian oryx and houbara bustard. Oryx have been sent to the protected areas of Shaumari in Jordan, to the Jiddat al Harrasis in Oman and various sites in Saudi Arabia. Strong links have been established with the Zoological Society of London and the King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre at Tummammah, Saudi Arabia.

Legislation
The legal system subscribes to the Islamic law, which places heavy responsibility on people to guard and protect wild animals and their habitats. Conservation projects are at present attempting to revive the Islamic views of the interrelationship between humans and the environment. Traditional forms of protected area or range reserves (Hema) may have origins over 4 000 years old. The establishment of the Al-Areen Hema was one of the first comprehensive attempts to revive the Islamic views of nature. The government is also taking measures to preserve a significant proportion of the country¿s coastline, traditional palm grove landscapes and natural pools near Manama. These are being placed under State ownership and form part of the Bahrain green belt programme.

Last updated: May 2004