Countries - forest facts by country

Forestry policies, institutions and programmes

Work pertaining to different aspects of conservation is being carried out through different agencies. A national committee consisting of representatives from concerned agencies was set up in the new Environment Department. Its mandate is to establish an action plan for implementation.

Qatar has not ratified the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification Particularly in Africa, but the country has developed a Strategy to Combat Desertification which, inter alia, calls for precautionary measures for those lands that have not yet deteriorated or have only slightly deteriorated. Future and long-term plans include legislation to restrict overgrazing and prevent desertification of natural pastures.

A laboratory has been set up in the Department of Agricultural and Water Resources for the culture of plant tissues. To date, the laboratory has overseen the reproduction of very high quality palm trees, the conservation of natural and indigenous trees and the introduction of species from places having a similar environment.

Qatar ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1996. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has not been ratified.

Last updated: March 2004