Oman chalks out sustainable growth plans

Oman chalks out sustainable growth plans

There are over twenty species of dolphin and whale, all the five subtropical species of turtles, and more than a thousand species of fish, most of which, are endemic and have a high commercial value. Muscat: Plans for Oman's economic growth to go hand-in-hand with environmental sustainability have been drawn up between the Sultanate and the United Kingdom. Part of the UK-Gulf Marine Environment Partnership (UK-GMEP), they will be carried out by the Environment Authority, and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the UK government's marine environmental science advisory agency. "This is a programme that is supported by the UK government for us to provide technical support and knowledge exchange to Oman and the GCC states for sustainable development and economic diversification of ocean and coastal resources," said Dr Will Le Quesne, principal scientist at CEFAS. "CEFAS has been working with the Environment Authority providing technical support and training on managing the coastal environment and coastal development to support sustainability," he added. "This has included carrying out ecological surveys in Bar Al Hikman alongside staff from the Environment Authority." One of their recent efforts towards cooperation has seen CEFAS staff provide online training over environment impact assessments