Oman Wires It's all about Oman
Speaking to Muscat Daily on the sidelines of a 3-day regional workshop on ‘Combating illegal trade of sharks’, which started in Muscat on Monday, Saleh al Saadi, assistant director of biodiversity in MECA stated, “CITES is an international agreement in between governments. Its aim is to make certain that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
“We are a celebration to CITES in addition to other agreements. Our aim is to make certain that all species must be acquired legally and without having violation of any law. We are guaranteeing that the wild species are getting protected, are below handle and sustainably utilized.
“We are drafting the national law for implementing CITES. It is still in the preparatory stage. The highlights of the law are many. Mentioning the penalties, the condition of the acquisition of the specimen, export and import of the species either by companies or individuals, what are the procedures, amongst others. We have already drafted it. The reviewing from legal perspective is under consideration.”
He also stated that the government is in the procedure of proclaiming several protected locations. “They want to proclaim in each governorate at least one protected area. In Muscat, we have one in the Qurm Nature Reserve. Most of it is mangroves.”
The workshop, organised in cooperation with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, started below the auspices of H E Najeeb bin Ali al Rowas, Undersecretary in MECA.
Information Source: Muscat Daily
