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Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Planted Forests and Trees Working Papers THE NETHERLANDS TRUST FUND SUPPORT TO SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN LOW FOREST COVER COUNTRIES ROLE OF PLANTED FORESTS AND TREES OUTSIDE FORESTS IN SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT: SULTANATE OF OMAN COUNTRY CASE STUDY S. Rouchiche with the assistance of M. Salem Abdallah Al-Masheikhi, El Haj Bakhit Ahmed and S. Eldin Abdallah Mohamed Agieb October 2003 Forest Resources Development Service Working Paper FP/31E Forest Resources Division FAO, Rome (Italy) Forestry Department ii Disclaimer The Planted Forests and Trees Working Paper, report on issues and activities in planted forests. These working papers do not reflect any official position of FAO. Please refer to the FAO website (http://www.fao.org/forestry) for official information. The purpose of these papers is to provide early release of information on on-going activities and programmes, and to stimulate discussion. Comments and feedback are welcome. For further information please contact: Mr. Jim Carle, Senior Forestry Officer (Plantations and Protection) Forest Resources Development Service Forest Resources Division Forestry Department FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I-00100 Rome (Italy) e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] For quotation: FAO (2003). Role of Planted Forests and Trees Outside Forests in Sustainable Forest Management in the Sultanate of Oman, by S. Rouchiche with the assistance of M. Salem Abdallah Al-Masheikhi, El Haj Bakhit Ahmed and S. Eldin Abdallah Mohamed Agieb. Planted Forests and Trees Working Papers, Working Paper 31. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished). iii Foreword People of developing countries facing desertification and severe land degradation, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas, can experience extreme food insecurity and abject poverty. In most countries, their relationships with forests and trees are inseparably interlinked and inter- dependent. Poor people recognize that forests and trees protect soil, water and biological diversity, provide shelter and shade for their villages as well as havens for cultural customs and help to combat desertification. To meet their basic food, fuel-wood, fodder, medicine and construction materials from the meagre resources available, they adopt survival attitudes, overexploit forests and rangelands, and provoke alarming rates of deforestation and forest degradation, which further erode their livelihoods. Decentralized, participatory, intersectoral and multidisciplinary approaches to policy, planning, implementation and monitoring are new to many developing low forest cover countries. They require new institutional frameworks as well as training and skills in forest planning and management. The voice of the forestry sector, which has generally been marginalized, needs to be mainstreamed in intersectoral planning committees and working groups to derive national development priorities and national forest development strategies. In so doing, it should examine the real value and potential roles of natural forests, planted forests and trees outside forests in supporting landscape restoration and sustainable livelihoods in urban and rural landscapes. It is critical to integrate planted trees and forests in more holistic approaches to provide environmental services, biodiversity benefits and meet people’s short and long-term needs. It is also necessary to make modern technology and traditional knowledge available in more people oriented approaches to be shared through national and international networks, and sound extension and technical support systems and demonstrations. This case study was carried out under the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme to support Sustainable Forest Management in Low Forest Cover Countries in the Near East and African Regions. It is one in a series of six carried out in Iran, Oman, and Tunisia in the Near- East Region to form the basis of the Teheran Workshop, 28-31 October 2002 and Mali, Ethiopia and Namibia in the African Region to form the basis for the Nairobi Workshop 26- 29 November 2002. The case studies, chosen to represent the uniquely different ecological, social, cultural, environmental and economic conditions prevailing in the regions, were conducted to evaluate the role of planted forests and trees outside forests in supporting sustainable forest management and landscape restoration in low forest cover countries. Natural forests, rangelands, woodland resources, trees outside forests, agroforestry, urban and peri-urban forestry all play important roles in supporting the social, cultural, environmental and economic landscapes, particularly in low forest cover countries. This case study focuses on the major issues, the policy/legal/instutional contexts, status of forests and rangelands, constraints, opportunities, gaps in knowledge, lessons learned and the proposed actions for the way forward. This is a first step in translating polices and proposed actions towards implementation. iv Acknowledgements The international consultant wishes to express his appreciation to all institutions visited and his thanks to all officials encountered. In particular, he is grateful to Messrs. Al-Jabri, Ali Abdallah, General Manager, General Directorate of Animal Wealth Resources (MAF) and Al- Hadabbi Abdullah Mohd. Yahya, General Manager, Directorate General of Agriculture, Animal Wealth and Fisheries (DGAAWF) Dhofar region, for their support. Our gratitude goes to the following organizations that extended their hospitality to us and made our visits fruitful: Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment, DGAAWF Al- Sharqiya, Agricultural Research Station (Al-Sharqiya), Agricultural Research Centre (Al- Batinah). The consultant wishes to express his special thanks to Mr Al-Hasny Habib Abdullah Habib, Director of International Affairs (MAF) and his staff for the excellent logistic and support provided. Our particular recognition goes to Messrs. Al-Alaoui Saeed, Al-Masheikhi Mohamed, Yasser Al-Shikeili, El Hag Bakhit Ahmed Koll, Salah Eldin A.M. Ageib and Ghaouas Ahmed for their company during the visits and contribution in information gathering, as well as for the discussions and exchanges that took place during my visit to Oman. I would like to thank regional officials and local people for their hospitality and say my sincere gratefulness to FAO and the Government of the Sultanate for making it possible for me to visit the beautiful and hospitable Oman, capture its main environmental development issues, and participate to the formulation of some possible solutions. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS............................................................................................................... 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 5 1. GENERAL SETTING....................................................................................................... 6 1.1 CONTEXT ......................................................................................................................6 1.1.1 Brief geographical and historical description ...............................................................6 1.1.2 Economic and demographic characteristics..................................................................6 1.1.3 Government and administrative set-up and organization ..............................................7 1.1.4 Political and legislative framework .............................................................................7 1.1.5 Planning procedures...................................................................................................8 1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACT ERISTICS ..............................................................................8 1.2.1 Geology ...................................................................................................................8 1.2.2 Landscapes and soils ..................................................................................................8 1.2.3 Climate ....................................................................................................................9 1.2.4 Biological resources ................................................................................................10 1.2.5 Land resources - Types, distribution and occupation of lands .....................................10 1.2.6 Water resources ......................................................................................................11 1.2.6.1 Surface water and drainage systems....................................................................................................11 1.2.6.2 Occurrence and characteristics of groundwater...............................................................................11 1.2.6.3 Desalinated water...................................................................................................................................11 1.2.6.4 Treated wastewater effluent ..................................................................................................................12 1.2.6.5 Water demand and balance...................................................................................................................12 1.3 HUMAN FACTOR: SOCIO-ECONOMIC
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