Qatar aims to protect 30% of land and marine areas by 2030

The State of Qatar participated in the high-level meeting of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), which will be held on October 27 and 28 in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, as part of the conference hosted by the Republic of Armenia from October 19 to 30.

The State of Qatar was represented at the meeting by HE Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie.

In a speech during the meeting, HE the Leader stressed that the State of Qatar attaches special importance to the protection of biodiversity and terrestrial and marine ecosystems in its national policies and plans, based on the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

He explained that terrestrial nature reserves cover about 27 percent of the country's area, pointing out that the State of Qatar aims to protect 30 percent of its land and marine areas by 2030, in addition to restoring 30 percent of natural habitats.

He noted the importance of the current session of the conference, which is witnessing the first collective global review of the progress made in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and expressed the State of Qatar's aspiration that the discussions will result in practical steps to accelerate the implementation of international commitments and achieve measurable national results.

He said that the State of Qatar has worked to align its national priorities with the goals and objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Framework, to include biodiversity targets in its development plans, and to transform international commitments into specific national programs that are subject to follow-up and evaluation.

He added that the country has recently completed the update of its national biodiversity targets and prepared the general framework of the National Biodiversity Strategy, in preparation for the completion of the strategy and the national action plan, in order to support the identification of national priorities, the development of implementation programs and the follow-up of indicators to measure progress.

His Excellency reviewed the efforts of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, in cooperation with national authorities, research institutions, universities and the private sector, in implementing programs to protect ecosystems and fungal species, most notably the monitoring and tracking of whale sharks, the protection of dugongs, in addition to projects to protect and rehabilitate kindergartens and natural sites.

He pointed out that these efforts included 76 kindergartens and natural sites during the period from 2019 to 2026, pointing out that the State of Qatar aims to protect and rehabilitate 500 sites by 2030.

At the international level, he called for enhanced funding for the protection of biodiversity, support for capacity-building programmes and the transfer of appropriate technologies, taking into account the special needs of developing countries, in particular those with arid and severely arid climates.

He stressed the importance of expanding international cooperation in the exchange of scientific and technical data and expertise, and incorporating biodiversity considerations into development policies and plans, stressing the need for concerted international efforts to achieve the agreed goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biodiversity.

HE the Minister of Environment and Climate Change reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to continue its national efforts to protect biodiversity, and support international cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and to preserve and sustain natural resources for future generations.

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