21 February 2011
MUSCAT -- Ford Motor Company awarded financial grants to three conservation projects from Oman that are brought closer towards completion. The winning projects of The Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants were announced yesterday at a press conference held at Grand Hyatt, Muscat. The grants are annual awards dedicated to projects focused on preserving the environment. This year's grants came in commemoration to the 11th anniversary of Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants. One of the winning projects is given by The Environment Society of Oman.
This project, which received $7,000 from Ford, is focused on community education on Masirah Island, the world's largest Loggerhead Turtle rookery. ESO's initiative builds on existing education and training programmes for local rural communities on conservation practices and monitoring techniques for turtle nesting rookeries in the Sultanate.
Biosphere Expeditions, awarded $10,000, conducted a project for protecting the reefs of the Musandam Peninsula. Through education, capacity-building, mapping and study of the Musandam reefs, Biosphere Expeditions aims to protect the reefs which will benefit and preserve not only the local reef wildlife, but also the communities of Oman in terms of increased tourism and resulting commerce. Long-term goals of the project are for the Musandam reefs to be officially declared as a marine protected area and perhaps even to ultimately receive Unesco World Heritage Site status.
Another project spearheaded by Biosphere Expeditions focused on the protection of the Arabian leopards in Dhofar region. This project received $12,000 grant from Ford. Having received a Ford Grant for the second consecutive year, Biosphere Expeditions aims to promote the conservation of Arabian leopards in Oman, educating local people about the Arabian leopard and collaboratively working with them on how the local community and this critically endangered species can co-exist in the Sultanate.
MUSCAT -- Ford Motor Company awarded financial grants to three conservation projects from Oman that are brought closer towards completion. The winning projects of The Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants were announced yesterday at a press conference held at Grand Hyatt, Muscat. The grants are annual awards dedicated to projects focused on preserving the environment. This year's grants came in commemoration to the 11th anniversary of Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants. One of the winning projects is given by The Environment Society of Oman.
This project, which received $7,000 from Ford, is focused on community education on Masirah Island, the world's largest Loggerhead Turtle rookery. ESO's initiative builds on existing education and training programmes for local rural communities on conservation practices and monitoring techniques for turtle nesting rookeries in the Sultanate.
Biosphere Expeditions, awarded $10,000, conducted a project for protecting the reefs of the Musandam Peninsula. Through education, capacity-building, mapping and study of the Musandam reefs, Biosphere Expeditions aims to protect the reefs which will benefit and preserve not only the local reef wildlife, but also the communities of Oman in terms of increased tourism and resulting commerce. Long-term goals of the project are for the Musandam reefs to be officially declared as a marine protected area and perhaps even to ultimately receive Unesco World Heritage Site status.
Another project spearheaded by Biosphere Expeditions focused on the protection of the Arabian leopards in Dhofar region. This project received $12,000 grant from Ford. Having received a Ford Grant for the second consecutive year, Biosphere Expeditions aims to promote the conservation of Arabian leopards in Oman, educating local people about the Arabian leopard and collaboratively working with them on how the local community and this critically endangered species can co-exist in the Sultanate.
© Oman Daily Observer 2011
