Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants to share US$90,000 among deserving causes in the region in fifth anniversary year.

Dubai, UAE, July 14, 2004 -- When the Qatar Flora Awareness Programme, an initiative of the Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC), received a US$95,000 grant from the Ford Motor Company Conservation and Environmental Grants last year, environmental campaigners in the region took notice.

The Qatar-based project, also known as 'A Flower Each Spring', has been running for the last six years and is spearheaded by Dr Saif Ali Al Hajari, FEC Chairman, and supported by volunteers Dr Ahmed Ramzy Kotb and Kay Allen.

"One of the primary objectives of the Qatar Flora Awareness Programme is to challenge the misconception that there is little or no flora on the peninsula," said Dr Al Hajari.

"When most people think of environmental issues, they think of protecting endangered species of animals or cutting down on pollution, but the issue of flora is just as important when it comes to the challenge of conservation and raising environmental awareness," he added.

Dr Al Hajari believes that being rewarded so generously by the Ford Grants' judging panel last year has raised the Qatar Flora Awareness Programme's profile. "It's recognition that the campaign is making a sincere effort to promote local awareness of Qatar's indigenous plant life and its role in protecting, sustaining and beautifying our environment," he commented.

The Ford Grants celebrate their fifth anniversary in the Middle East this year, and a total of US$90,000 will once again be donated to successful groups and individuals applying to the programme.

The winning projects will be announced in December, and since the Grants started in the region in 2000, more than US$300,000 in cash grants has been awarded to around 40 worthy environmental and conservation causes.

FEC's grant-winning project enjoys the support of Her Highness Sheikha Mouza bint Nasser Al Misnad, the consort of His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar. Every year, Sheikha Mouza chooses a species of plant growing wild on the peninsula, and the Friends of the Environment Centre organises events and activities around it.

This year, all energies are focused on the acacia tortilis or 'Umbrella Thorn', known as Al Samr in Arabic, a leguminous tree widely found in arid areas of Africa and the Middle East. It produces fragrant clusters of white or pale-yellow flowers typically one centimetre in diameter, and there are often as many as 400 flowers on a single branch. The flowers eventually develop into a yellowy brown fruit.

"One of the interesting features of the acacia tortilis is its ability to grow in areas with an annual rainfall as low as 40 mm, and it can withstand temperatures ranging from 50 45 degrees Celsius at midday to below freezing 10 Degrees Celsius at night," added Al Hajari.

"Some people question the value of paying attention to such humble trees and plants, but it represents important knowledge about the diversity and fragility of the natural world around us. Plants that appear quite ordinary at first glance often reveal a host of important qualities on closer inspection."

The acacia tortilis has a wide variety of uses, not least as forage or shade for farm animals. Its flower pods are often fed to lactating animals to increase milk production; the flowers are an important source of honey, and the leaves, bark and seeds can be used to make medicine. The plant is threatened by its popularity and cutting down acacia vegetation poses an increased risk of desertification.

"The enthusiastic support of Her Highness Sheikha Mouza has helped our awareness project enormously, and our success in receiving a Ford Grant means we have more resources to get our message across," said Dr Al Hajari. "This year we intend to reach a wider audience through organising special events and competitions for both children and adults - arts and writing contests, school activities and so on. We want to encourage people to submit essays or research on acacia tortilis and stimulate greater interest in Qatar's environmental heritage."

Dr Al Hajari and his colleagues at FEC are also preparing for a symposium in Doha to bring together botanical scientists and other experts on acacia tortilis from across the Gulf. School fieldtrips to areas of acacia tortilis vegetation are also planned.

Criteria for applying for the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants in 2004 remain unchanged. The programme is open to non-profit-making groups and individuals in the GCC and Levant implementing ongoing projects related to the natural environment, environmental education, conservation engineering, or the preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

Previous Ford Grants recipients in the region include whale and dolphin researchers in Oman, turtle conservationists in Kuwait, botanical scientists in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, and coral researchers in the UAE.

The deadline for entries this year is 4 November 2004. A panel of independent environmental experts will judge submissions and the winners will be announced in December.

Application forms are available from Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers in the Middle East and on the Grant's own website www.ford-environmentalgrants.com, which can be viewed in both English and Arabic.

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Editor's notes:
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 327,000 employees worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz. Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003.

Ford Motor Company's history in the Middle East goes back more than 50 years. The company's local importer-dealers operate more than 40 facilities in the GCC and directly employ more than 3,500 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals.

Distributed for Ford Middle East by Polaris Public Relations.

For further information, please contact
Rami Halawani on
tel: (971-4) 3348522,
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email: r.halawani@polaris-me.com

© Press Release 2004