Land Degradation in the Sultanate of Oman: Reasons and Intervention Measures

Synopsis

The Sultanate of Oman is a desert country with a large part of its territory classified as arid or hyper-arid. Desertification per se probably does not occur because hyper-arid regions are excluded from the UN definition of regions where desertification is said to occur. But desert encroachment and land degradation in its many forms are a problem and this chapter examines the situation in Oman and the steps taken to remedy and reverse the situation.

Key Points

• The Sultanate of Oman is located on the Arabian Peninsular which is classified according to the World Atlas of Desertification as mostly Hyper-arid and Arid in parts – 95 % of Oman is either climatic desert or more than moderately affected by land degradation. The conservation and protection of the environment of Oman, is the major component of this National Conservation Strategy to safeguard the welfare of the coming generations of people of Oman. It is seen as a pillar of national development because the achievement of the socio-economic development depends on the existence of suitable environment conditions that lead to attaining the balance between the people’s welfare and conservation of the natural resources.

• There are 2.3 million hectares of land suitable for agricultural production in the Sultanate of Oman. However, the future exploitation of these lands depends, to a large extent, on water availability. The area under rangelands in the Sultanate of Oman amounts to 172,625 km² (17,262,500 ha). The productivity of these lands is estimated at 0.2 tonnes/ha (Agricultural and Fisheries Development in the Sultanate of Oman 2005). This means that the rangeland resources provide some 3.45 million tonnes of feed/year. There are 647,250 TLU (Tropical Livestock Unit) in the Sultanate of Oman. The livestock inventory in 2005 was comprised of 117,000 camels, 351,000 sheep and 1,557,000 goats. Camels are widely kept in the Sultanate. They are mostly managed extensively although some are kept in pens.