As part of its Golden Jubilee celebrations and the 50th anniversary of its founding, the Kuwait Environment Protection Society launched a large-scale campaign to distribute native plant seedlings to Ministry of Education schools at all levels of general education covered by the “Green Schools” program in its 14th edition for the current academic year.
Janan Behzad, Secretary General and Director of Programs and Activities at the Environment Protection Society, announced that “the campaign included five types of Kuwaiti native plants that were distributed to about 40 schools from all six governorates at all educational levels, in an educational demonstration within an open environmental day that included, in addition to distributing seedlings, introducing the importance and benefits of those types in terms of health, economy and environment.”.
Behzad stated that “the campaign to distribute native plants is a green initiative launched by the Environment Society to enhance the seed bank in Kuwaiti soil, through the planting of native seedlings that contribute to increasing the natural seed stock in the soil and distributing them across various regions in Kuwait.”.
She added, “A soil seed bank is defined as the latent stock of seeds in the surface layers of the soil, where these seeds remain dormant for many years, until suitable environmental conditions for growth are available, such as moisture, temperature and exposure to light. The seed bank has played a pivotal role in restoring plants after the environment has been damaged by drought or human interventions, making it an essential part of supporting the ecosystem and preserving biodiversity.”.
Behzad stated that “the campaign to distribute native seedlings to schools is part of Kuwait’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability and instill environmental awareness among students. Through planting these seedlings, students are encouraged to participate in supporting biodiversity and protecting local plants, which contributes to reviving and sustaining natural vegetation in Kuwait.”.
The Secretary-General of the Environment Society praised the role of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources through the Ardiya Nursery, which kindly provided the Society with native seedlings, contributing to spreading awareness among school students, and commended the Ministry of Education’s participation in the campaign through this large number of schools.
