The Kuwait Environment Protection Society called for greater cooperation between government agencies, civil society organizations, volunteer groups, and individuals to protect biodiversity in the country. It also stressed the importance of citizens and residents playing their part in preserving Kuwait's wildlife, habitats, and environmentally sensitive sites. Dr. Samira Sayed Omar, founder and first chair of the Wildlife Protection Committee at the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, noted that "the Society joins the world today in celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity, striving to raise awareness of nature issues." She pointed out that this year's celebration is under the theme "Action Locally for Global Impact," aiming to link individual and community initiatives with global goals for protecting ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss. In this context, Dr. Omar explained... Samira Sayed Omar stated that “the Kuwait Environment Protection Society has been advocating for the protection of biodiversity and wildlife for decades through numerous programs, projects, and awareness campaigns conducted by its various specialized committees and teams. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the Wildlife Protection Committee, established in 1994, which comprises a distinguished group of experts and national personnel. Furthermore, the Society has launched eight editions of its annual program, the ”Wildlife Documentation Series in Kuwait.“” She added that “the Society’s efforts have continued through its membership in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the formation of the IUCN National Standing Committee in Kuwait, which the Society currently chairs.“ She pointed out that ”the Committee’s most important role is to coordinate national efforts among relevant and specialized entities in the field of biodiversity protection and conservation.“ Dr. Omar explained that ”the Committee, which includes representatives from member entities, discusses many related matters, most importantly preparations for regional nature conservation forums, as well as key preparations for the upcoming IUCN Congress meetings.“ She noted that ”the Committee’s membership includes the Environment Public Authority, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, and the Kuwait Water Society.“ Samira Sayed Omar stated that ”among its latest efforts in this regard, several proposals were submitted by Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, head of the National Committee of the Union in Kuwait, to Dr. Razan Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Dr. Hani Al-Shaer, the IUCN Regional Director for West Asia. These proposals included: establishing a constitution for the national committees, a task to be undertaken by the head of each committee; designing internal regulations to govern the work within the committee; and attracting new groups and members to the national committees. The proposal was well-received by the officials present due to its positive impact on improving the performance of the national committees as an organizational step.“ She noted that ”in the same context, the Society has partnered with the League of Arab States to present a series of documentary programs on wildlife in Kuwait through its environmental platform. Furthermore, there is outstanding international cooperation with the IUCN, through which the Society provides it with periodic status reports on national and community efforts in the field of wildlife and biodiversity.“ She added that ”the series of wildlife documentaries has been launched, highlighting the components of the living environment, such as plants, terrestrial animals, and marine life, in no fewer than 250 high-quality television episodes produced locally, to serve as a beacon.“ The importance of highlighting biodiversity in our country through environmental media is evidence of the success of such efforts, especially after winning many international awards, in addition to its adoption by the Ministry of Education as a scientific resource supporting the curriculum, and finally the Arab League’s welcoming of its presence and its inclusion on the Arab League Observatory.”.
