Wildlife Haven

The Al Ansab Wetlands is leading wildlife conservation initiatives in the Sultanate of Oman. Manal Al Kindi, Head of Wetlands at Nama Water Services explains the key features of the project

Could you give us an overview of the Al Ansab Wetlands that is being promoted by Nama Group?

The Al Ansab Wetlands is a unique wonderland in the heart of Muscat. It provides a showcase for Oman’s impressive nature with its abundance of bird life. So mostly, it focuses on birds but, definitely, it is also a haven for other species like Oman native wild plants, insects, and other species. It aims to become a place where the people of Oman and international guests can enjoy and appreciate wildlife and wild places. Nama Water Services will play an increasingly important role within the local community by providing numerous learning, healthy living, and social wellbeing initiatives as well as sustainable livelihood opportunities in developing a responsible tourism sector.

Al Ansab Wetlands is located in Madinat Al Irfan in Baushar. Spread over more than 40 hectares, it consists of 5 different lagoons – and the ‘Flamingo Lagoon’ is one of the most important lagoons because we have an island and control the water level on it. The other lagoons are all open water, which attracts different bird species. The objective of the wetland is to manage existing habitats, to achieve favorable ecological conditions for other important associated fauna and flora and to encourage public access to the site for recreation and ecotourism at a level that is compatible with the nature conservation requirements. We also aim to establish an environmental education resource, which will contribute towards the national targets for increasing environmental and sustainability awareness.

In what ways are the Al Ansab Wetlands attracting various birds and promoting other living species?

What we do is we mostly work in a scientific way in the background – and this comes in the way of us preparing an indirect food chain. More than 530 bird species have been recorded in Oman and more than half of these bird species can be seen in the Al Ansab Wetlands. That makes this one of the most important and unique spaces in the heart of Muscat in addition to giving it national and international importance. It also provides a safe haven for resident and migrant bird species through resting and feeding spots. If you ask what is unique about the wetlands, it must be pointed out that the different habitats in the Al Ansab Wetlands include rocky terrain, semi-desert areas, dense shrubs area, reed bed around

Volume Capacity: 302.500 m3

Bird Species: 300

Native Trees: 112 the lagoons, and open water habitat. All of these locations are wonderful attractions to over 300 bird species. It must also be pointed out that because of the wetland and its importance, the area has been recognised in the Ramsar Convention as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ in March 2020, and more than 20 bird species breed in the wetlands in the summer season. We do not only focus on the birds, but also Omani native plants, insects, and many other species.

How can we promote more wetlands in Oman?

The most important initiative is to manage and conserve these sites at the beginning, and then promote them as important wetland sites nationally or internationally because each site has the opportunity to conserve different habitats or wildlife. For example, while most of the sites here are focused on plants and birds, other habitats are more about the habitat itself, like Qurum Park where the flora is very important.