Sultan Qaboos prize given to Nigerian Forestry Institute

MUSCAT — The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Protection, an international award instituted by Oman to promote nature conservation, has been presented to this year’s winner — the Nigerian Forestry Institute.

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Published: Sun 20 Nov 2011, 10:57 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 9:34 AM

It was handed to top officials of the institute by Education Minister Madeeha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah at a special ceremony in Budapest on Friday together with Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova.

The two-yearly prize was first announced by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said when he visited Unesco’s headquarters in Paris in 1989. The Nigerian institute was declared this year’s winner last month by the Director-General of Unesco based on the recommendations of the Co-ordination Office of the UN organisation’s Man and Biosphere Programme (MAP).

It was chosen in recognition of its achievements in managing forests, preserving bio-diversity, promoting sustainable production for food security and creating industrial raw materials and employment opportunities.

The institute, located in the city of Ibadan, has 10 centres and four training units affiliated to it. It has played a prominent role in establishing and managing sanctuaries in Nigeria.

It also contributed to limiting climate change through research in bio-fuel, the setting up of farms and the introduction of techniques for the production of seeds.

ravindranath@khaleejtimes.com


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