CAIRO: Kuwait is bent on tackling desertification and has manifested its determination to achieve this objective with various ventures such as establishing natural reserves, officials have affirmed. Director of Kuwait's Biodiversity Department Leena Al-Awadhi and Head of Desertification Department at the Environment Public Authority Dr Ali Hassan affirmed yesterday the Gulf country's keenness to implement international agreements to combat desertification and preserve biodiversity, along with the other countries that suffer from desertification. This came in a statements to the press on sidelines of the 20th meeting of the Arab team tasked with following up on international environmental agreements to combat desertification and preserve biological diversity.

Awadhi pointed out that the goal of the meeting is to set a plan for all Arab countries, recording their implementation of relevant international accords. She noted that Kuwait is one of the signatory states of international conventions on the environment and other relevant conventions, adding that Kuwait represents the Asian region in the office of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

She affirmed Kuwait's endeavor to increase number of natural reserves, underscoring headways in various ventures namely the cultivation project 'wild sidr', which has entered its third phase, as well as the cultivation of 10,000 seedlings and mangroves on the Kuwaiti coast that started at Al-Jahra Reserve. In a similar statement, Dr Hassan indicated that the Arab team discussed a number of proposals, noting that Kuwait is interested in cooperating with the environment and agriculture bodies to establish many more reserves. He added that these measures will reduce the impact of harmful human and natural activities that lead to expanding arid areas in the country. - KUNA