HE the Minister of Environment Ahmed Amir Mohamed Al Hemaidi has issued a ministerial decision extending previous ministerial decision No. (95) of 23/8/2011 on the prohibition of grazing in all areas of the state for a period of two years with effect from tomorrow. An official source at the Ministry of Environment said in a press statement that the decision extending the ban of grazing comes as a result of the many positive results that had been reflected on wildlife and for more conservation on trees, wild plants and gardens until they complete their flourishing. The source called on owners of gardens to abide by this decision in order to preserve the natural environment, the animal wealth and to contribute to the efforts made by the Ministry of Environment to enrich the wildlife and gardens in the State of Qatar. The Ministry of Environment will take all legal measures against anyone who violates the grazing ban instructions, the source warned expressing profound appreciation of the ministry for the understanding of the reasons behind the extension of the grazing ban decision. The Ministry of Environment previously conducted two studies on the impact of the grazing ban on vegetation in the State of Qatar, in which it indicated that the decision which banned grazing aims to protect vegetation from extinction and to halt the degradation of pastures caused by overgrazing, to protect the soil from erosion, restore biodiversity and allow plants the opportunity to complete their life cycle and reproduction, as well as the sustainability of natural resources, work for the development of biodiversity and increasing green lands. The two studies’ work-team also recommended the need to adopt modern scientific methods of measurement as the optimal method applied by the Ministry of Environment to make decisions and assess the current and future health situation of pasture vegetation in Qatar and its natural resources. The recommendations included the timings for opening pasture lands for animal grazing on the basis of the assessment of optimum grazing capacity of wild lands and the proportion of the optimal use of species of various plants, as well as the assessment of development of pastoral lands through the assessment of health situation from year to year to improve these lands towards the best environmentally-stable condition.