A study confirms myrrh trees survival and spread in Dhofar Governorate

Dhofar: A study carried out by the Environment Authority represented by the Environment Conservation Office in Dhofar Governorate, confirmed that Arabian myrrh trees are still widespread in the Dhofar Governorate, specifically in the valleys sloping north from Jabal Al-Qamar to the Al-Najd region, it is a promising area for the rehabilitation and cultivation of myrrh trees on a large scale in the future.

Arab bitter is of natural, historical and economic importance due to its multiple uses throughout the ages, especially in alternative medicine.

The study, which was carried out by a team from the Department of Environmental Affairs at the Environmental Conservation Office in Salalah, provided an important background on its current situation, as all the data contained in the study on the description of the species, vital indicators and threats can be adopted, such as updating the status of myrrh trees in the Dhofar Governorate and documenting them in the official record of the Environment Agency within the forecast reports of the state of ecosystems. in the Sultanate of Oman for the year 2023.

The study aimed to document more field data on this species to build a future reliable database to classify its condition in nature, provide a map of the natural spread of the species in Dhofar Governorate, and monitor the most prominent natural and human threats facing myrrh trees in the study area.

The results of the study showed that the average of the tallest myrrh trees in the study area was 2.4 meters, while the average number of main branches for the sample community was 1.7 branches for each tree, while the average tree canopy was 2.3 meters, and the average width of the main trunk was 44.1 cm.

During the study, the focus was on four vital indicators to know the possibility of survival of the myrrh tree species and the renewal of its natural cycle, namely: (leaves – flowers – seeds – the presence of new seedlings);

The results showed that 57 percent of the trees are covered with leaves, 20 percent bear flowers, 6 percent have seeds, and 10 percent have new seedlings in the study area.

The study also focused on four indicators in the field of natural and human threats, namely (grazing – insect activity – gum collection – drought).

The results indicated that grazing constituted 49 percent of the threats, while the presence of insects constituted 25 percent, the trees showing signs of harvest 19 percent, and the number of trees affected by drought 7 percent.

The study recommended several recommendations, including continuing to study the second phase of the project for the year 2023 so that it includes other areas towards the west, surveying new areas in the north of the Jabal Samhan Reserve to record the presence of the species or not, moving forward with the project of the Natural Murr Park and including the Murr within the reviews of the Natural Reserves Law and to preserve the country’s neighborhoods to be classified in the first list.

It is noteworthy that the Environment Agency is planning to establish a garden of Arabian myrrh trees, which is characterized by its high quality and is spread in the south of the Arabian Peninsula between the Sultanate of Oman and Yemen.