ESO marks Oman Tree Day celebrating Frankincense

As the sultanate celebrates Oman Tree Day on Monday, the Environment Society of Oman (ESO) in collaboration with the Environment Authority and with funding from the British Embassy in Muscat has published an infographic celebrating Oman’s native frankincense species, Boswelia scara.

The infographic highlights important information about Boswelia scara, including ecological information as well as key threats and necessary conservation actions. The full infographic is available for download at www.esofundraiser.com/re-sources.

Boswellia sacra, a species of frankincense native to Oman, Yemen and Northern Somalia, is considered to produce a fine quality resin. A population assessment of Boswellia sacra was

last completed over 20 years ago in 1998, giving it a Near Threatened status on the IUCN Red List.

The infographic forms part of a wider programme funded by the British Embassy in Muscat which also saw a field team from ESO, in collaboration with the Environment Authority, Wageningen University & Research,

Fairsource Botanicals LLC, and Mendel University in Brno undertake a three-month survey of the Boswellia sacra trees in Dho

far to help support an updated population and distribution assessment.

ESO executive director Suaad al Harthi said, “Frankincense, also known as Luban, plays an integral part in the Omani heritage and culture and has been a main source of income for Dhofari communities for centuries. The funding provided by the British Embassy has allowed us to undertake important survey work enabling us to map the distribution of frankincense trees in Dhofar while establishing permanent

study sites to evaluate the longterm population ecology. This also means we can assess the threats to the species and engage with local stakeholders to build local capacity to survey and protect the trees in the future.”

British Ambassador H E Bill Murray said, “It is our pleasure to support Environment Society of Oman’s efforts to conserve Oman’s frankincense trees.

“Frankincense is an essential part of Omani heritage and culture. We all need be aware of its vulnerability and the steps we can take to ensure its survival.”

Conservation of Boswellia sacra will continue to be a central focus for the work of ESO. Moving forward, the team will be

working closely with the Environment Authority to recommend a variety of approaches for conserving these unique trees, including targeted research to further elucidate population dynamics and potential impacts of climate change.