Omani Women's Day Spotlight: Mrs. Suaad Al Harthi, Executive Director of the Environment Society of Oman

Article by Nigel Winser - Co-Convenor of the Oman Natural Heritage Lecture

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The 17th of October marks Omani Women’s Day, a day dedicated to honour the contribution of Omani Women across society, so it's a great opportunity to put the spotlight on Mrs. Suaad Al Harthi, Executive Director of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), the first and only non-government organization in Oman with a vision to conserve Oman’s natural heritage.

Mrs. Suaad Al Harthi visited the UK as a guest of the British Omani Society to co-chair the 7th Oman Natural Heritage Lecture and visit the Cambridge Conservation Initiative at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge to deliver a lunchtime seminar on the work of the Environment Society in Oman.

Mrs. Suaad is a specialist on the marine environment and spoke of the pioneering work of the Environment Society of Oman at the 2nd Oman Natural Heritage Lecture at the Royal Geographical Society in October 2017 alongside Eng. Aida Al Jabri and Mr. Robert Baldwin for a talk about Oman’s Marine Heritage. It was with great pleasure to welcome Suaad back to the Royal Geographical Society in 2023 to chair the Oman Mangroves lecture. During her visit to UK, Suaad was also able to visit the David Attenborough Building as a guest of Thomas Starnes at IUCN to give a talk about the important work of the Environment Society of Oman to members of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative including Fauna & Flora.

During her UK visit, Suaad was able to visit the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, where she met with representatives from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; of which ESO is a member), Fauna & Flora, Birdlife International and the Key Biodiversity Areas Secretariat. There was also a visit to the adjoining University Museum of Zoology with its iconic 21 m fin whale skeleton. During the visit, Suaad delivered a lunchtime seminar on the work of the Environment Society of Oman that was so well received by the CCI members that the questions and discussion session continued well beyond the allotted time.

Mrs. Suaad Al Harthi

Mrs. Suaad Al Harthi is the Executive Director of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO). ESO is the first and only non-government organization in Oman with a vision to conserve Oman’s natural heritage. Suaad’s position involves facilitating research and conservation on threatened and endangered species, and the delivery of community engagement and education programs. She has managed and coordinated diverse marine and terrestrial research projects including flagship initiatives such as sea turtle research and conservation, Arabian Sea humpback whale research and conservation, Egyptian vulture and lappet-faced vulture research, and frankincense tree research projects. Suaad has been actively engaged in the development of conservation management plans and advocacy with key stakeholders.

Suaad was awarded the Oman Woman of the Year 2019 Award in the category of Environment for her conservation contributions. Suaad holds a Master’s Degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of San Diego. Since 2004 ESO has played a pivotal role in preserving Oman’s environment. The Society undertakes pioneering marine and terrestrial research to enable practical conservation efforts to protect threatened and endangered species in Oman. They engage young Omanis, volunteers and the public in their projects and aim to educate communities about the importance of adopting more sustainable lifestyles. Also they believe passionately in investing in Oman’s next generation of environmentalists and deliver education initiatives and a capacity building programme to support this. Working with both local and international partners, they aim to ensure that the incredible biodiversity found in Oman is protected for future generations.  It was a great honour to have Suaad back at the Royal Geographical Society and we do thank her sincerely for her great support.

Please do check out the inspiring work being done by the Environment Society of Oman and do donate to their great work if you can. 

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