The British Omani Society, as part of its annual lecture series celebrating Oman’s extraordinary natural heritage, organised a programme of visits to foster UK-Oman scientific collaboration, and highlight the work of Oman’s talented environmental scientists.
On Monday 27th October, the British Omani Society began its week of cultural and scientific exchange, hosting our esteemed delegates, Dr. Masoud Al Azri, Director General of Marketing in Agriculture and Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Dr Laila Al Harthy, Head of Botany and Conservation at Oman Botanic Garden; Dr Khalid Al Farsi, Head of Horticulture at Oman Botanic Garden; Dr Amir Azad Al Kathiri, linguist and cultural heritage specialist from Salalah, with a visit to Cambridge, bringing together leading voices in botany and conservation from Oman and the UK.
The delegation was warmly welcomed at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden for a guided tour of its diverse plant collections. This immersive walk set the stage for a rich exchange of ideas and expertise.
Dr Laila Al Harthy and Dr Khalid Al Farsi delivered a presentation to the Garden’s staff, sharing insights from Oman Botanic Garden’s CHiL (Conservation, Horticulture, and Landscape) programme. Their talk highlighted conservation practices and botanical research in Oman.
Dr Amir Azad Al Kathiri met with Professor Tina Phillips, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Professor of Modern Arabic Studies, and Professor Amira Bennison, from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge, to discuss the value of Arabic language in advancing scientific research and knowledge exchange. The visit concluded with a tour of the Herbarium, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the Garden’s scientific collections and research infrastructure.
The day continued with a high-level roundtable discussion at the David Attenborough Building, home to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
The session, titled “Conservation Priority Setting and Implementation,” brought together experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), including Craig Hilton-Taylor, Head of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; Andrew Plumptre, Head of the Key Biodiversity Areas Secretariat; and Sara Oldfield from the IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. The conversation explored global conservation frameworks, priority-setting methodologies, and the role of botanical science in shaping sustainable futures.
The British Omani Society extends its sincere thanks to all those who contributed to the success of the Cambridge visit, especially the teams at Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the IUCN.
We also thank again Amouage, our main sponsor, and Tom Kenyon-Slaney of London Speakers Bureau, for contributing the financial support that made this important programme of knowledge exchange visits possible.
Read more about the Oman Natural Heritage Programme
Oman Natural Heritage Visits: Exploring British Expertise in Forestry and Horticulture
The 8th Oman Natural Heritage Lecture: The Scent of Time - Omani Frankincense from Antiquity to Innovation
Oman Natural Heritage Visits: A Tour of the Natural History Museum