Tag: Oman

Ford Environmental Grant

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Dr. Benno Böer (UNESCO Doha), Mr. Khalid Nassr Al-Toubi (INTEWO) and Mr. Hussein Murad (Ford Middle East) during the award ceremony in Dubai

INTEWO | World Habitat Society GmbH and National Earth Secrets LLC have been awarded with the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grant 2011. „The Geological Heritage of Oman“ is the title of the project, which is among this year’s laureates of the prestige Environmental Grant.

Since 2009 the German and Oman companies cooperate in different activities, developing sustainable geotourism and environmental education in the Sultanate. The comprehensive concept is aiming towards promoting and conserving the unique geological heritage in Oman, with performing different project features. Key elements of the project include the development of a GPS-based geotourism guide for the Muscat region, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism; the support of a cooperation between partners from the Nature Park Teutoburger Wald / Eggegebirge, promoting tourism and education for sustainable development; an annual student exchange with tourism students from Sultan Qaboos University; a geological movie project in Oman, in cooperation with the University of Applied Science Ostwestfalen-Lippe; and other activities supporting the rapprochement of cultures and promoting the German-Oman cooperation.

With support of the Ford Environmental Grant another ambitious project will be initiated. Key geological attractions in Oman will be exposed in a „Virtual Museum of Geology“. With support of latest technology high quality panorama images of selected geological hot spots will be produced and exhibited in an online museum, where one will be able to discover the hidden secrets of geology. Complemented with comprehensive information, the virtual museum will allow access to inaccessible locations and will provide knowledge about fascinating geological and geomorphological processes.

Ford‘s Conservation & Environmental Grants programme has become an annual event in the Middle East. Since its inception in 2000, the GCC/Levant chapter of the grants programme has supported at least 130 projects with more than US-$1 million granted to date. The programme has seen support from various governmental and non-governmental environmental authorities including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Emirates Wildlife Society and the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED). In 2011, the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants programme joined hands with the UNESCO, providing support to creative projects focused on Conservation Engineering, Protection of the Natural Environment and Environmental Education.

The award ceremony took place in Dubai and was performed by representatives from the UNESCO Doha Office and Ford Middle East. The keynote speech was held by the guest of honor, H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, member of the ruling family of the Emirate of Ajman, also know as the „Green Sheikh“.

INTEWO | World Habitat Society’s Managing Partner, Mr. Henning Schwarze and National Earth Secret’s CEO, Mr. Khalid Nasser Al Toubi received the award on behalf of the joint international program.

Geotourism movie

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FLTR: Manuel Pater and Tamas Hodik, students at the University of Applied Sciences OWL, while taking shots in Salalah
FLTR: Manuel Pater and Tamas Hodik, students at the University of Applied Sciences OWL, while taking shots in Salalah

In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Ostwestfalen-Lippe (HS-OWL), Germany, INTEWO is currently producing a movie about the geological heritage in the Sultanate of Oman and its tourism potential. Geologists from INTEWO carried out a three weeks field work campaign with students from HS-OWL. The team visited a wide range of unique geological attractions between Musandam and Dhofar.

UNESCO awards joint German-Oman project

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Günter Weigel (LTM), Dr. Roland Bernecker (UNESCO), Henning Schwarze (WHS), H.E. Mohammed Al Tobi (MoT), Dirk Watermann (Nature Park), Friedel Heuwinkel (Landrat Lippe District) and Ulrich Köster (VDN) during the award ceremony in Bonn

GPS-Adventure Parks, a joint project of German and Oman organizations has been awarded by UNESCO as an official project of „The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)“. On Friday the 14th of January the World Habitat Society, the Oman Ministry of Tourism, and the German Nature Park Teutoburger Wald / Eggegebirge did receive the official distinction by the Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO in Bonn.

GPS-Adventure Parks is a novel concept which provides sustainable tourism and educational information, using latest technologies with support of Geographical Positioning Systems, handheld computers and cell phones, offering multimedia location-based services. Being implemented in Germany two years ago and currently under development on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism in the Muscat region, the concept is part of a joint venture between Oman and Germany, focusing on “Tourism & Education for Sustainable Development”.

GPS-Adventure Parks is one of the few worldwide projects implementing the goals of the UN decade “Education for Sustainable Development” in an exemplary way. The international understanding character of the project, the transcultural cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and Germany and their joint efforts towards sustainable development are the basis of this successful project, Secretary General of the German Commission for UNESCO, Dr. Roland Bernecker explains. He appreciates the continuous active participation of the international team.

H.E. Mohammed Al Tobi, Tourism Undersecretary, received the award as the representative of the Sultanate of Oman in Bonn. Projects like these are seen as bridges between nations, as a project of understanding among nations, he said during the award ceremony. A lot of things can be said and written, but it is essential to explain the idea of sustainability to our children, otherwise all awards and cooperation will only stay ink on a paper, Al Tobi emphasizes.

Mr. Friedel Heuwinkel, Head of the Nature Park Teutoburger Wald / Eggegebirge said that the GPS-Adventure Park in his region already managed to involve and motivate young citizens and tourists to get more familiar with nature and sustainable development. The long distance between Lippe and Oman also shows that projects on sustainability can be cross-border without any problem and will lead to a transcultural exchange.

Henning Schwarze, Managing Director of World Habitat Society, claims that the concept behind the GPS-Adventure Park has now been approved by receiving this international recognized award. „The multimedia location-based information lead to a better understanding of nature“, Schwarze says.

All three partners, the Sultanate of Oman, the Nature Park Teutoburger Wald / Eggegbirge and the World Habitat Society take a stand for international convergence and projects on sustainable development. The activity is part of a memorandum of understanding, which has been signed between the Oman and German partners in the international year for the rapprochements of cultures. Future activities of the cooperation will include the twining of attractions, student exchanges, joint exhibitions and research activities in the field of good tourism and education.

„Education for sustainable development aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions“, UNESCO explains.