The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has expressed its interest in raising awareness among members of the society to protect Qatar's environment from all types of pollution. In this regard, the ministry noted its close co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to raise the awareness of the school community and provide it with knowledge regarding the role and importance of marine organisms in the natural environment. This, it said, will reflect positively on students' behaviour toward the environment, educating them at the same time of the dangers that harm Qatar's environment.
In a related context, the environmental laboratory of the Environmental Monitoring Department at MoECC received a group of Al Shahaniya Preparatory/Secondary Independent School For Girls students to educate them on the importance of protecting the marine environment and its sustainability. Head of the Environmental Laboratory Department Dr Marwa al-Ghanim said that the 28 students were introduced to the methods of conducting laboratory tests and the importance of maintaining the marine life in the Qatari environment, which is rich in many living organisms.
During their visit to the biological analysis laboratories, the students were introduced to many samples of marine organisms and methods of preserving biodiversity in the Qatari environment. The students also visited the fine chemical analysis laboratories that monitor and measure the organic chemicals resulting from burning waste or petroleum derivatives and the heavy metals concentration ratios.
The Head of the Environmental Laboratory Department explained that the visit also included laboratories for measuring physiochemical variables, which measure the quality of seawater, especially the levels of oxygen and significant nutrients for marine organisms. In this regard, she pointed out that Qatar is a marine state and has large coasts on the Arabian gulf, which is why this visit comes within the framework of educating the young adults about methods and importance of protecting marine life, as well as the importance of microorganisms in the marine food chain.
This student visit came within the framework of the MoECC's efforts to raise awareness among members of the community regarding the importance of maintaining marine life in Qatar. It includes educating the school community and young adults about the dangers that threaten marine organisms through field visits to the ministry's labs, which are characterised by their accuracy in all their researches, especially that the ministry owns the latest advanced equipment, in addition to the scientific researches carried out by the ministry's scientists and researchers.
Students visited MoECC's labs.
