Sultan Qaboos prize goes to Spanish green body -The National Gardens Organisation, supervised by the Rural and Marine Regions of the Spanish Ministry of Environment, has bagged the Sultan Qaboos prize for Environment Protection this year, the Bureau of International Coordinating Council of Unesco’s ‘Man and the Biosphere’ programme announced yesterday.

Yah’ya bin Saud Al Sulaimi, education minister and chairman of Oman National Committee for Education, Culture and Science raised thanks and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his continuous care and interest in environment as evidence by instituting the Sultan Qaboos prize for Environmental Protection.

In a statement Sulaimi said the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Protection comes as an encouragement for outstanding contributions by individuals, groups of individuals, institutes or organisations in the field of environmental preservation.

The award is a message from His Majesty the Sultan to all humanity and an exemplary model for the collaboration of efforts to preserve the world environment and maintain its resources fresh and renewable.

On his part the Unesco’s director-general pointed out that awarding the prize to National Garden Organisation of Spain comes as per MAB’s recommendation in recognition of the achievements it had made in coordinating the public parks network in Spain, as well as, its international cooperation programme and improving land and resources utilisation.

It is worth mentioning that the award was founded as per the generous initiative unveiled by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said during his visit to the Unesco Headquarters in 1989, as an integration of the interest in environment which is linked to welfare and happiness of humanity.