Islamic Perspectives on Ecosystem Management Forum to Open Tuesday

Doha, April 20 (QNA) - The 2nd International Forum of the Quranic Botanic Garden, Islamic Perspectives on Ecosystem Management, will open in Doha on Tuesday in collaboration with the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Forum will gather specialists in Islam and other faiths, ecologists, ecosystem managers, scholars from botanic gardens, and other relevant disciplines to exchange ideas and experiences about future programs to serve the objectives of the Quranic Botanic Garden and the Commission on Ecosystem Management. The sessions organized by the Quranic Botanic Garden, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, will highlight the Islamic principles, values and ethics that promote the conservation of plants, cultural traditions and ecosystems. The efforts of local and regional authorities to preserve the environment will also be showcased. The CEM contribution to the Forum will explore broader relationships between faith and spirituality and the natural environment and how this relationship can serve as a basis for healing and conservation. Sessions will explore how links between traditional knowledge in different cultures and ecosystem management and how that knowledge can contribute to the conservation of natural resources. The Quranic Botanic Garden aims to identify new initiatives that can help and promote its conservation and educational programs. The Quranic Botanic Garden and the Commission will seek guidance on how to build on the linkages and synergies between knowledge-based traditions and environmental management and to discuss how Islam and other religious teachings might be incorporated into conservation initiatives. (QNA)