Muscat – The total vegetation cover in Oman grew sharply in 2024, reaching 3.38mn trees compared to 1.97mn trees in 2023, reflecting a 71% increase, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Forests in Dhofar accounted for 4.7% of the governorate’s total land area.

While vegetation expanded, wildlife numbers recorded a decline. The total number of wild animals and birds fell 5%. The Arabian oryx population decreased 25.9% compared to the previous year.

Oman currently has 32 nature reserves, representing 5.6% of its total land area.

The average maximum temperature across the sultanate was 32.9°C in 2024, up from 32.8°C in 2023, while the minimum temperature remained steady at 25.4°C. Average maximum humidity stood at 72%, compared with 74% the previous year.

The Yanqul Station in Dhahirah recorded the highest solar radiation level in May 2024 at 7,633.5W/m², while the lowest was at Salalah Airport Station in Dhofar in July 2024 at 2,172.5 W/m².

In the waste management, be’ah’s landfills received about 3.1mn tonnes of waste in 2024, slightly higher than the 3mn tonnes recorded in 2023. Municipal solid waste made up the largest part at 2.56mn tonnes. The volume of medical waste collected was 41,000 tonnes, all of which was treated.