Articles
Enhancing urban landscapes with native flora: a case study of Muscat
Article number
1455_4
Pages
35 – 42
Language
English
Abstract
This study explores integrating native Omani flora into the urban landscape of Muscat Governate as a strategy for climate-adaptive design, biodiversity enhancement, and cultural restoration.
Muscat’s unique location, nestled between rugged mountains, coastlines, and gravel desert plains, presents a mosaic of microclimates.
Current landscape designs prioritize exotic flora in Muscat, overlooking native species.
This research addresses the aligning of biodiversity-sensitive design into urban planning and development in Muscat.
After a period of intensive botanical research at Oman Botanic Garden (OBG) in the last two decades, the key microzones of Muscat were identified, including gravel desert, mountain habitats, wadis, alluvial fans, coastal zones, and disturbed urban sites.
These zones were paired with suitable native species selected for adaptive traits and ecological performance.
Oman’s flora communities have thrived for millennia and formed a mosaic landscape of high endemism.
Oman hosts roughly 1,407 native species, including around 200 range-restricted species (endemics, near endemics, and regional endemics). Resilient species, such as Prosopis cineraria, Vachellia tortilis, Ecbolium viride, Dodonaea viscosa, Euphorbia larica, and Barleria proxima demonstrated a strong adaptation to heat, salinity, and fluctuating water availability.
The Muscat case demonstrates how rewilding urban space with native flora can act as ecological infrastructure, reducing heat stress, conserving water, and reinforcing cultural identity.
This framework offers a model for urban sustainability in other regions in Oman, integrating ecological knowledge with the contemporary urban landscape.
Muscat’s unique location, nestled between rugged mountains, coastlines, and gravel desert plains, presents a mosaic of microclimates.
Current landscape designs prioritize exotic flora in Muscat, overlooking native species.
This research addresses the aligning of biodiversity-sensitive design into urban planning and development in Muscat.
After a period of intensive botanical research at Oman Botanic Garden (OBG) in the last two decades, the key microzones of Muscat were identified, including gravel desert, mountain habitats, wadis, alluvial fans, coastal zones, and disturbed urban sites.
These zones were paired with suitable native species selected for adaptive traits and ecological performance.
Oman’s flora communities have thrived for millennia and formed a mosaic landscape of high endemism.
Oman hosts roughly 1,407 native species, including around 200 range-restricted species (endemics, near endemics, and regional endemics). Resilient species, such as Prosopis cineraria, Vachellia tortilis, Ecbolium viride, Dodonaea viscosa, Euphorbia larica, and Barleria proxima demonstrated a strong adaptation to heat, salinity, and fluctuating water availability.
The Muscat case demonstrates how rewilding urban space with native flora can act as ecological infrastructure, reducing heat stress, conserving water, and reinforcing cultural identity.
This framework offers a model for urban sustainability in other regions in Oman, integrating ecological knowledge with the contemporary urban landscape.
Authors
A.A. Hosni
Keywords
arid and semi-arid ecosystems, climate change adaptation, endemic plant species, landscape ecology, xerophytic adaptations
Online Articles (41)