Explore the captivating story of Oman's iconic frankincense trees at the 8th Oman Natural Heritage Lecture (ONHL), brought to you by The British Omani Society with the kind support of Amouage. This year, our distinguished speakers will bring to life the rich history and cultural significance of Oman's frankincense tree, exploring the place of frankincense in history, key contemporary challenges from cultivation to climate change, as well as the commercial opportunities they bring for Oman, including for eco-tourism.
The lecture will be held at the premises of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR, and will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube following the event.
Guests are invited to arrive from 6.30pm for a prompt 7.00pm start in the Ondaatje Lecture Theatre. Following the lecture, enjoy a relaxed networking opportunity in the Map Room with a paid bar, where you can meet fellow attendees, discuss the ideas shared, and make new connections across industries and interests.
We are honoured to be joined by:
Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi, Chairman of Amouage, Patron, of the 8th Oman Natural Heritage Lecture.
Co-Chair and Moderator: Dr Laila Al Harthy, Head of Botany and Conservation, Oman Botanic Garden.
Speaker: Dr Shahina Ghazanfar, Honorary Research Associate - Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Advisor Kew REACH.
Speaker: Dr Khalid Al Farsi, Head of Horticulture, Oman Botanic Garden.
Speaker: Dr Amir Azad Adli Al Kathiri, Senior lecturer (assistant professor) at University of Technology and Applied Sciences Salalah, Oman.
We are also honoured to be joined by members of the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Kingdom.
Lecture tickets are now available to purchase: £12 pp regular tickets, £10 pp BOS members, £6 pp students and BOS Alumni (previous NGG, Arabic Language & Student Volunteers Oman Scheme participants, BOS Interns and Volunteers). Bookings can be made via EventBrite via the below link.
About the Oman Natural Heritage Lecture Series:
The lecture is a distinguished annual series spotlighting Oman’s extraordinary natural heritage while fostering scientific collaboration between Oman and the UK and showcasing the talented environmental scientists in Oman. The series is currently in its 8th year. The lecture is organised by The British Omani Society, a UK charity with a mission to promote and enhance the important relationship between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Kingdom. The Society is advised and supported by a panel of Omani and British environmental scientists and experts who form our Oman Natural Heritage Advisory Committee.
Our Speakers for the ONHL 2025:
Dr. Laila Al Harthy
Dr. Laila Al Harthy is an accomplished botanist with over 20 years of experience in field research and conservation. She currently leads the Botany and Conservation team at the Oman Botanic Garden, where she oversees the field collection, seed bank, herbarium, and various conservation programs. Laila holds a Ph.D. in Geography and the Environment from the University of Oxford and has a strong track record of collaborating with local and international institutions on numerous environmental projects.
Passionate about empowering communities and promoting environmental protection, Laila has led initiatives such as the national tree planting campaign of 10 million trees and serves as Oman’s focal point for the Middle East Green Initiative. Her research interests include plant conservation, ecology, and sustainable development.
Dr Shahina Ghazanfar
Shahina Ghazanfar is a leading plant taxonomist specializing in the flora, vegetation, and conservation of the
Middle East. She has over 40 years of te
aching and research experience across Pakistan, Nigeria, Oman, and Fiji, and has contributed significantly to the floras of these regions. For the past 20 years, she served as Lead Botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, and is now an Honorary Research Associate.
She holds a PhD in experimental taxonomy and a ScD from the University of Cambridge, and received the prestigious Linnean Medal for Botany in 2021. In Oman, she founded the country’s first University Herbarium and Botanic Garden, and has published, beside other papers, a four-volume, descriptive Flora of Oman. She is
also the lead editor of Flora of Iraq.
Her research spans taxonomy, conservation, restoration, and medicinal plants, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula. She is a member of the Arabian Plants Specialist Group and actively engages in outreach through talks, interviews, and publications. Notable works include Handbook of Arabian Medicinal Plants (1994), An Ancient Mesopotamian Herbal (2023), and the award-winning Plants of the Qur’ān (2023). She is currently writing The Medicinal Plants of the Middle East: From Antiquity to Present.
Dr. Ghazanfar continues to mentor students, review academic work, and contribute to conservation science globally.
Dr Khalid Al Farsi
Dr. Khalid Al Farsi is the Head of Horticulture at Oman Botanic Garden, where he leads the management of the living plant collections. His role involves overseeing plant propagation and production, safeguarding plant health, OBG living collection managment, and advancing research in plant sciences. In 2008, Khalid joined Oman Botanic Garden at its early stages of development. Since then, he has played a key role in building its living collections and establishing horticultural standards tailored to Oman’s native flora.
In 2018, he completed a PhD in Landscape Ecology at the University of Sheffield, where his research explored how climate factors—particularly temperature and water availability—affect the recruitment and regeneration of Juniperus woodlands in the mountainous regions of northern Oman. His professional interests span a wide range of fields, including horticulture, fruit and vegetable production, landscape management, plant ecology, habitat restoration, and plant physiology. Khalid is committed to promoting sustainable practices in horticulture and
contributing to the conservation of Oman’s unique plant heritage through science, education, and collaboration.
Dr Amir Azad Adli Al Kathiri
Dr. Amir Azad Al-Kathiri is a Senior Lecturer in Arabic Language at the Supporting
Requirements Department, University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Salalah, Oman.
He earned his PhD in Arabic Language and Literature from Sultan Qaboos University in 2021,
following both his MA and BA in the same field from the same university, graduating with distinction.
Dr. Al-Kathiri’s research focuses on Modern South Arabian languages, especially Shehri
(Jibbali) and Mehri. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in international
journals (including Scopus-indexed ones), exploring topics such as tense systems, phonetics,
and dialectology in Oman. He has also contributed to authored books and published chapters
in peer-reviewed academic volumes.
He has presented papers at various international and regional conferences, often addressing the relationship between language, culture, and society in the Dhofar region. In 2023, he was awarded the Best Scientific Paper at an international forum in Indonesia.
Beyond academia, Dr. Al-Kathiri has participated in international research projects and is a
member of several scholarly organizations, including the International Phonological Association (IPA). He has organized and led symposia on cultural and linguistic heritage and has contributed to the documentation and study of Omani oral narratives and dialects.