On the occasion of the start of this year’s hawksbill sea turtle nesting, a campaign to clean and rehabilitate Fuwairit Beach was launched on Thursday, in the presence of HE the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr Abdullah bin Turki al-Subaie and several officials from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), along with representatives of participating entities and volunteers.
A statement from the MoECC said that the minister toured the area and checked the arrangements to protect the nests of the endangered hawksbill sea turtles.
He was also briefed about the progress of work related to protecting and preserving the terrestrial and marine environment in the area.
HE Dr al-Subaie recalled that the project to protect the hawksbill sea turtles was launched in 2003, in co-operation with Qatar Petroleum (now QatarEnergy) and Qatar Unversity (QU).
“Over the past five years, the project has released more than 50,000 baby turtles which will contribute to an increase in the numbers of these creatures in the Qatari marine environment,” he said.
Regarding efforts to protect biodiversity in the country, the minister said that work is underway to launch a database, which “aims to preserve biodiversity data and information and create maps of the ecosystem to identify important sites for biodiversity in the country”.
The project includes the establishment of a knowledge management platform, which allows partners and decision-makers to benefit from database information in national development and biodiversity processes, as part of the Qatar Digital Government Strategy 2023-2025.
HE Dr al-Subaie also honoured the entities participating in the campaign, such as QatarEnergy, the QU, the Qatar Red Crescent Society, Al Thakhira Youth Centre, and Seashore Group.
Dr Ibrahim Abdul Latif al-Muslimani, Assistant Undersecretary for Natural Reserves Affairs at the MoECC, said the hawksbill turtle protection project is one of the pioneering initiatives in promoting biodiversity and biological diversity in the country.
The project resulted has in increasing the number of turtles and avoiding the risk of extinction.
Mohamed al-Khanji, director of the MoECC’s Wildlife Development, said that the ministry gives great importance to the protection of biodiversity in the Qatari environment by launching projects and initiatives based on scientific research and the use of modern technology.
Each year, hawksbill turtles arrive to nest on a number of the northern beaches of the country, including Fuwairit, Ras Laffan, Al Maruna, Al Ghariya, Al Huwaila, Al Jassasiya, and Al Mafjar, as well as the islands of Umm Tais, Ras Rukn, Sharawah and Halul.
The season runs from early April to late June, while the hatching process takes place two months after the eggs are laid.
Snapshots from the launch of the campaign at Fuwairit Beach.
