Minister of Environment and Climate Change participates in a campaign to release sea turtles in Fuwairit
Under the patronage and presence of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Subaie, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change organized today a campaign to release endangered hawksbill baby turtles, at Fuwairit Beach, in the presence of the Armed Forces’ Directorate of Environment.
A number of school students and specialized centers participated in the campaign, represented by the Children’s Literature Center, Al Khor Model School, and students from Qatar Foundation schools. with the aim of raising environmental awareness among the youth and the Qatari community, and emphasizing the importance of preserving biodiversity, especially endangered species.
The campaign also introduces the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s efforts to increase turtles during the breeding season, as specialized teams transferred more than 125 nests to Fuwairit Beach during the last two weeks of the nesting phase.
During the campaign, His Excellency the Minister honored several ministry employees, volunteers, and residents of areas adjacent to the nesting sites, who contributed to preserving the lives of turtles, by communicating with specialized teams to report nesting operations outside the designated areas.
In this context, Wildlife Development Department Director Mohamed Al Khanji confirmed that the 2024 sea turtle nesting season saw an increase in the number of nesting and reproduction, with specialized teams transferring nests to Fuwairit Beach, which has been designated for turtle nesting since 2020.
He noted the increase in nesting operations in recent weeks after the end of the winter camping season. And the removal of marine camps from the northeastern beaches of the country, noting the project team’s work in shifts covering all mentioned sites in collaboration with the Qatar University team. Monitoring of sea turtles coming ashore to nest, taking necessary measurements, and tagging them is conducted. Nests identified are relocated to designated sites at Fuwairit Beach. Nests in Ras Laffan area are relocated to a protected site within Ras Laffan. Additionally, turtle samples are taken for DNA analysis, and some turtles are fitted with tracking devices to monitor their habitats and sea movement routes.
Al Khanji praised the keenness of the residents of the neighboring areas to protect the lives of turtles, and their communication with the Ministry to transfer them to the designated places, pointing in this context to the increased awareness among segments of Qatari society, and the success of the environmental awareness plans carried out by the Ministry in their objectives which supports the protection and conservation of biodiversity in Qatar, especially concerning endangered species, notably the Hawksbill sea turtle. A protection project for these turtles began in 2003, aiming to preserve them.
The campaign in which Beachfront Group participated aimed to educate students and attendees about nesting areas, methods of protecting young turtles, and recording information in collaboration with Qatar University’s Environmental Science Center team. This effort aimed to establish a database for these creatures to ensure their conservation and protection.
