Minister of Environment and Climate Change Underlines Importance of Maintaining Biodiversity, Protecting Endangered Species

Doha, April 13 (QNA) - HE Minister of Environment and Climate Change Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al-Thani underlined the importance of maintaining biodiversity and protecting endangered species. HE Minister of Environment and Climate Change praised in this regard the efforts exerted by the Ministry to protect these species, including the endangered hawksbill sea turtle conservation project, which is carried out under the supervision of the Ministry, funded by QatarEnergy and implemented by Qatar University in cooperation with a team from the Department of Protection and Wildlife. On the sidelines of his participation on Tuesday in an awareness event to clean up Fuwairit Beach on the occasion of the beginning of the turtle nesting season 2022, His Excellency said that the project began in 2003, and it is continuing until now within the framework of Ministerial Decision No. 37 of 2010 regarding the preservation of turtles and seabirds from extinction. HE pointed out that the Fuwairit Beach has been shut as it is the safe haven of turtles and that the team concerned at the ministry has released more than 35,000 baby turtles into the sea over the past five years. HE the Minister noted that there is a plan to develop Fuwairit Beach as part of the ministry's endeavor to prepare the site to receive the public in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, by creating a free zone for turtle nesting and another zone for aquariums, where the ministry is planning to keep the baby turtles to conduct some related researches and studies. Director of the Department of Protection and Wildlife at the ministry Talib Khalid Al Shahwani gave a brief presentation on the project and the efforts exerted by the ministry in this regard. The participants in the event cleaned up the beach and toured the project. (QNA)