Programme enhances environmental awareness

SUR: Volunteer teams, supervisors, and observers in the 'Environment Protectors' programme successfully returned 6,146 baby turtles to the sea and dealt with 264 stranded adult sea turtles, either treating them or returning them to the sea, contributing to raising their chances of survival and reaching their natural habitat.
The programme’s activities, implemented by the Directorate of Environment in Al Sharqiyah South Governorate with the participation of 149 volunteers across 5 volunteer teams during the month of August, aimed to protect sea turtles and enhance environmental awareness among beach visitors, particularly during the egg-hatching period and the emergence and movement of baby turtles toward the sea.
The activities of the 'Environment Protectors' programme included cleaning campaigns covering the hidden beaches for a distance of 700 metres, Al Duffah Beach for a distance of one kilometre, and Ras Al Hadd Beach for a distance of 3 kilometres, aimed at reducing waste that could pose a danger to turtles and wildlife.
The awareness efforts reached 12,298 visitors, including 2,113 visitors from Gulf countries and 1,000 foreign visitors, while the number of vehicles monitored reached 4,392, with the aim of promoting compliance with environmental instructions and requirements within turtle nesting areas and their surrounding beaches.
It is worth noting that the 'Environment Protectors' programme seeks to engage the community in wildlife conservation efforts and support efforts to preserve biodiversity and the sustainability of coastal ecosystems in the Sultanate of Oman. - ONA