Muscat: Represented by the Environment Authority, the Sultanate of Oman on Tuesday marked the World Turtle Day, which falls on May 23 every year. The event seeks to encourage global humanitarian action for the protection of turtles and their growth. It underlines the vulnerability of some species of turtles to the danger of extinction.
On this occasion, the Environment Authority organized various activities for children and adults. The programme included educational and recreational activities aimed at highlighting the importance of sea turtles and the need to protect them.
Oman is considered a major nesting site for sea turtles worldwide, especially the Rimani turtles that nest on Masirah Island, with an estimated number of 30,000 turtles visiting the site every year.
Green turtles are among the most common species found in Omani beaches, including the Turtle Reserve in Ras Al Hadd area in the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah.
In its drive to preserve turtles, the Environment Authority carries out a number of projects, including a programme for registering and numbering sea turtles, a project for monitoring marine green turtles remotely via satellite, a project to study the success rate of nests of Rimani turtles on the beaches of the Wilayat of Masirah island and a project to prepare an action plan for the conservation of sea turtles in Oman and other countries.
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