Qatar’s Fuwairit beach reopens after turtle nesting season

Ren Wlasiuk

Turtles at Fuwairat Beach

Qatar’s popular Fuwairat beach has reopened after a four-month closure to protect the turtle nesting grounds on the coastline.

The beach, which is located in northern Qatar near Ras Laffan, has been completely fenced off since April.

In a statement, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) said that the season has been a great success.

It added that a larger number of nests were established on Qatar’s shores than ever before.

Cleanup

Hawksbill turtles are very particular about where they lay their eggs, often heading to the exact same spot that they were born, or have previously nested.

Because of this, environmentalists in Qatar have been lobbying for Fuwairat beach to be closed all year long to protect the nesting turtles and their environment.

They assert that activities like driving and campfires can leave debris that scare the turtles away.

In a bid to help with litter on the beach, the MME said this week that it has conducted a big beach cleanup and added 29 new waste containers along the beach.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar’s Fuwairit beach reopens after turtle nesting season is from Doha News.)