The Environmental Science Centre (ESC) at Qatar University is implementing a project to protect hawksbill turtles. Funding is being provided by Qatar Petroleum.
The project is led by ESC Director Prof. Dr Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Saad Al-Kuwari with a specialist team and technicians. The study of the hawksbill turtles this year includes nesting beaches of Fuwairit, Al Mafyar, Al Ghariyah, Al Maroona and Al Huwailah. These beaches were supervised by a scientific team from the ESC in cooperation with a team of observers from the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
In addition, the study of hawksbill turtles included four Qatari islands, such as Halul and Sharaouh and nearby islands, including Umm Tais, and Ras Rakkan. The island study is implemented and supervised by a specialist team led by ESC field director Dr Jassim Abdulla A Al Khayat. “This year, for the first time, the project included the deployment of satellite transmitters on a number of hawksbill turtles on Halul Island to track their movements and behaviour in the Gulf,” said ESC researcher Shafeeq Hamza. The nesting beaches in Halul Island are well-fenced and guarded by the Halul offshore management.