seaturtle.org : MTN : ARCHIVES : Sign In

Marine Turtle Newsletter 120:21, © 2008

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

Inauguration of the Masirah Environmental Information Centre in Oman

Nancy Papathanasopoulou
Environmental Projects Manager, PO BOX 214383, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Masirah Island is tucked neatly against the eastern shore of Oman. It hosts a number of pristine sandy beaches where four species of sea turtles nest every year; sponsored by TOTAL Corporate Foundation and TOTAL S.A, Muscat Branch, a sea turtle conservation project was carried out in Masirah for three years, leading the research team to proposing the creation of an Environmental Information Centre (Fig. 1).

Designed by a team of experts, the EIC of Masirah includes it all: Information on sea turtles at an international, national and local level, the birds and coral reef of Masirah, the whales and dolphins, as well as a display of 250 mollusks found on Masirah beaches, including the endemic “Eloise” shell.


Figure 1. Inauguration of the Environmental Information Centre on Masirah

Masirah is an important geographical area for sea turtles. It hosts what seems to be the largest number of nesting Loggerheads in the world, as well as the only nesting population of Olive Ridleys in the Arabian Peninsula. Hawksbill turtles and Green turtles are nesting on the island as well. Unfortunately, and despite efforts from both the government and private initiative, green turtles are still poached for meat and their eggs are still being consumed as an aphrodisiac. It is hoped that with constant efforts this tendency is going to decline in the following years.