(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Sanaullah Ataullah
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: A survey by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has showed that the marine ecosystem and coral reefs in Qatari territorial waters are healthy, making it an environment rich in marine biodiversity.
The study was carried out by a scientific team at the Wildlife Development Department in cooperation with the Marine Protection Department.
The study aimed to discover and evaluate the state of the local marine system, which contributes to the protection of marine habitats and their biological diversity. The MoECC shared a video on its X platform, showing a clean and healthy marine ecosystem with coral reef, fish and other marine life.
Coral reefs are the oldest ecosystems on earth and one of the most important marine habitats in the Gulf region and the most productive and tender.
Their presence is very vital because they provide shelter and sanctuary for many marine species. Qatar is considered as one of the richest GCC countries in coral reefs, with about 48% of the total population in the Arabian Gulf region.
The eastern and northern coasts of the country also witness high density of coral reefs. Qatar attached utmost importance to programmes that support the preservation of biodiversity, the most important of which are marine projects such as the coral reef conservation project, within which this workshop is being held today.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change intensified effort to protect the marine environment.
During a recently inspection campaign, the Ministry recently seized two boats for throwing fishing nets on coral reefs in violation of some provisions of environment law.
The Marine Protection Department issued violation tickets to the erring two boats and referred them to the relevant authorities.
The Marine Protection Department called people specially seagoers to preserve the marine environment and not throw waste into the water, or use prohibited fishing tools such as multi-layered nylon fishing nets, or fish in coral reef areas or prohibited areas. Coral reefs are one of the most important natural assets in the Arabian region and particularly in Qatar.
Coral reefs are important habitat for many fish and aquatic organisms. The lives of those organisms are affected and disturb the environmental balance, if they are damaged and destroyed.
The MoECC implemented a number of programmes and projects to preserve the biodiversity. The most important of which was the project to preserve the biodiversity in coastal areas which recorded 21 species of marine life.
The ministry is running a project to protect sea turtles at beaches of Qatar since 2002, which is carried out annually with special focus on nesting seasons. Qatar has always made distinguished efforts to propagate the mangrove across the country. The ministry also conducted a study on mangrove trees on the coast of Qatar.
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