Minister of Environment Underlines Importance of Safeguarding Biodiversity in Qatar

Whale Shark

HE Minister of Environment and Climate Change Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser Al-Thani underlined the great importance the Ministry attaches to biodiversity of the State of Qatar, and the imperatives of achieving environmental sustainability, including the conservation of endangered species since biodiversity constitutes the significance of safeguarding the balance of ecosystem through an integrated method.

During his inspection visit to the floating cage fish-farming owned by Al Qamra Holding Group, HE the Minister was briefed on the work progress in these cages. He explained that the Ministry's future plan intends to safeguard and protect these species, in addition to conducting the essential studies and researches to supply them with electronic chips and Qatari tracking numbers to further keep a data record of the whale sharks passing through Qatar.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change organized a field trip to whale sharks congregation areas in Al Shaheen field north Qatar to get familiarized with the concerted efforts made there to make further progress in the season of whale sharks congregation in the territorial waters of the state of Qatar which is considered the largest congregation worldwide, in the presence of an array of the Ministry's research team members chaired by HE Minister Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser Al-Thani and a host of officials and professionals.

The Ministry's professionals took measurements of some whale sharks, and conducted sampling process and measuring Sharks' temperatures and acidity, in addition to taking samples of sea water, to finalize in vitro analyses, as well as watching a group of whales of different sizes.

The Ministry's efforts to protect whale sharks began in 2011, where the ministry had conducted an study on whale sharks congregation during which it had identified over 420 whale sharks, and installed tracking devices on a group of whales, analyzing the samples of roes, study their genetic fingerprinting, and conduct multiple air surveys for whale sharks congregations during the aforementioned study, since MOECC is the only entity which is vested with the authority to issue the necessary clearances to visit whale shark congregation zones in coordination with the concerned authorities in the state of Qatar.

Accordingly, the Ministry has called on any entity wishing to visit these sites to primarily coordinate with the ministry, prior to visiting any of these areas, to obtain the essential clearances with the necessary adherence to the preconditions set by the ministry in this regard for the sake of safeguarding these endangered species and never harm them.

Whale shark was designated one of the endangered species according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as whales congregations can be watched in a few areas worldwide, which have high concentrations of marine plankton that feed on them and they shelter in Qatari territorial waters during the period between May until October of each year, forming one of the largest congregations of these animals worldwide.

(QNA)