Team turtle
The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) has begun some significant work on turtles in Oman and has teamed up with some of the world's foremost turtle experts, such as Ali al Kiyumi and Salim al Saadi (Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources – MRMEWR), Dr Abdul Azziz al Kindy (Sultan Qaboos University), Dr Nick Pilcher (chairman of IUCN's Marine Turtle Specialist Group), Earl Possardt (US Fish and Wildlife Service), Dr Barbara Schroeder (US National Marine Fisheries Service) and Dr Blair Witherington (University of Florida), among others.

Current projects include:

1. Satellite tracking of the loggerhead turtles on Masirah Island (see our feature under Natural Wonders)
2. Research on hawksbill turtles at the Damaniyat Islands Nature Reserve
3. Contributing research and giving advice on the upcoming Ras al Jinz scientific centre at Turtle Beach

AIMS

• To better understand turtles in Oman
• Identify the threats to them
• Come up with solutions to protect them
• Allow them to benefit us as a tourist asset
• Spread knowledge gathered

INITIATIVES

• Standardising research and survey protocols to better assess population size and changes to it
• Improved data management, ranger training workshops and reduction of artificial lighting near major turtle nesting beaches

Towards a strategic conservation action plan
Underlying all of these initiatives is the development of a comprehensive National Marine Turtle Strategic Conservation Action Plan, planned to start next year. This will be lead by MRMEWR and supported by ESO through its emerging programme of international collaboration. It is hoped that this will build upon the existing framework for turtle conservation in Oman, and allow us to be prepared for the significant changes that have begun in the sultanate, particularly those related to large scale tourism development in the key turtle nesting areas.