EPA, IOSEA sign MoU to preserve sea turtles

Kuwait: Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs at the Environment Public Authority, Dr Abdullah Al-Zaidan, announced the accession of Kuwait to the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia (IOSEA) Convention for the Conservation of Marine Turtles and the signing of a memorandum of understanding that falls under the convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wildlife.

Al-Zaidan said that Kuwait, represented by the EPA, participated in the ninth meeting of the countries (MOS9), which was hosted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and was held on June 24 and concluded on Thursday in the presence of specialists from around the world. He added that the meeting witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia to protect these unique creatures and their fragile ecosystems against ongoing human activities and global challenges.

“Kuwait’s accession to that organization is a new environmental commitment added to its international obligations,” he said adding that the memorandum of understanding aims to protect and preserve sea turtles, fill the shortage and restore their habitats based on the best scientific evidence, taking into account the environmental, social, economic and cultural characteristics of the signatory countries.

Six species of sea turtles globally — as sensitive, endangered or critically endangered — had been included in the IUCN Red List. He pointed out that during the meeting he reviewed Kuwait’s efforts in cooperation with various local governmental and non-governmental agencies to preserve marine turtles, which have a special historical relationship since the Dolomites civilization on Failaka Island. 

He pointed out that Kuwait attaches importance to the conservation of marine turtles through the implementation of various international agreements such as the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, as well as regional commitments from the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Marine Environment (ROPME).

He also referred to the implementation of the Environmental Protection Law, which prohibits catching fungal organisms and harming their nesting sites, in addition to Kuwait’s commitment to the IOSEA Sea Turtle Memorandum of Understanding.