In conjunction with the Ministry of Environment, The Pearl-Qatar Home to a Turtle Sanctuary

United Development Company (UDC), one of Qatar’s leading shareholding companies, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, have jointly agreed to establish the country’s first urban turtle sanctuary at The Pearl-Qatar (TPQ), this was announced at the ecoQ conference in Doha this week.

The sanctuary, the Turtle Rehab Project, already has its first beneficiary – “Will”, an endangered green sea turtle that was found injured near The Pearl-Qatar in October 2010. The project was announced by Mr. Mohamed Al Jaidah, an environment expert at the Ministry of Environment, and one of the team who accompanied “Will” on her journey to UAE.

Abdulrahman Khalil Jawhari, Vice President - Special Projects and Head of the Environment Affairs Department at UDC commented “we work closely and productively with the Ministry of Environment; together we have presented to ecoQ delegates an outline of the project and UDC’s commitment to the environment not just in The Pearl-Qatar but within the country as a whole”.

“We, at The Pearl-Qatar’s Environmental Affairs Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, have intervened to save an injured turtle found off the shores of the Island in October 2010” he added.

Mr. Jaidah explained to the conference: ”The Pearl-Qatar’s Environmental Affairs team contacted us to assist in “Will’s” rehabilitation. After treatment in Doha and later at a specialized facility in Dubai, it was decided by the Ministry of Environment and UDC to establish a turtle sanctuary encompassing education and research at The Pearl-Qatar to care for turtles with conditions like “Will”.

“Facilities at The Pearl-Qatar’s state-of-the-art sanctuary will include an aquarium, touch pools for marine life, turtle hatchery, rearing pools, wet and dry treatment labs” Mr. Jaidah added.

He continued: “This project primarily embraces programs of injured turtle treatment and rehabilitation, nest protection, research and education whilst providing a visitor attraction. “Education is a key component and emphasis will be placed on learning, whether that’s a child understanding of the life cycle of a sea turtle or a PhD student researching marine conservation in the Middle East.”

The sanctuary is another key component of UDC’s commitment to the environment, which has seen the Master Developer establish an Environmental Affairs Department in 2007.

Environment of The Pearl-Qatar is evolving and UDC, the Master Developer of the Project, has taken great measures to preserve and enhance the marine, air and land resources on which the Development lies.

UDC is a Gold Sponsor of the ecoQ conference in Qatar - a multi-sector environment trade fair addressing advancements in environment protection technologies, sustainable energy and green business practices applied towards a more sustainable future.

The sponsorship is another part of UDC’s commitment to creating a sustainable environment that benefits all in Qatar.