Returning a group of sea turtles to their natural habitats after rehabilitating them

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and Nawah Energy Company, which is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the Barakah Peaceful Nuclear Energy Plants, released a group of sea turtles in Abu Dhabi waters in the Al Dhafra region, after completing their rehabilitation.

This partnership reflects the commitment of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and "Nawaat" towards preserving biodiversity and their continued commitment to protecting the environment in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The turtles were rescued by a team of environmental volunteers from "Nawat", during their regular inspections of the beaches surrounding the Barakah Power Plants, where the injured turtles were rehabilitated in partnership with "The National Aquarium" before 17 of them were released back into their marine environment. Natural by a joint team of the body and the company.

He participated in the release of the turtles during a special event, Engineer Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah Energy Company, and Ahmed Al Hashemi, Acting Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Department at the Authority.

Ahmed Al Hashemi said: "There are many companies operating in the energy field that have put environmental activities at the top of their priorities, and Nawah Energy Company is considered one of the leading models in the field of environmental preservation."

He added, "During our partnership, the company's team showed their keenness and interest in preserving the environment, and this was primarily reflected in their tireless efforts to save stressed turtles and join us in re-releasing them into their natural habitat."

"We will continue this partnership and have future plans to release more turtles as well as implement other long-term environmental initiatives," he said.

It is noteworthy that since June 2021, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi has participated in three sea turtle release programs: the first included the release of 150 sea turtles into their habitats after their rehabilitation, and the second was the release of a large group of turtles that had been rescued previously in the Saadiyat Rotana in celebration of World Sea Turtle Day.

The authority plans to release 150 turtles during the next stage, with tracking devices placed on some of them to monitor them via satellite and identify their movement patterns, habits and migration paths.

Abu Dhabi is home to 5,500 sea turtles, including green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and sometimes loggerhead turtles, and since the green and hawksbill turtles are the two dominant species found in the emirate's waters, these two species were monitored through a long-term research program established by the authority in 1999.

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi also produced a documentary film, filmed over a period of two years, titled “Wildlife in Abu Dhabi: Al Dhafra Turtles.” The film premiered in January at Fox Cinema in Yas Mall and highlights the pioneering efforts of its team dedicated to studying turtles in the Arabian Gulf, who It is considered the world's highest sea in temperature levels and also known as the Global Climate Change Laboratory.

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