Shidvar Island in the Persian Gulf has been proposed as one of the main habitats for marine turtles, director general of the Department of Environment’s Office for Museums of Natural History said.
“To establish a network of main habitats for marine turtles throughout the world, the Indian Ocean–Southeast Asian Marine Turtle Secretariat suggested Shidvar Island as one of the main habitats for marine turtles, Mehr News Agency quoted Asghar Mobaraki as saying.
“The process required for collecting and submitting information of Shidvar Island is time consuming,” he said.
All required info on flora and fauna of Shidvar, threats to habitats and a background of activities in the past 15 years were submitted to the secretariat, jointly set up with UNEP’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand.
The secretariat’s Advisory Committee approved the proposal.
Information about Shidvar and the surrounding region is available at: ioseaturtles.org.
Mobaraki said the designation of the region as the main habitat of marine turtles will help optimize the usage of resources, raise public awareness about the animal and its habitats, and help forge closer ties between protected areas.
Shidvar is an uninhabited island, east of the larger island of Lavan. It comprises coral conglomerates eight meters high from the sea level. The beaches are submerged at high tides.
The entire island is a natural reserve called Shidvar Wildlife Refuge, which was designated a Ramsar site in 1999. It is globally renowned for its population of birds and marine turtles.
