Go kayaking or bird watching in heart of Muscat
Located in the heart of Muscat, the Qurum Nature Reserve is an important site for several coastal species
Times News Service
MUSCAT: Tourists can spend their time at the Al Qurum Nature Reserve bird watching and kayaking, according to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs.
The Ministry confirmed that “Al Qurum Nature Reserve has two wooden walkways and birdwatching towers, and visitors are taken via kayaks to discover the reserve”.
The clarification came after a proposal was posted on social media by a citizen asking the Sultanate’s authorities to add more attractive services at the nature reserves.
Previously, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs announced that Oman’s nature reserves would be run by the private sector, to give them a new lease of life and develop them as tourist attractions.
Suleiman Al Akhzami, Director General of Nature Conservation at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, said they are planning to hand over one of the protected areas to local or international investors with experience in operating such areas. “This includes the Qurum Nature Reserve in Muscat,” he said.
The handing over of the project to private companies is in cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism under the management of Tanfeedh.
“In the first stage of the Tanfeedh project, we will be working on one protected area and once we complete this first stage, we will then use this initiative as a model for the other 17 protected areas in the Sultanate,” a ministry official said.
This is being done to promote the economic diversification of the natural reserves of the country, without compromising the environmental balance, while creating a partnership that enables all sectors of the society to contribute constructively to the development and conservation of protected areas.
The Qurum Nature Reserve is located in the Qurum neighbourhood in the heart of the capital city of Muscat, facing the Oman sea at the foot of the Hajar Mountains. The Qurum Nature Reserve is one of the few Omani mangrove forests, which was declared a protected area in 1975 (RD 38/75), and designated as a Ramsar site of international importance in 2013. Located at the heart of the city, it is an important site for several coastal species, both living on land and in the sea. The reserve also provides resting and feeding areas for migratory and domestic birds.
Eighteen areas in Oman have been declared protected areas by Royal decrees.
These include the Al Dimaniyat Islands Nature Reserve, Ras Al Jis Turtle Reserve, Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, Al Saleel Natural Park, Al Wusta Wildlife Sanctuary, Jabal Al Akhdar Scenic Reserve, Al Wusta Wetland Reserve, Jabal Qahwan Nature Reserve, Qurum Nature Reserve, and the nine khawrs of Dhofar reserves (Khawr Mughsayl, Khawr Baleed, Khawr Sawli, Khawr Dahareez, Khawr Taqah, Khawr Rawri, Khawr Awqad, Khawr Qurum Al Sagheer and Khawr Qurum Al Kabeer).