Al Kamil Wal Wafi: The Sultanate seeks to develop eco-tourism in nature reserves to enhance the participation of stakeholders in the development process and to implement international, regional and national policies adopted for sustainable practices, particularly in the conservation and protection of biodiversity in these protected areas in general.
The Sultanate is characterised by many wonderful ecological sites that have been declared as national reserves where the government has made outstanding efforts to develop them and create a suitable environment for the growth and breeding of wildlife, notably the Turtle Reserve in Ras Al Hadd, Dimaniyat Islands Reserve, Jabal Samhan Reserve and Al Akhwar Reserve or Creeks Reserve in Governorate of Dhofar.
These national reserves are the cornerstone of eco-tourism in the Sultanate, with their unique natural resources and attractive ecological diversity.
Al Saleel National Park is the most important site in the Middle East, which is considered a habitat for the Arabian deer, is the largest according to studies. The park is located in the Wilayat of Al Kamil W’al Wafi in the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah, about 57 kilometres from the Wilayat of Sur. The park covers an area of 220 square kilometres. This is to allow visitors to identify the reserve without adversely affecting the site, in addition to encouraging activities based on the ecotourism that increase economic benefits directly or indirectly to the community. It is located in the belt of arid and semi-arid areas where the amount of rainfall throughout the year is less than 150 mm.
Zahir bin Hamad al Riyami, Director General of Tourism Development at the Ministry of Tourism, said: “The investment for the development and management of eco-tourism, especially in nature reserves, is part of the outputs of the initiatives of the National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh) in the tourism sector, where the project to develop the management of environmental tourism activities is the first model in the Sultanate, which deals with natural activities in the reserves”. — ONA
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