No visits to Dimaniyat islands of Oman until October end: Ministry

Muscat: Visiting or camping in the Al Dimaniyat islands has been banned until the end of October, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) said.
“From May 1 until October end, no visitor will be allowed in Al Dimaniyat natural reserve, as it is the nesting season of birds and turtles,” MECA said in a statement.
However, of the strip of nine islands, two (Al Jabal Al Kabeer and Jun) islands will be open for tourists to camp throughout
the year.
More than 7,000 people visited the islands last year, according to Eng. Sulaiman Al Akhzami, Director General of Nature Conservation at MECA.
He said the visits to Al Dimaniyat islands were for scientific, research and entertainment purposes.
It is worth mentioning that the ministry organised a clean-up campaign last month in coordination with volunteers from different nationalities to collect junk littered along the beaches of Al Dimaniyat islands.
Despite the warning signs, many tourists and fishermen litter the white sands of Junn island, which can be very harmful for turtles, birds and marine life.
To raise awareness about the importance of preserving Oman’s natural habitats, the ministry has also published its first English children story, titled “Fattoom in the Dimaniyat Islands,” which deals with the theme of nature and environmental awareness in a fun fashion and a simple style.
Written by Eng. Amran Mohammed Al Kamzari, a specialist in nature reserves at MECA, the newly released graphic novel is part of a narrative series previously published in Arabic.
Nestled in the north of the Muscat governorate and east of Barka, the Dimaniyat islands are a string of nine small islands, declared a nature reserve in 1996, and are only 16 to 18 km from the coast between Al Seeb and Barka
governorates.