Start of second phase of Winter Camping Season in Southern region of the country

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) announced the start of the second phase of Winter Camping Season in the Southern region of the country – Sealine and Khor Al Udeid - and will last through May 20, 2023. The first phase, which started on September 29 will run through April 1, 2023, includes the Northern and Central regions. It can be recalled that the camping in the Southern region was postponed as it was designated to host cultural and recreational activities for World Cup guests, such as an introduction to the local fauna, natural reserves, and wild animals.

The ministry also reiterated in a series of tweets that installing and using loudspeakers in camps is prohibited and emphasised the need of keeping one’s own safety as well as of others. The ministry witnessed 1,626 camps set up during the six-month period, last season.

Salem Hussain Al Safran, Assistant Director of the Department of Natural Reserves earlier stressed the importance of adherence to the determined coordinates in the camping activity. 

This includes maintaining a distance of no less than 100m from meadows and valleys, adhering to being on high ground, and staying away from government and service facilities, and oil and gas pipelines, with a distance of no less than 500m, or as per regulations. And maintaining a distance of no less than 300m between camps, ranches, farms, and villages.

The MoECC and Qatar University (QU), in a recent development, inked a contract to conduct field surveys that demonstrate the effects of winter camps on the environment in terms of social and environmental factors throughout the winter camping season. Additionally, the arrangement would make it possible for QU research facilities to examine how camping season has an adverse impact on the ecosystem.