An aerial view of Al Thakhira mangroves near Al Khor.
Doha: Al Thakhira Reserve in Qatar stands out as a nature reserve famous for the natural growth of trees, its green spaces and mangroves that are evergreen in summer and winter, unique of their kind, and capable of creating an ecological balance.
Al Thakhira, which was designated as a natural reserve in accordance with Decision No. 6 for the year 2006, is located in northeast Qatar, 64km from Doha, the reserve’s marine section includes the small island of Um Far and natural mangroves, while the land part that includes gravel lands (Hammad), Sabkha and valleys.
The reserve has rich marine biodiversity and mangroves in summer and winter, which grow on salty seawater. It is almost the only place where trees grow naturally, making it a potential destination for visitors and fans of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament.
It is characterised by the presence of mangrove forests. The tides in the reserve reveal the delicate roots of the mangrove trees that appear through the sand as mangroves thrive in salty waters and extreme temperatures.
Mangroves or Qaram, are a natural incubator for many marine creatures. It also contributes to protecting coastal lines and mitigating the effects of climatic changes and severe weather phenomena. The mangroves extend over an area of 14 square kilometres. And is considered one of the most important ecosystems in ridding the atmosphere of dust and harmful suspensions in the air.
Mangroves are a major environmental component in maintaining soil moisture and the water cycle. It also plays an important role in preventing the phenomena of erosion of coastal soils as it forms clay soil by collecting organic sediments around the supporting roots and the aerobic roots in coastal sites.
The coastal areas are also the ideal medium for small fish, fauna and flora, in addition to being a shelter for seabirds.
The importance of mangrove plants, whose seedlings are from 44 to 60cm in length, is that they work to stabilise the soil, preserve beaches from erosion, as well as improve the conditions for the development of fisheries, as mangroves are considered a fortress for the reproduction of many fish, some of which are of economic importance in Qatar, like Badah.
Since 2016, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has chosen these forests to represent a unique and special ecosystem as their presence in their biomass and productivity brings great benefits to humans.
The total area of the nature reserves in Qatar stretches in an area of 2,744 square kilometres, or 23.6 percent of the country’s total land area.
These reserves include natural and environmental wild reserves, and there are 12 wild environmental nature reserves namely: Al Ariq, Al Thakhira, Khor Al Adeed, Riffa, Umm Al Amad, Umm Qarn, Al Sani’, Al Reem, Al Shahaniya, Al Mashabiya, Al Wasail, and Wadi Sultana. The area of marine reserves is 720 square kilometers, including Khor Al Adeed and Al Thakhira.
