Turtle Site

Since Esfand 1385 the Environmental Department of the Construction and Infrastructure Deputy of the Kish Free Zone Organization has implemented a marine turtle protection and monitoring project and, with round-the-clock ranger patrols, protects one of the largest nesting sites in the south of the island; every year a large number of baby turtles head for the island's beaches. The Cheloniidae family includes seven species, two of which, the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle, are observed in the waters around Kish; the hawksbill nests on Kish's beaches and its main habitat is coral reefs. Green turtles feed on algae and plant material on seagrass beds in shallow waters and are generally herbivorous. Because of the annual return of hawksbills and leatherbacks to nest, the Environmental Department has fenced and protected an area in the south of Kish that has the highest nesting traffic. There is a chance for tourists to see nesting and hatchling emergence simultaneously in the second half of Ordibehesht and the first half of Khordad.