The Environment Authority has issued a regulatory decision governing the management of the marine buffer reserve around the Al Hallaniyat Islands in Dhofar Governorate, with the aim of protecting biological diversity and sustainably organising activity within the reserve’s boundaries.

Permits Required

No activity may be carried out inside the reserve without an official permit — including diving, fishing, conducting studies and research, collecting samples, and filming documentaries. Emergency cases involving vessels transiting established international shipping lanes are excepted.

Fishing inside the reserve is restricted to residents of the Al Hallaniyat Islands, and the use of nets is prohibited.

Restricted Development

The decision also prohibits all forms of drilling, excavation and mining, the establishment of new facilities or expansion of existing buildings, and the implementation of investment projects linked to the fisheries sector — such as aquaculture and artificial coral reefs — except with the approval of the Chairman of the Authority and the competent bodies.

Prohibited Activities

A range of activities is prohibited within the reserve, including fishing or attempting to fish and collecting marine organisms by anyone other than residents of the islands; collecting artefacts or any items found within the reserve; interfering with or removing possessions or relics from discovered shipwrecks; discarding fishing equipment of any kind; using firearms or traditional weapons for any purpose; placing or using poisons for any reason; and polluting the water.

Exemptions and Appeals

Exemptions from entry permit requirements cover members of the Sultan’s Armed Forces and the Royal Oman Police while performing their duties, government employees on official business, school students on educational trips, residents of the reserve and their first-degree relatives, and official delegations.

Applicants may appeal a decision refusing a permit within 60 days. The Authority issues its decision within 30 days of receiving a completed application, and the applicant is notified within seven days.

Protecting Oman’s Marine Heritage

The Al Hallaniyat Islands sit within some of the richest marine waters in the region, and the buffer reserve is designed to shield their habitats and archaeology from pressure while keeping traditional local fishing rights intact.

Marine protection, coastal resilience and securing ocean futures are among the themes at Oman Climate Week 2026, taking place 14–16 September at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat.

Source: Oman Daily
Original Article: https://www.omandaily.om/عمان-اليوم/na/هيئة-البيئة-تصدر-قرارا-بإدارة-المحمية-البحرية-العازلة-حول-جزر-الحلانيات-في-ظفار