Nokia staff will help people recycle their phones and participate in the wildlife conservation programme
Nokia and Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF), a leading not-for-profit environmental organization, have joined forces to spearhead a month-long campaign to raise awareness of the region’s Marine Turtle Conservation Project. As part of the initiative, mobile phone users who recycle their old mobile devices at any Nokia Care Centre in Qatar can stand to win one of 200 Turtle Adoption Packs, which includes receiving an adoption certificate for the endangered Hawksbill turtles which are native to Gulf waters.
EWS-WWF has partnered with Qatar University and Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar to execute this nature conservation project.
The Marine Turtle Conservation Project gathers data about the endangered Hawksbill species and its migration patterns across the Gulf. EWS-WWF, with the support of its partners in UAE, Qatar and Oman, employs satellite tracking technology with the aim of tagging up to 75 turtles. The information gathered from the satellite tracking will shape regional conservation plans. Hawksbill turtles, native to Gulf waters, are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Harvesting of eggs at beaches, loss and degradation of habitats as well as accidental capture all contribute to the decline in the Hawksbill turtle population.
Nokia’s regional ‘Take Back’ recycling initiative was launched in 2009 and has been continuously extended, for example, via school projects conducted with Emirates Environmental Group, or activation campaigns at Nokia care centres. 
“We believe that raising awareness is a vital first step towards galvanising environmental action among people,” said Ulrike Vott, Sustainability Manager Nokia Middle East.
“With this initiative, we are securing two positive outcomes for the environment when you recycle an unwanted or even broken mobile phone with us: First - if recycled in a responsible manner - the materials in old device can be regained to make new things. And secondly, by recycling with us during this initiative, we make you a supporter to the Marine Turtle Conservation Project,” he added
With 200 turtle adoption packs given to mobile phone users taking part in the initiative, Nokia aims to encourage consumers to be environmentally conscious and to protect the natural heritage of the region.
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