Lebanese turtle conservationist Mona Khalil dies after strike near Tyre
Mona Khalil, 77, was known for decades of work protecting endangered sea turtles on Lebanon’s southern coast.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil has died after being badly wounded in an Israeli strike that hit her home near Tyre last week, local reports cited by Al Jazeera said. Her death removes one of southern Lebanon’s best-known advocates for endangered sea turtles and coastal protection.
Khalil, 77, died on Friday, according to those reports. Al Jazeera reported that Israel intensified air attacks on southern Lebanon the same day, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens, despite concerns over a fragile peace deal between Iran and the United States.
The environmental group Live Love Tyre announced Khalil’s death in a Facebook statement on Friday. The group said it mourned her passing and described her work as a lasting legacy.
“Through it all, Mona chose to stay and care for the turtles of Live Love Tyre,” the group said. “Her life was selfless and impactful.”
A life built around sea turtles
Khalil was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1949, according to Al Jazeera. She lived abroad for years before settling in southern Lebanon.
Her work with turtles began after a chance encounter in 1999, when she saw a turtle come ashore to lay eggs on al-Mansouri beach near Tyre, Al Jazeera reported. That moment led her into decades of conservation work focused on the nesting grounds of loggerhead and green sea turtles along Lebanon’s southern coast.
Both species are endangered in the area, according to Al Jazeera. Their nesting and survival are threatened by coastal construction, plastic waste, fishing nets and artificial light, and they face the risk of disappearing from the eastern Mediterranean.
In 2000, Khalil helped create the Orange House, an eco-tourism project based at al-Mansouri beach, Al Jazeera reported. She also worked to document marine life in southern Lebanon and spoke out for wildlife protection and against pollution along the country’s coast.
Khalil’s work made her a familiar figure among volunteers and local environmental campaigners. Journalist and volunteer Fadia Joumaa, who worked with her, paid tribute to Khalil in a Facebook post.
“You have left us yet you remain within us – we, your children,” Joumaa wrote, according to Al Jazeera. She called Khalil’s death “a loss for all of Lebanon” and said it was also a loss for “the life you guarded so faithfully.”
Khalil’s death comes amid renewed violence in southern Lebanon, where Israeli air attacks have continued to raise fears for civilians and for efforts to maintain regional calm, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.