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| H.H. Sheikh Khalifa
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE |
Because of the visionary leadership and guidance
of its late president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered
one of the most responsible conservationist countries
worldwide. Ever since the discovery of oil in the
1970s, the UAE has placed conservation and protection
of the environment as part of its development policy.
It has established several conservation organizations,
which include the Federal Environmental Agency,
(established 1992), and the Environmental Research
and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) (est.1996.)
ERWDA is the major conservation agency in the UAE
responsible for environment and wildlife issues
in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital.
Both organizations, based in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s
capital, have been at the forefront of the UAE’s
conservation efforts. Overseeing a number of breeding
centers and refuges for endangered marine life and
wildlife, the UAE has one of the most efficient
environmental conservation policies in the world.
Within the past year, the UAE government has spent
over $100 million on conservation and breeding projects
to protect endangered species in the region, especially
for falcons and houbara. The government has long
placed the preservation of the country’s heritage
as part of its development policy. This commitment
to excellence is what makes the UAE not only a strong
role model for economic development, but also for
environmental protection of endangered species.
Over the years, despite producing one of the world’s
highest levels of domestic waste, the UAE has gained
a prominent position at the regional and international
levels of conservation. The UAE has always believed
that environmental needs deserve a central place
at the planning table, and that new development
projects should consider this before they are undertaken.
The UAE’s late president, Sheikh Zayed, grew
up close to nature and was passionate about the
flora and fauna, as well as the mountains, deserts,
oases and coastal waters, a love he has passed on
to many of his subjects.
Economic and Ecological Development
Grow Together
Over the last 30 years, the UAE has undergone rapid
development in all sectors and, as is the case throughout
the developing world, a delicate balance needs to
be struck between such rapid development and the
protection of natural resources. The key to preserving
the UAE’s natural resources and wildlife has
been the extra support and guidance given over the
past few years from the government, and especially
from Sheikh Zayed. With all the achievements the
UAE is recognized for, their ability to protect
their wildlife with successful conservation programs
is acknowledged worldwide. Among many accolades
awarded to him in recognition for his efforts in
environmental conservation, Sheikh Zayed was recently
named, posthumously, among seven other global leaders,
as a ‘Champion of the Earth’ by the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
The UAE has a diverse environment. Just within
the limits of the capital, Abu Dhabi, 37 species
of mammals, 41 species of reptiles, 1 species of
amphibian, over 350 species of birds and around
5,000 estimated species of insects can be found.
Some of the species currently protected under UAE
federal law are dugongs, Green and Hawksbill turtles,
Arabian Oryx, Arabian leopard and the Houbara bustard.
There are still dangers, however. Some animals (WHICH
ONES?) are in danger of extinction, and immediate
action needs to be taken, making the importance
of the UAE conservation groups more essential than
ever before. To reduce the risks, ERWDA is improving
the status of threatened habitats and species, creating
a network of managed protection areas, increasing
the sustainability of soil and water, and spreading
environmental education and awareness throughout
the community.
ERWDA has also set the Abu Dhabi Environmental
Strategy, in cooperation with other environmental
groups such as with the Federal Environmental Agency,
the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, and
the UAE’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The action plans include regulating and monitoring
the environmental and natural resources system,
managing fisheries and freshwater resources, rehabilitating
wildlife, and increasing awareness of UAE conservation
and biological diversity needs.
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| ERWDA’s Secretary
General, Majid Al Mansouri, receiving the International
Energy Globe Award for the UAE’s Environmental
Education and Awareness Programs |
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| Captive breeding
of the Houbara bustard at ERWDA’s National
Avian Research Centre |
Hospitals for Falcons
Non-governmental organizations can also be found,
like the Environment Friends Society based in Abu
Dhabi, and the Emirates Environmental Group and
the Emirates Diving Association, both based in the
city of Dubai. The UAE also has two hospitals dedicated
solely to the healthcare of birds and falcons. One
of them, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, is managed
by ERWDA.
ERWDA Establishes New Conservation
Regulations in UAE
The UAE has paid special attention to enacting a
legislation designed to ensure air quality. This
law aims at protecting the environment, maintaining
an environmental balance, at developing natural
resources.
ERWDA has kick-started a major project to monitor
and manage the quality of air in Abu Dhabi which
includes analyzing emissions of flue gases from
vehicular traffic and industrial factory stacks.
ERWDA provided the proper recommendations for the
necessary specifications and actions needed to improve
the air quality in UAE. Other duties of ERWDA include
appraising fish stock, coordinating with the Coast
Guard and Marine Police to prevent uncontrolled
fishing and poaching, increasing the breeding of
wildlife in captivity, and implementing education
and awareness programs in schools and throughout
the community.
Effective Solutions
There are many environmental solutions that are
already very effective in the UAE, such as increasing
the captive breeding and releasing programs of endangered
species; creating quiet refuges on islands for the
animals away from humans and predators, new laws
preventing illegal hunting of endangered species,
restocking of areas where animals are incapable
of breeding or relocating themselves, changing the
grazing patterns, and improving the quality of the
natural habitats by reducing the disturbances from
humans and development projects. The island of Sir
Bani Yas, one of the largest protected areas in
the Middle East, is a perfect example of how the
UAE has transformed an island into a green haven
for thousands of animals. In the early 1960s, Sheikh
Zayed arranged, just in time, for the capture of
two breeding pairs of the Arabian Oryx for the nucleus
of a captive-breeding program. Today, 40 years later,
there are well over 2,500 Arabian Onyxes in captivity
in the UAE, many on the island of Sir Bani Yas,
along with hundreds of other endangered species
like the Arabian gazelle and the Scimitar-horned
Oryx.
Other protected areas that have been established
in the UAE include Marawah Marine Protected Area,
which is considered one of the largest marine protected
areas in the Arabian Gulf and the Arab World overall.
It is of proven international importance because
of its sea grass beds and populations of dugongs
and turtles. More than 40 archaeological sites or
groups of sites have been identified on Marawah,
while the coastal area contains a number of significant
sites for vertebrate fossils from the Late Miocene
period, around 5 to 6 million years ago.
Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is yet another established
protected area in the UAE and it attracts large
numbers of migrating waterfowl and waders including
the greater flamingos, which is the only known currently
breeding colony in the Arabian Peninsula.
The main overall solutions for protecting the UAE
natural environment are based on increased awareness
of the general public, improved educational explanatory
programs in schools, new regulations with strict
penalties and sanctions, and continuous funding
from influential and prominent members of the local
community.
In regards to efforts in conservation, the UAE,
through ERWDA, has continued to build bridges with
international institutions and collaborate with
a wide range of states. They coordinate with China,
Pakistan and Kazakhstan, for example, for help in
the preservation of the houbara bustard. The houbara
bustard is a shy desert bird which breeds mainly
in Central Asia and migrates to the Arabian Peninsula
in the winter months. It is the main quarry in the
traditional sport of falconry, and therefore an
integral part of the UAE’s local heritage.
Other conservation programs and strategies have
been developed for the dugong and turtles.
Environmental Concerns Trump
Oil fields
Another conservation project the UAE has undertaken
involves the dramatic reduction in the flaring of
gases from onshore and offshore oilfields. In 1995,
250 million cubic feet of gas a day were flared
in Abu Dhabi. However, today the number of gas flarings
has decreased to 56, which is a 78% reduction achieved
in just five years. With new environmental strategies
geared at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
carbon dioxide and other industrial problems, the
UAE has several agencies working to upgrade the
conservation efforts throughout the nation.
Cooperation among the global environment organizations
is a major part of the Emirates’ future strategies
for preserving the ecological aspects of the country.
The UAE government has sponsored many new wildlife
management programs to restore the ecological balance
in the Emirates, as well as several educational
awareness conservation programs presented in the
local school system. There goal is to ensure that
everyone is made aware of the new conservation policies
and regulations so they will be better able to adhere
to them.
The UAE has been responsible for developing very
effective conservation programs to help preserve
their wildlife, marine life and plants in the Gulf
region. The government is taking a strong position
to ensure that the continued research and development
of new environmental education and awareness programs
that will allow the people to take better care of
the country’s natural resources. With the help
of the ERWDA and other responsible environmental
agencies, efforts are being made to aid in the continuing
progress of the breeding and refuge of the UAE endangered
species.
Within the past year, the UAE government has spent
over $100 million on conservation and breeding projects
to protect endangered species in the region. Inspired
by the example of President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan, the government has long placed the preservation
of the country’s heritage as part of its development
policy. This commitment to excellence is what makes
the UAE not only a strong role model for economic
development, but also for environmental protection
of endangered species.
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