How the UAE got to be a nation of nature-lovers


  • English
  • Arabic

It has been over four decades since I started to study the UAE’s environment, fauna and flora. When I began, the few others who were out in the field were mainly members of the country’s first environmental non-governmental organisation, the Emirates Natural History Group. An even smaller number were campaigning for conservation.

There was, it is true, encouragement from the very top. The UAE's Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, had already emerged as a powerful advocate of conservation. This included measures on land such as the commencement of a captive breeding programme for the Arabian Oryx, which had become extinct in the wild. However, there were also steps being taken to conserve the marine environment.

I recall a speech Sheikh Zayed gave at the first-ever International Conference of Falconry and Conservation in 1977, when he announced a suite of measures designed to protect the environment.

One was an immediate ban on the use of dynamite for fishing, a highly-destructive practice introduced a few years earlier and which was causing severe damage to all native fish species.

In those early years, before there were any government organisations devoted to the environment, being an advocate for conservation was often a depressing task. Yes, those of us who were involved had the thrill of being able to discover and record species of plants and animals in the Emirates. At the same time, however, we observed practices that were enormously damaging to the environment.

Much has changed – a far cry from the days when I began to study the local environment

In recent decades, much has changed. A large share of the credit goes to the various government agencies, like the Ministry for Climate Change and the Environment and local bodies like the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), and Sharjah's Environment and Protected Areas Authority. While the latter is responsible for carrying out a raft of legislation, they also encourage research programmes.

Scarcely a month goes by without a discovery, whether it be finding one of the rarest birds in the world, a Steppe Whimbrel, another new plant species for the Emirates or the arrival and rescue of an endangered whale shark in Abu Dhabi's Al Raha area.

The protection of our environment continues to gather pace as our nature reserves prove their worth in mountain areas like Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah or in the desert Baynuna area of Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region. At the same time, programmes to reintroduce endangered wildlife are flourishing, like that for the Arabian Oryx, of which the UAE now has a large proportion of the global population.

Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah. Silvia Razgova / The National
Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah. Silvia Razgova / The National

Conservation is no longer a niche interest of concern to a few. It is, instead, as Sheikh Zayed wished, not just a part of policy but an interest for many in the country.

Two recent announcements also show how the UAE’s engagement with conservation has broadened, both locally and internationally.

Umbrella Thorn Acacia trees will be among the UAE species documented at the Plant Genetics Resources Centre. Silvia Razgova / The National
Umbrella Thorn Acacia trees will be among the UAE species documented at the Plant Genetics Resources Centre. Silvia Razgova / The National

At home, the Baynuna conservation area was initially declared as a protected area to enable the reintroduction of captive-bred houbara. Recent studies by EAD have shown, however, that it is also home to another locally-endangered species, the sand cat. Now it has been selected as the release site for another batch of Arabian Oryx.

The Baynuna area is a good example of the way in which conservation of a habitat can be beneficial across a whole range of species, not just the one for which it was originally designated. Further discoveries will no doubt follow.

Conservation, though, is not just something that can be viewed through the lens of a single country. It presents a global challenge.

I was therefore delighted to read recently that this is to be recognised at next year's Dubai Expo, thanks to an alliance between DP World and the Zoological Society of London.

The Society, whose director Dominic Jermey was British Ambassador to the Emirates between 2010 and 2014, is perhaps best known because of its flagship projects like London Zoo. It also has a worldwide scientific and conservation programme.

Announcing the collaboration, Reem Al Hashimy, director general of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau and Minister of State for International Co-operation, noted that the Society’s “global work on animal and habitat conservation will help shape our thought-provoking content and conversations,” engaging participants and visitors “on the greatest climate and biodiversity-related challenges of our time to create a lasting legacy of global environmental conservation for decades to come.”

Initiatives at home have seen the UAE rising up the global Environmental Performance Index, where this year the country is the top-ranked performer among the Arab countries of the Middle East.

Initiatives overseas have shown that the UAE recognises that the topic is of global, not just local concern.

It is a far cry from the days when I began to study the local environment, but one which I heartily welcome.

Peter Hellyer is a UAE cultural historian and columnist for The National

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

RESULTS

6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m

Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m

Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara

8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m

Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.

Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of VoucherSkout

Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A