Wildlife in Abu Dhabi have thrived as people have stayed home. Photo courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
Wildlife in Abu Dhabi have thrived as people have stayed home. Photo courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
Wildlife in Abu Dhabi have thrived as people have stayed home. Photo courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
Wildlife in Abu Dhabi have thrived as people have stayed home. Photo courtesy: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Coronavirus: wildlife returns to Abu Dhabi's skies, sea and mountains as humans stay home


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Stay-at-home measures helped wildlife including sea turtles, dugongs and Arabian Tahr to "thrive" in the absence of human activity, new findings from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi showed.

The agency found that wild animals and vegetation was flourishing as skies, seas and desert grew quieter and cleaner due to government-imposed restrictions on movement.

“The several months of ‘Stay at Home’ measures have showcased the real and apparent impact of human and business activity on the environment,” said Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, the agency’s secretary general.

“This has allowed us to rethink how we as a community interact with the environment and how we need to play our part to ensure these environmental gains are sustained and continue to grow as restrictions continue to ease."

With boats and jetskis moored, sea turtle nesting activity increased along the mainland coasts of Abu Dhabi, particularly in Ras Ghanada Protected Area and Al Sila in western Abu Dhabi, an indication of a healthy environment.

The dugong mortality rate dropped as waters grew quiet. Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
The dugong mortality rate dropped as waters grew quiet. Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Additionally, there was a significant decrease in dugong deaths.

Reduced movement, noise and light pollution also encouraged wildlife to return to urban centres. A large number of mountain gazelles were spotted close to the golf course on Saadiyat Island.

In Al Ain, a female Arabian Tahr was seen at the base of Jebel Hafit for the first time. The species usually remains at higher altitudes of the mountain. Additionally, three little owl nests were discovered on the mountain.

Birds also returned to residential areas as a result of people being at home and feeding them.

Air quality also improved. Within the first six weeks of stay-at-home measures, nitrogen dioxide levels in the emirate dropped by half.

“During this period, we have recorded improved air quality, with a significant decrease in nitrogen oxide levels in Abu Dhabi,” Dr Dhaheri said.

“The decreased pollution levels across the emirate is further supported by our recent biodiversity survey that reveals a healthy and thriving ecosystem.”

Flamingo breeding activity has increased by 12 per cent. Louise Burke / The National
Flamingo breeding activity has increased by 12 per cent. Louise Burke / The National

More birds filled the skies at Al Wathba Wetland reserve, with increased reproduction of birds like Kentish birds and black-winged stilts.

Flamingos were seen in areas they had previously avoided and had a 12 per cent increase in breeding activity, with 1,260 nests this year.

Finally, more plant growth and diversity was recorded.

The changes are not limited to Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, a pod of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins was sighted near the Burj Al Arab for the first time since 2013. Divers returning to waters in Fujairah said the number of fish had quadrupled since early March.

On the flip side, environmentalists have warned that millions of discarded face masks, gloves and disposable protective gear could end up polluting the world's oceans and pose a huge threat to marine life.

Measures imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus forced a third of the world's population into lockdown at one point.

The UN's World Meteorological Organisation said that improvements to the environment are temporary and long-term plans were still needed to address climate change.

The world is likely to hit a new global temperature record within five years if nothing is done to reverse climate change.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Results

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.

The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

While you're here
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Top Gun: Maverick'

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

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