Successful conservation measures are highlighted in the latest environmental annual report on Abu Dhabi’s wildlife.
The emirate has achieved record populations of both Arabian Oryx and two threatened species of sea mammals, says the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
The agency marks these as key achievements in its 2019 annual report, which came 25 years after the agency was founded.
On land, Abu Dhabi now hosts 5,000 Arabian Oryx, the largest herd in the world of a species that was once wiped out in the wild by hunting.
Conservation measures began in the 1980s by Sheikh Zayed, with the founding of Al Ain Zoo.
The waters of Abu Dhabi also contain the world’s largest number of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, with the agency also monitoring more than 3,000 dugong, again more than anywhere else on the planet.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, the Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra and chairman of the agency, paid tribute to Sheikh Zayed for leading by example on environmental protection.
“Our priority is to address the local and global challenges of providing real environmental security, as well as outlining our efforts to protect biological diversity and the environment. These priorities stem from the UAE's keenness to conserve nature,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
“We will strive to protect the progress and achievements of this country over the past few years in order to achieve truly sustainable development within economic, social and environmental dimensions.”
The report reveals the agency has collected samples of nearly 2,500 invertebrate species, that include insects, worms and spiders, resulting in their conservation. Of these 100 were not previously known in the UAE.
By the end of the year, the number of land and maritime reserves managed by the Sheikh Zayed Protected Areas Network had grown to 19, covering 31 per cent of Abu Dhabi.
Working with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the agency also launched a national recovery plan for fish stocks last year, with the banning of two nets known locally as gargoor and ghazal.
The gargoor or basket net is responsible for killing or injuring large numbers of sea turtles, as is the ghazal drift net, which catches sea creatures indiscriminately.
As part of its work as a regulatory authority, the authority reviewed more than 2,000 impact assessment studies, 4,800 environmental compliance inspections and issued more than 2,500 environmental licenses for industrial, commercial and development projects and facilities.
It monitors air quality through 20 fixed and two mobile stations and has also maintained and expanded a large network of marine water monitoring sites.
During the year it assessed 18,000 groundwater wells, leading to the launch of the Abu Dhabi Ground Water Atlas, with the aim of making water use more efficient.
The agency estimates that its message of improving environmental awareness reached more than eight of ten pupils in government and private schools in 2019, or around 1.8 million pupils.
Beyond the emirate, the agency has worked in Chad to successfully reintroduce the Scimitar-horned Oryx and set up similar programmes for the Addax and Dama gazelle.
Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the agency, said: “As always, the agency will work towards ensuring the sustainability of our natural resources and the continuity of a better life for future generations.”
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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