Danger ahead: UAE's vibrant wildlife faces fight for survival

The country's rich array of species are battling a number of challenges, including increasing development, pollution and climate change

The sand dune cat (Felis margarita) is a nocturnal creature that lives in shallow burrows and hunts rodents. Research published in 2005 indicated that only 250 remained in Abu Dhabi emirate. Courtesy, Al Ain Zoo

The Arabian leopard is currently listed as critically endangered. Pawan Singh / The National

This is the first sighting of the rare Rüppell's fox (Vulpes rueppellii) in 13 years. Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Whale sharks are known as jinbe zame in Japanese, inspiring their newly discovered residents' name.. Getty Images

Arabian Caracal (Caracal caracal) - IUCN status: least concern - thought to be extinct, the environment agency captured daytime and nighttime footage of the creature for the first time since 1984. Courtesy EAD

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) - IUCN status: Endangered - The UAE is one of 140 countries where the green turtle is a native species; numbers have fallen worldwide - Two years ago Emirates Wildlife Society – WWF launched Gulf Green Turtle Conservation. Courtesy Paul Velasco/EWS-WWF

Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) - IUCN status: Vulnerable - Found on islands of the coast of several Gulf states, including the UAE - Threatened by development and oil spills, the species has a total population of less than half a million. Courtesy- Rob Gubiani

Emirati leaf-toed gecko (Asaccus caudivolvulus) - IUCN status: Least concern - Only found in mountainous regions of north-eastern UAE and northern Oman - More recent research suggests it actually consists of three species, one of which is unique to the UAE – making it the country's only endemic vertebrate – and threatened by development. Photo Courtesy: Johannes Els.

Sea cow (Dugong dugon) - IUCN status: Vulnerable - Locally, boat strikes and fishing net entanglement is a threat, although there are major conservation efforts - The population in UAE waters is thought to be several thousand

The Crested Porcupine, a rodent thought to be extinct in the UAE, was recorded by camera traps in Abu Dhabi. Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Gulf sand gecko (Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis) - IUCN status: Least concern - Found widely in the Arabian peninsula, especially in the UAE - This species is not endangered but its population is declining, and in the UAE it faces threats from the development of coastal sabkha habitat. Photo courtesy-Salvador Carranza)

Keyserling's wonder gecko (Teratoscincus keyserlingii) - IUCN status: Not yet evaluated - Although this species is also found in Iran, the UAE population is the only one in Arabia - Heavily threatened by development, it could be driven to extinction locally, although the Mohamed bin Zayed Species. Pritpal Soorae / Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) - IUCN status: Endangered - Widely distributed, but threatened by fishing for its fins and as accidental bycatch - Numbers have plummeted by four-fifths over the last quarter of a century. Image by © Norbert Wu/Science Faction/Corbis

Hawksbill turtles, rated as Critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, have begun laying their eggs on a beach in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) - IUCN status: Endangered - Restricted to mountainous regions of north-eastern UAE and northern Oman - Worldwide population is probably below 5,000. ANTONIE ROBERTSON / The National

Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) - IUCN status: Endangered - Often become entangled in fishing nets - A recent census found 701 individuals, so the waters off Abu Dhabi have the world's largest single population. Roland Seitre / Minden

The semaphore gecko is one of several species we have learned a great deal about in recent years. Getty Images

The Houbara bustard is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Courtesy International Fund For Houbara Conservation

Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) - IUCN status: Vulnerable - Formerly listed as endangered, the UAE's reintroduction programme has helped to increase numbers - The wild population is about 1,200, just over half of which are UAE reintroduced individuals. Mike Young / The National

Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) - IUCN status: Vulnerable - Found in much of the Middle East in gravelly and stony areas, but numbers have declined - Two sub-species exist in the UAE, where it is threatened by habitat loss

Green sawfish (Pristis zijsron) - IUCN status: Critically endangered - The largest sawfish, it can reach up to seven metres in length - This coastal species has declined across its range and has become extinct from some countries. AP Photo

The Arabian tahr has been categorised as an endangered species, with a global population of less than 5,000. Courtesy TDIC

Blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) - IUCN status: Near threatened - Populations have suffered because of fishing - This species was spotted this year off the UAE's east coast

From geckos to sharks, from cormorants to sand cats – the UAE's vibrant wildlife is magnificent in its diversity.

Much of it is, however, is under threat, as the pressures of development, fishing, pollution and even climate change, create uncertainty over the future of rare species.

Indeed the Arabian leopard, for example, is believed to be extinct in the wild in the UAE, although a captive-breeding programme is helping to maintain a population.

There are many native UAE creatures still found in the wild here that are benefiting from conservation efforts through government organisations such as the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and non governmental organisations (NGOs0 such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

As reported this month, three Arabian sand cats were born recently through a breeding programme involving Al Ain Zoo and specialists in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sadly, the kittens died, but their birth was hailed as a breakthrough after research into sand cat reproduction lasting more than 15 years.

The sand cat is not yet threatened globally, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorising it as “Least Concern” – but is very rare in the UAE. It is a concerning pattern seen with a number of creatures.

Another example is the Carter's Rock Gecko, which also has an IUCN “Least Concern” rating.

This species, which likes sparsely vegetated gravel plains, has only been found in the UAE in a location near the Omani border, so could disappear from the country completely if this habitat is damaged.

Research in recent years, often using the latest genetic analysis techniques, has highlighted conservation risks to UAE wildlife that had not been apparent before. In a number of cases, what had been seen as a single species distributed over a wide area has been reclassified as several species, each having a limited range that makes it especially vulnerable to habitat loss.

The Emirati leaf-toed gecko, which has the scientific name Asaccus caudivolvulus, is classified as being of "Least Concern", but a 2016 study involving Professor Salvador Carranza, from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, found that the populations thought to come from this species actually represented three species. A. caudivolvulus itself, which is the UAE's only endemic vertebrate, meaning that it is found here but nowhere else, is actually thought to exist only in the Khor Fakkan area.

“This one is critically endangered. In Khor Fakkan it's only known from a couple of places. It's restricted to a very small area, which is being developed,” said Prof Carranza.

Indeed development is a major factor behind the decline in numbers of a number of land-based UAE species.

Illustrating the challenges for marine life, in UAE waters the sea cow or dugong faces threats from boat strikes, fishing net entanglement and habitat degradation, according to Kirk Duthler, a UAE-based official with The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project, an organisation managed by the Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund which is involved in conservation projects outside local waters.

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Read more:

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Rarely sighted fox species photographed in RAK mountains

Hope for Arabian sand cats despite death of three kittens

Deathstalker scorpions and saw-scaled vipers: meet the poisonous creatures of the UAE

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The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi has been monitoring dugong numbers here since 1999 – they are stable at about 3,000 – and is promoting efforts to conserve the seagrass meadows on which the species depends.

“The UAE is very committed to protecting dugongs both locally and internationally,” said Mr Duthler.

Although some species have faced declines in their numbers, others are enjoying growth because of conservation efforts.

One of the most notable successes involves the Arabian Oryx, which for more than two decades was listed by the IUCN as “Endangered”. With numbers increasing, in part thanks to reintroductions in the UAE, it was reclassified in 2011 as “Vulnerable”, indicating a lower level of threat.

There are now around 500 individuals in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and the Al Wadi nature reserve in Ras Al Khaimah.

A potential looming threat is climate change, which could impact on both terrestrial and marine animals, the latter because the top layer of water in the world's seas is getting warmer by about 0.1°C per decade.

On land, Prof Carranza said many reptiles should be able to adapt by altering their behaviour, but other creatures may be less able to cope with the upheaval.