As the National Day celebrations merge into the Eid al Adha holiday and thousands of people head outdoors to explore dunes, wadis and beaches, environmentalists have a message for them: behave.
Rubbish left by picnickers is their number one grievance because it not only defaces the landscape but also endangers wildlife. Noise and light pollution are also problems.
"Please treat the wadis, dunes and beaches as if they are your own personal property and make sure that you clean everything up," said Dr Sandra Knuteson, an assistant professor of environmental sciences at the American University of Sharjah.
"When we leave rubbish behind we not only take away from the great experience the next person will have, but also may leave possibly toxic substances to leach into groundwater and be taken up into the ecosystem.
"Of the things I have found in the wadis, the worst were batteries, glass bottles and broken glass, disposable grills and broken equipment."
Last year, Dr Knuteson conducted a study to estimate the impact of the National Day weekend on Hatta Pools, a popular recreational area in the Hajar mountains. With a team of students she cleaned up an area 300m long by 100m wide around the wadi.
An initial clean-up, carried out a week before the long weekend, collected 183 kilos of rubbish. After the three-day holiday another 81 kilos of waste was removed. Two thirds of the rubbish consisted of plastic and broken glass. The rest was aluminium cans, sweets and crisps wrappers, toys, nappies, polystyrene, cigarette ends, food and paper.
Ibrahim al Zu'ubi, an adviser to the Emirates Diving Association, also urged picnickers and campers to make sure they left nothing behind.
In the capital, a clean-up organised by the diving association in co-operation with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi gave a glimpse of how much beachgoers leave behind them. It was carried out on Nov 29 and covered a kilometre of seafront between Abu Dhabi Corniche Beach and Port Zayed and around eight square kilometres underwater.
Although the area is cleaned regularly by a private company, the volunteers removed nearly 5,000 discarded items including cigarettes, plastic bags and bottles, glass, drinks cans, food remains, wrappers and containers, clothing items and toys - including a remote-controlled helicopter toy.
The worst type of rubbish thrown away is plastic because it has the biggest negative impact on the environment. Animals that accidentally ingest it usually suffer slow and painful deaths as the material becomes lodged in their digestive systems. Plastic can damage turtles' flippers, limiting their ability to navigate and search for food.
Scientists estimate that 100,000 marine mammals and a million birds die each year worldwide because of plastic pollution. The impact on land-based animals is no less significant. Even camels can be injured by discarded plastic or glass.
Mr Zu'ubi also urged people to limit the amount of light and noise pollution they generated to avoid disturbing wildlife.
"There are other creatures besides us in the desert, even if we do not see them," he said.
Many people brought generators to light their camps at night, he said, but that disturbed the natural rhythms of birds, reptiles and mammals.
Less artificial light would be more aesthetically pleasing, he said. "Nature is dark at night, so why not enjoy the clear sky and the stars?"
If light is essential, he suggests setting up camp away from places that might be attractive to animals, such as groups of trees.
Noise from generators, cars and bikes also disturbs wildlife, he said.
The lapped-faced vulture is one example of a creature driven out of the UAE by excessive human disturbance. With a wingspan of more than three metres, the majestic bird used to breed in secluded valleys close to the mountains in Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah and Al Ain. But increased human presence and lack of food mean that the bird, once common in the UAE, has been unable to reproduce here.
Mr Zu'ubi said being able to enjoy nature responsibly required a different attitude towards one's surroundings than city dwellers usually adopted. "My advice is for people to try to enjoy nature as it is."
vtodorova@thenational.ae
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
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- Add tint to windows
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Guide to intelligent investing
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Scoreline
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')
Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
RESULTS
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
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The five pillars of Islam
MO
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.