Through this priority, we aim to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the status of our biodiversity, to strengthen the policy and legal framework for biodiversity conservation and to take effective action to protect and enhance ecosystems and to support species conservation
Click here to read about how we plan to achieve these aims
Case Study: Currently, over 11% of the overall territorial area (land and sea) of Abu Dhabi Emirate has been designated as protected areas. These areas provide a safe environment for wildlife and have enabled the successful breeding and reintroduction of certain species; for example the Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is flourishing on the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, and the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) - once extinct in the wild - has been successfully reintroduced into the Um Al Zumoul Protected Area. Abu Dhabi supports a population of approximately 3,000 dugongs (Dugong dugon), 80% of which are estimated to inhabit the waters around Bu Tinah Island (part of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve), making it the densest dugong population on the planet.
ARABIAN ORYX BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION PROGRAMME: The Oryx breeding and reintroduction programme is today considered one of the world’s most successful conservation programmes and is an inspiration to conservationists all around the world. Due to its unique physiology, the Oryx was able to thrive for generations in a harsh environment of high temperatures and limited access to water and nourishment; however it faced increasing pressure from human-related activities. It became extinct in the wild in the early 1970s and is believed that the last one spotted in the wild was shot in 1972. The intervention of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first President, after noticing the drastic decline in the wild Oryx population, literally breathed life back into this species and introduced several captive breeding programmes as a counter measure to help furnish stock for future reintroductions. More than 40 years after its disappearance in the wild, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi established a programme to reintroduce the Arabian Oryx back into its natural habitat. The Arabian Oryx Release Programme was launched in 2007 under the patronage of H.H General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The plan was to reintroduce the Arabian Oryx into areas of its natural habitat in the UAE, with a target of 100 heads of Arabian Oryx to be released each year over a five year period. The Arabian Oryx Protected Area, established in 2007 in Umm Al Zamool is home to these released Arabian Oryx, monitored constantly via GPS and satellite tracking across their protected area which totals 8,900 square kilometres (approximately the same size as Lebanon). The success of this programme is such that the IUCN this year saw fit to downgrade its conservation status from the “endangered” to “vulnerable” category on the IUCN Red List—the first time ever that a species that was once Extinct in the Wild has improved by three categories. The UAE has initiated and funded the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Arabian Oryx Reintroduction Programme in Jordan, and is currently working with Syria and Iraq. The programme aims to establish reintroduction initiatives in all these countries and help restore the Arabian Oryx to its natural distribution in the region.
BIRD CONSERVATION PROGRAMME: The UAE in general and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in particular is blessed with
rich bird life. The vast stretches of the coastal mudflats, numerous islands, inland wetland and even desert provide a variety of feeding, nesting and resting opportunities to numerous resident and migratory birds. About 441 species of birds have been recorded so far in the UAE and over 100 species have been recorded breeding, out of which 90 or more breed regularly and around 30 of these are migrant breeders. Since 2002, studies have been carried out on several islands of Abu Dhabi to understand the status and distribution of breeding birds. Other initiatives include the Water Birds Census, the Breeding Birds Census and the Flamingo Satellite Tracking Programme.Raising awareness about these species is a priority for EAD and we are doing this through ‘The Environment Show with Ask Ali’ series which is available online to the community through EAD’s YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/abudhabienvironment
SEA TURTLES CONSERVATION PROGRAMME: EAD’s Sea Turtle Conservation Programme was initiated in 1999. Aerial and field survey findings indicate that about 5,750 sea turtles inhabit Abu Dhabi waters during the winter season and 6,900 during the summer season. Of the seven species of marine turtles in the world, two predominantly occur in Abu Dhabi’s waters: the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the endangered Green turtle (Cheloniamydas mydas). Worldwide, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the Hawksbill turtle as ‘critically endangered.’EAD regularly monitors the turtles’ nesting and foraging habitats – providing vital information on clutch size, incubation period, hatching success and nesting patterns. It also investigates the species’ main causes of mortality in the region which have been identified as drowning in abandoned or illegal fishing nets (48%) followed by boat strikes (25%). EAD collaborates with other organizations such as the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA), the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) and owners of private islands to enforce regulations under Federal Law No. 23 (1999) in order to protect turtle nesting and foraging habitats which fall under their jurisdiction. The Agency, on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, is a member of the IO-SEA (Indian Ocean - South- East Asian) international agreement on Sea Turtle Conservation and Management. As part of its mandate, EAD ensures that Environmental Impact Assessment studies are carried out for any projects that may impact sea turtle habitats. Raising awareness about these species is a priority for EAD and we are doing this through ‘The Environment Show with Ask Ali’ series which is available online to the community through EAD’s YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/abudhabienvironment
DUGONG CONSERVATION PROGRAMME: EAD has been conducting detailed studies of the local dugong population since 1999, with the support of TOTAL. EAD’s Dugong Conservation Programme studies the dugongs’ ecology, movement and migration patterns. The data collected over the past 10 years has enabled EAD to better understand the health of the environment and how it should be managed to ensure long-term sustainabilit
y. It has also helped EAD to understand dugong behaviour and contribute to the establishment of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve.
The waters off Bu Tinah island, located off the coast of Abu Dhabi, are home to the densest and healthiest population of dugongs in the world. The endangered Dugong species is currently facing a number of threats due to habitat loss and human-related activities, such as increased marine activity, being caught in discarded fishing nets, impact with boats, marine pollution, as well as a decline of its critical natural habitat – sea grass beds. The UAE Government has taken the lead in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) for the Memorandum of Understanding on the ‘Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range since the establishment of the office of the MOU’s coordination unit in Abu Dhabi. The UAE has hosted UNEP/CMS’s First Official Signatory State Meeting, and is also playing a major role by maintaining Bu Tinah Island’s status as a UNESCO-designated marine protected area. The importance of protecting this unique species (sometimes known as the ‘sea cow’) is being highlighted in the fifth episode of ‘The Environment Show with Ask Ali’ series, which is available online to the community through EAD’s YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/abudhabienvironment