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EAD Launches Book on Emirate’s Natural History - A Guide for Future Researchers
Tuesday 29th November, 2005
The release of a stunning new book on the natural history of the United Arab Emirates was announced today by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, (EAD). This is the first detailed study of the UAE’s environment ever to be produced.
Entitled simply The Emirates – A Natural History, the large format, 428- page book is published by Trident Press and is edited by two of the country's leading experts, Peter Hellyer and Simon Aspinall.
The book was sponsored by EAD, with support from a number of local companies, including the Mubadala Development Company, First Gulf Bank, Dolphin Energy and Aldar, and by foreign oil companies Total and Shell.
In the book’s foreword, H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of EAD notes: "The UAE is a relatively small country, and, to the outsider at least, appears to be little more than a collection of barren deserts and mountains, bordered by shallow seas. Yet its territory, both terrestrial and marine, is of enormous scientific interest…"
"The first recorded scientific observations of the geology, flora and fauna go back over a century and a half," H.H Sheikh Hamdan said. "Over the course of the nearly three and a half decades since the UAE was established, the pace of scientific research has grown dramatically, in line with the country's progress in other fields. Many species that are new to science have been found, and knowledge has been gained that is of global significance."
"This book provides an overview of the knowledge that has so far been gathered on the country's geology, palaeontology, natural history and environment. It represents, at the same time, a celebration of the dedication shown by the professional scientists and others, who have devoted so much effort to its collection and interpretation. It will, I hope, provide an absorbing and illuminating insight into the country," Sheikh Hamdan said.
In the book’s introduction, Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, Under-Secretary of the Crown Prince's Court, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and Managing Director of EAD, writes that the book "is a handbook of what we already know that can, at the same time, be used as a guidebook on what needs to be done. After all, the conservation of our environment and wildlife is a topic that concerns us all, not merely those who are directly engaged in scientific study."
"Conservation is now widely recognised as one of the major issues facing mankind. Only through sustainable utilisation of natural resources can man hope to continue to co-exist on this planet, where habitats are being degraded on a daily basis, and where species of flora and fauna are becoming extinct at an ever-increasing rate."
"The Government of the UAE has adopted the conservation of the environment and wildlife as a key aspect of its strategy," Al Bowardi said. "Through the data contained in this book, government policy-makers and others concerned with conservation, such as non-governmental organisations, will be able to identify more easily the challenges, such as those of habitat degradation or rapid industrial development, and then work to devise and implement the necessary course of action."
"It is our intention to provide a detailed overview that will stand the test of time as an introduction, a handbook, and as a guide for those researchers still to come," Al Bowardi said.
Announcing the book, Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD, said: "We are delighted to be launching such an important study. It represents the results of years of study and will provide the basis for all future work on the country's diverse and fascinating wildlife. I congratulate all of those who have been involved. EAD strongly believes that this publication will be of benefit for years to come to scientists and to the general public alike."
More About the Book
Lavishly illustrated with several hundred photographs, the book begins with a history of previous research into the natural history and environment of the Emirates, followed by a review of the way in which humans have made use of the country's wild plants and animals over a period of seven thousand years. This is followed by an introduction to UAE geology, including a review of the fossils discovered in the country, many of which, like the 6 to 8 million year old elephants found in Abu Dhabi's Western Region, are of international importance.
There then follows an explanation of the main habitats to be found in the Emirates, including the terrestrial (land habitats), the marine environment and the shores and shallow seas, including the mangrove forests that line parts of the UAE coastline.
There then follow a series of chapters looking at the flora and flora in more detail, including land plants, marine plants, insects, marine invertebrates, reptiles, fish, including those found in the mountain wadis, birds, land mammals and marine mammals, including whales and dolphins.
The book concludes with lists of species and a 20,000 word bibliography, the most complete list ever produced on publications dealing with the UAE's natural history, a feature that will prove of enormous importance for future researchers.
Contributors to the book include geologists Gary Feulner; Professor Graham Evans and Dr. Tony Kirkham; palaeontologist Professor Andrew Hill of Yale University in the United States; botanist Dr. Benno Boer, formerly of EAD and now working with UNESCO; reptile specialist Professor Drew Gardner, of Zayed University; insect specialist Dr. Michael Gillett, formerly of the Emirates University, fish specialist Dr. Mark Beech, of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, mammal specialist Dr. Chris Drew, formerly of EAD, marine specialist Thabit Al Abdessalaam of EAD, and whale and dolphin specialist Robert Baldwin.
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