Category: Abu Dhabi

Initially, there was a herd of no more than 160, and today, the herd has successfully reached 946 heads…reports Asian Lite News

Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has recorded a 22 percent increase in the number of Oryx in the protected area, in comparison to previous studies.

EAD conducted an aerial survey for the Arabian Oryx Protected Area, last November, confirming the success of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Arabian Oryx Reintroduction Programme which was launched in 2007 to relocate the Arabian Oryx.

Initially, there was a herd of no more than 160, and today, the herd has successfully reached 946 heads, EAD said.

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, said, “This survey is a major part of our efforts to preserve the Arabian Oryx, under the hugely successful Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Arabian Oryx Reintroduction Programme. Our leadership support to establish protected areas across the emirate has been fundamental to protecting species and biodiversity, which were once on the verge of extinction. Arabian Oryx is an iconic species of the desert landscape and a symbol of our cultural heritage and was almost hunted to extinction in the wild in the early seventies and only survived in captivity.”

“Thanks to extensive captive breeding of the species undertaken by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the species was saved. With this insight, he successfully launched a programme to help preserve the Arabian Oryx, increase their numbers, and relocate them for protection. His attention to the topic, continuous support, and farsightedness are the real reasons behind the recovery of the Arabian Oryx into the wild. This project has become an example to be followed across the world and represents a great success for protection and captive-breeding programmes.”

She also attributed the next phase of conservation action and success of the programme to the leadership and directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to reintroduce the Arabian Oryx, as part of the Abu Dhabi government’s vision to establish the population of the Arabian Oryx within the region.

Ahmed Al Hashemi, Acting Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector in EAD, commented, “Within the framework of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s programme to translocate the Arabian Oryx in the United Arab Emirates, there are now around 100 heads in the Houbara Reserve, which is located in the Al Dhafra region and managed by EAD.

“As a result of the efforts of cooperation in the region and coordination with international environmental bodies and organizations, several countries were able to increase the number of Arabian Oryx and reintroduce them in a number of countries in the Arab region. Through the General Secretariat for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx, hosted by EAD, these regional efforts were crowned with unique success in 2011 when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (IUCN) shifted the status of the Arabian Oryx from an Endangered category to the category of Vulnerable,” he added.

Khaldoun Al Omari, Section Manager-TPA Management and Infrastructure and Maintenance in EAD, explained, “The method of aerial surveys has been adopted to count the Arabian Oryx within the reserve to ensure the largest possible coverage of the Arabian Oryx Protected Area, within the shortest time possible, and to ensure that the results are accurate.

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EAD’s most notable achievement is the world’s largest mammal reintroduction programme of the Arabian Oryx, which was on the brink of extinction. Today, the population in Abu Dhabi has reached 5,000 heads – making it the largest herd in the world…reports Asian Lite News

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has won the “Outstanding Contribution to Biodiversity Global 2020 Award,” by Capital Finance International (CFI.co).

EAD, the region’s largest environmental regulator, was recognised for the role it has played in championing the conservation of biodiversity in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Examples of EAD’s efforts in preserving biodiversity include continuing the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE Founding Father. Known as the First Environmentalist, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan expanded the network of protected areas to 19 areas, 13 of which are terrestrial, representing 16.9 percent and six marine areas representing 13.9 percent of the terrestrial and marine ecosystems, respectively.

EAD’s most notable achievement is the world’s largest mammal reintroduction programme of the Arabian Oryx, which was on the brink of extinction. Today, the population in Abu Dhabi has reached 5,000 heads – making it the largest herd in the world.

Consequently, EAD – with joint initiatives – succeeded in the resettlement of Scimitar horned Oryx in its native country, Chad. This species had been completely extinct in the wild and now the total number of Scimitar horned Oryx in Chad has reached to be more than 200.

The authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature to release 60 Arabian Oryx in the Shumari Wildlife Reserve over the next two years.

Today, the population of Dugongs in the capital city is the world’s second largest, amounting to 3,000, which is the highest density per square metre in the Arabian Gulf.

Additionally, more than 700 dolphins, most of which live in marine protected areas in Abu Dhabi, have been registered, including the largest group in the world of the Indian Ocean, Humpback dolphin, and 37 endangered finless Porpoises and 268 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins.

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, said, “One of our main strategic priorities and mandates is the conservation of biodiversity in Abu Dhabi and we have worked laboriously since the inception of EAD 25 years ago, towards achieving this goal. We have been more than successful in protecting biodiversity and we are honoured to be recognised by an international publication such as Capital Finance International for all the hard work that has been done by the EAD team.”

EAD succeeded in the registration of Al Wathba Wetland Reserve as the first protected area in the GCC to make the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green list. It is also one of the 40 sites in the world that has been considered for the Convention of Biological Diversity as Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area.

Also, Abu Dhabi has approximately 3,800 recorded species and less than two percent are classified as “threatened” on the Red List categories of the IUCN.

Furthermore, Jebel Hafit National Park in Abu Dhabi is the only location where the Dwarf Palm can be found. The Arabian Caracal was recently sighted in the area for the first time in 35 years. The park also hosts globally threatened species, and the only concentration of the globally threatened Egyptian Vulture in the UAE.

Capital Finance International (CFI.co) is a print journal and online resource reporting on business, economics and finance.

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The two parties discussed prospects for cooperation in ways to enhance the field of entrepreneurship and the promotion of innovation in the Chechen Republic…reports Asian Lite News

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Khalifa Fund, KF, has hosted a delegation led by Khasan Khakimov, Vice Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic and Chairman of Zayed Fund for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The two parties discussed prospects for cooperation in ways to enhance the field of entrepreneurship and the promotion of innovation in the Chechen Republic. Moreover, the 2021 Strategic Plan for the Zayed Fund was discussed and approved.

Zayed Fund was established and set up by Khalifa Fund in 2017 in Grozny, the Chechen capital, with a capital of $50 million under the directives of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to support the empowerment of women and youth by developing their entrepreneurial skillset, as well as to contribute to the growth of the local economy.

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