EAD to partner with UK's Wildscreen to develop ARKive Project

The three year partnership will give Wildscreen vital investment to further develop its ARKive project, whilst giving the UAE opportunities to raise awareness of the country's biodiversity.

Wildscreen, is a charity working to promote conservation through wildlife imagery, its ARKive project is a unique global initiative, gathering together the very best films and photographs of the world's species into one centralised digital library, to create a stunning audio-visual record of wildlife on Earth. Without wildlife films and photographs modern society would have little knowledge of the plants and animals that share our planet - especially today, with more and more of us living in cities, disconnected from nature.

Natural history films and photographs have proven powerful, attractive and popular means of raising our awareness of the natural world. Most people have never been lucky enough to see a whale or panda, and yet both are iconic figure heads in the conservation movement - because people know what they look like and why they are special, thanks to films and photographs.

Preserved and maintained for future generations, ARKive collects and catalogues photographs and films and makes them accessible to all, via its award-winning website.

The strategic partnership between the EAD and Wildscreen has been established in order to raise awareness about species in the UAE that are threatened with extinction by researching and profiling them on ARKive. The EAD has continuously expanded its projects dedicated to preserving the wildlife in Abu Dhabi, and beyond, including reintroduction programs for the Arabian Oryx in Abu Dhabi and the Houbara Birds in Morocco. Production company Pyramedia is also joining forces with the EAD to help document its species by producing a series of documentaries on endangered species in the UAE. Pyramedia has recently completed documentaries on the Arabian Oryx and the Houbara birds for the EAD, documenting their captive breeding programmes and releases into the wilderness.

The partnership was made official in a signing ceremony held in Bristol on Thursday between EAD Secretary General, Majid Al Mansouri and Wildscreen executives; Dick Emery, Wildscreen Chairman and Harriet Nimmo, Wildscreen Chief Executive. The event was attended by a number of dignitaries including the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Royston Griffey J.P and Mrs. Mary Prior, Lord Lieutenant, Queen Elizabeth II's representative in Bristol.

Majid Al Mansouri quoted,

"Abu Dhabi is an environmental haven waiting to be explored. We have taken the initiative to further our projects and to develop Abu Dhabi to become one of the most environmentally advanced areas in the world. With the Masdar inititive embracing renewable and sustainable energy technologies and projects that the EAD are working on in order to preserve our environment we are preparing Abu Dhabi for the future. Working with Wildscreen and the ARKive project we will be able to highlight Abu Dhabi as such a haven for the vast variety of species present in the Emirates and will help us to document and record each and everyone of them."

Harriet Nimmo, Chief Executive of Wildscreen said,

"With species extinction now occurring at a faster rate than at any time in Earth's history, awareness-raising and education initiatives such as ARKive are more vital than ever. We are delighted to be working with the EAD and to have the opportunity to contribute to their ambitions to promote and conserve the environment in the UAE."

With expertise working with the wildlife filmmaking industry, scientists, conservationists and educators, Wildscreen are well placed to help the UAE use films and photographs to promote the natural world.