Environmental challenges in the UAE

He was speaking at a function on 20th April in Dubai. The occasion was Earth Day, marked by people all over the world to spur action on towards a better environment.

The UAE has valuable habitats such as coral reefs, crucial for local fisheries, and sea grass beds that are vital for dugongs and green turtles. Besides, there are intertidal areas, which attract a large number of migrant shore birds. Among the country's richest habitats, the ecological worth of these habitats is, unfortunately, underestimated.

Khors are peculiar to the Arabian Gulf and, like intertidal locales, important stopovers for wintering shorebirds. Mountain ranges provide refuge to persecuted wildlife such as Arabian leopard and tahr; but they have yet another highly significant function. They are the only source of replenishment for dwindling groundwater supplies.

Another unique feature of the Arabian Peninsula is the vast expanse of sandy desert, which is home to endemic wildlife species such as the sand cat.

The biological values of these ecosystems and the ecological services that they provide need to be understood and appreciated. Only then can emerge the willingness to protect. "Unless care is taken," pointed out Dr. Launay, "the country faces a risk of losing critical habitats, some unique to the region, rich in biological diversity and home to a number of threatened species."

Development has been rapid, in a short time span, and the resulting environmental issues are ones that may be expected of an aggressively developing economy. Whether it is uncontrolled coastal development, recreational use, mining or infrastructure expansion, there are environmental considerations that need to be addressed.

"We at the World Wide Fund for Nature willingly offer help of our conservation experience in any way we can," said Dr. Launay.

"However, as a conservation organisation that set up an office here in 2001, one of our own challenges has been to establish our presence in a place where knowledge about the WWF is close to zero," he continued. "That apart, the still small role which civil society plays in this country is an issue.

What is more, all seven emirates operate in a very independent way, making federal laws such as one on the environment, very difficult to enforce uniformly."

So what has the WWF accomplished in the three years of its presence in the UAE? For one, it has raised awareness about itself as a committed conservation organisation in the region. Another significant achievement has been the declaration of Qarnein Island by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as a Marine Protected Area (it became the first internationally-recognised reserve of its kind in the Arabian Gulf), and its acknowledgement by WWF International as a 'Gift to the Earth.' This is the highest accolade given by WWF to recognise environmental achievement.

The WWF-UAE has also played a role in making the UAE fully compliant with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), including a countrywide falcon registration and passport system. Environmental education and awareness are another focus.

Over 125,000 school children, a majority being nationals, are being educated through the Enviro-Spellathon that has been running in schools over three years, beginning with just Abu Dhabi and expanding to currently five emirates.

"Promoting the establishment of protected areas incorporating major ecosystems; and conservation of endangered wildlife species such as whales, dolphins, marine turtles, the Arabian leopard and Arabian tahr are some of our future priorities," said Dr. Launay. "Also proposed are the setting up of environmental education centres and undertaking socio-economic studies on recreational fishing, mainly of swordfish," he concluded.