A never-before-seen wild cat has been captured on film by ecologists working in the protected zone of Wadi Wurayah on the East Coast.
Camera traps set up in the mountainous area of Fujairah have captured an image of a rare breed of wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica) whose presence was, until now, just assumed thanks to some elusive tracks.
Felis silvestris lybica Caught on Film by a Camera Trap
The species is threatened by genetic pollution with escaped domestic cats to a point that scientists believe the UAE population of wild cats might not be pure any more. The competition for food and the introduction of diseases by feral cats, the maltreatment of carnivores by trapping and poisoning, and the destruction of natural habitats have had an impact on the survival of this species in the wild.
Wadi Wurayah is a 129-kilometre-square area that was officially declared the UAE’s first protected mountain area by His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah in March 2009.
Studies conducted over the last three years in the wadi have revealed the presence of 12 species of mammals, 73 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles and amphibians, one species of wadi fish and 74 invertebrate families, of which 11 species are new to science…SOURCE
Dubai Municipality has said it will publish the results of a study into large numbers of dead fish which are washing up on the shores of Dubai Creek on Thursday.
The Municipality has been involved in cleaning up the dead fish since they started appearing last month.
On Tuesday evening, workers with plastic bags were seen heading along the stretch of Ras Al Khor, Business Bay and Jaddaf looking the fish that are either floating in the water or had been washed ashore… SOURCE
A new breeding colony of the Greater Flamingo was recently discovered by a team of biologists from the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi (EAD) which may be one of the largest successful nesting areas in the Arabian Peninsula.
The colony was discovered within the ‘Bu Al Siaief’ Marine Protected Area, during a routine monitoring survey of the coastal areas west of the Abu Dhabi emirate.
EAD regularly monitors important sites and key species to identify priorities for the protection of species and important areas in the emirate.
“The discovery of this successful breeding colony is significant because flamingos have only bred twice in the UAE. The first time was almost a decade ago at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and the second time in Shahama,” said Majid Al Mansouri, EAD’s Secretary General.
Al Mansouri said that the discovery demonstrated the importance of the area and the urgency with which such areas need to be protected as rapid development engulfs the coastal areas of Abu Dhabi, particularly in the coastal area of Musaffah.
“Our biologists counted 224 active nests on a sandbar located within the Bu Al Siaief Marine Protected Area. Altogether, they counted 1,954 nests at two sites in the new breeding colony for the flamingo including currently active nest,” Al Mansouri said.
“Many of the nests were already used while the majority of them were abandoned after damage in a storm. We also recorded more than 18,000 flamingos in the inter-tidal areas between Musaffah and Bu Al Siaief Musaffah, the biggest numbers of flamingos recorded to date.
“The fact that there were more than 800 chicks in the colony makes this the biggest successful nesting in the UAE and possibly in the entire Arabian Peninsula,” Al Mansouri said… SOURCE
A clean-up team has been drafted on to the Palm Jumeirah after complaints from residents about strong-smelling algae collecting along its shoreline.
For the past few weeks tenants living along fronds C and D of the artificial island, where garden homes cost up to Dh12 million (US$3.27m), have complained that the substance has left the area stinking “like sewage”.
Nakheel, the developer of the Palm, confirmed that the algae had been identified at locations around Palm Jumeirah. It said the phenomenon was common in summer, when warmer waters and increased sunlight provided perfect conditions for it to grow.
One resident said: “I don’t like to whinge, particularly with the current climate and with people losing their jobs, but when you pay a lot of money for a property on the Palm you want problems like this to be sorted out… MORE
Gale-force winds battered parts of the UAE yesterday and visibility along stretches of the Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway was reduced to zero at times.
Traffic lights above many of Abu Dhabi’s roads swayed alarmingly as winds gusted at more than 60kph, whipping up clouds of dust and uprooting trees.
Weather forecasters at the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) warned that the gales were likely to continue throughout today and that the Western region would continue to be the worst hit.
“Visibility on the main motorway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi has dropped to zero in places,” said the one meteorologist.
“The wind has reached 62kph at times and Abu Dhabi has seen winds of around 50kph. The west of the country has been worst affected, including parts of Sharjah.
“Dust and sand raised by the wind have made driving conditions very dangerous. Al Hamra saw visibility drop to 100 metres.”
The meteorologist added that trees had been torn down by the strong gusts along parts of the E11 motorway and on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.
“The roads are very dangerous and drivers should take precautions such as slowing down.
“Cars travelling quickly on the roads become more unstable in strong wind, and this combined with poor visibility can be very dangerous.”…SOURCE
It is unfortunate that the initiatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council toward cleantech were far overshadowed during the last 18 months by the news coverage of volatile oil prices and massive real estate projects in Dubai.
The Middle East (especially the member countries of the GCC) holds vast opportunities for investors in cleantech. There are billions of dollars that have been pledged to “greening the gulf” by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, among others.
But the United Arab Emirates holds the greatest promise for cleantech investment. Not only is the UAE visionary, proactive and cash-rich, it statistically is the country in the most need of ecological reform.
In March of 2008, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released data that revealed that the average person in the United Arab Emirates puts more demand on the global ecosystem than any other country, giving it the world’s largest per-capita ecological footprint.
The WWF rankings are measured in global hectares—the area of biologically productive land and sea needed to provide the resources consumed by an average person. The UAE’s ecological footprint measured 11.9 global hectares per person, compared to a global average of 2.2 hectares a person. Even the United States measured 9.6 hectares per person.
One of the largest contributor factors to this ranking is the use of water. Roughly 25 percent of water in the Gulf region has already been consumed, according to reports about energy consumption in the UAE. One-fifth of the water is being used for power generation.
That problem is likely to get worse, as energy demand is rising more rapidly in the UAE than in the world at large. The International Energy Agency estimates world energy demand is estimated to increase by 45 percent in 2030, but current estimates suggest that the domestic demand for power in the UAE will more than double by 2020.
According to The World Energy Council, the Gulf will require 100 gigawatts of additional power to meet demand. Estimated costs range from $900 million for Bahrain, $800 million for Oman, $600 million for Qatar, $15 billion for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and up to $10 billion for the United Arab Emirates.
As is the style of the UAE, the government announced mega projects and major financial backing to reduce their environmental impact through green building laws and the creation of a zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city development project. Private equity investors in the region also began to buy interests in solar, wind and biodiesel.
But soon after these announcements the world stopped due the the economic crisis.
During my last trip to Dubai I was acutely aware that for the first time in many years I could hear the prayer calls coming from the mosques. I mention this because it highlights the dramatic decrease in building activity.
But a lesson has been learned, and it is one that will supplement the government’s cleantech initiative going forward, ensuring the Emirates emerges as the leader in cleantech implementation and investment opportunities.
Speaking with both investors and real estate developers over the last few months, I have come to realize there has been a paradigm shift with respect to the concept of a real estate asset. There is a movement away from the traditional income-per-tenant model, to a more sustainable income stream, namely energy production.
Over and over I heard the same concept: This downturn highlights the need to secure a more stable income stream from real estate.
Hence, while the UAE Government has created a mandate to reduce the carbon footprint of the country, I think it will be the demand for stable income by developers that will truly drive demand far above expectations going forward for cleantech in the region.
Given the technology now exists, it only seems logical that any new construction will be thought of as an independent power generation stations almost as much as they will be thought of as income-producing assets through occupancy. Why wouldn’t a builder incorporate solar panels, wind turbines and energy efficiency systems in order to secure a stable stream of income? …SOURCE
04/07/2009 11:48 PM | By Rayeesa Absal and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporters
Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Beaches of Abu Dhabi are on “red tide” alert, officials said on Tuesday, while those in Dubai were clear of the menace.
Dubai residents and tourists were seen having a good time on the beaches yesterday.
Civic officials in both cities are keeping a constant watch of the waters for the potentially poisonous algal bloom.
“We are monitoring the situation closely. So far it has not entered the capital but it depends on factors like wind direction and water salinity”, said Thabit Al Abdessalaam, Director of Biodiversity Sector – Marine Environment at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD). “It is unlikely that it will spread to Abu Dhabi because today it [red tide] is very much dissipated and was not seen in its original intensity. Its usual life cycle is about 3 to 4 days”, he noted.
EAD, along with the Dubai authorities, inspected water bodies on Monday to find that the red tide had spread until the Jebel Ali area. “The fact that it stopped raining is also helping us, because rain would cause draining of more nutrients into the sea which triggers red tide.” The winds are also not in the easterly direction, he added.
EAD is coordinating with the Abu Dhabi Municipality as well as authorities in Dubai to make sure all precautionary measures are taken, Abdessalaam said.
The last time the emirate witnessed a major red tide problem was in 2003, when fish kills were recorded in Mussafah Channel.
04/07/2009 09:09 AM | By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Beaches near Burj Al Arab and another one located close to the Umm Suqeim Park have been closed by the Dubai Municipality as traces of Red Tide in these two beaches have surfaced again.
Mohammad Abdul Rehman Hassan, the head of the marine environment and wildlife section, told Gulf News that there were no traces of Red Tide found on Dubai shores in the morning during water testing.
Red tide is the result of an influx of a type of algal bloom; it is so named because it turns the water a reddish colour.
“They have surfaced again and so we have decided to close the beaches to ensure the safety of beachgoers. People are advised not to venture into these two beaches. They should make no contact with the water, nor consume the dead fishes that are washed ashore. Care should also be taken not to inhale the air after a wave hits the shoreline. This can prove hazardous to health,” he said.
Hassan did not rule out the possibility of shutting down more beaches if the Red Tide continues to frequent the area.
A big oil slick hit the Dibba-Fujairah coastline on Friday, blackening tourist beaches with a layer of sludge.
Hassan Al Yamahi, Director of Dibba Al Fujairah Municipality said, “The slick, which appeared to be a form of light-crude oil, wrapped up more than five kilometres along the shoreline near the Dibba area.”
He said the oil spill reached out to the hotels in the Al Aqah area which affected the beachgoers.
The reason for such oil spills, he clarified, emerged from what is called the ‘water balance’, the water that ships throw out in the sea.
Some hotels in the Al Aqah area placed warning signs advising the guests not to approach the sea.
Acting immediately, the Dibba Fujairah Municipality dispatched a group of specialised workers to removethe slicks…SOURCE
A section of public beach near a sailing club was closed yesterday to let inspectors find out what contaminated the water.
Beach users said the water was black and Mohammed Abdul Rahman Hassan, the head of marine environment and wildlife section at the municipality, confirmed that inspectors had noticed “decolourised” water in the area and closed the beach.
Water samples were collected from the stretch along the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club area. Test results will determine whether the beach can be reopened.
“We took fresh samples today and the results will be out in the coming days. This means that the stretch of the beach area will remain closed for at least the next two days,” Mr Hassan said.
The contaminant apparently was in discharges from a storm-water drainage pipe. Industrial waste dumped into the pipeline could be one of the causes, he said. The beach next to the sailing club was shut by municipal officials in September last year when sewage illegally dumped by tanker drivers into the city’s storm drains flowed into the sea…SOURCE
03/03/2009 11:06 PM | By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
Abu Dhabi: As much as 3.5 per cent of the UAE’s gross domestic product (GDP), which amounts to Dh10.5 billion, is wasted annually as a result of traffic congestion, an official has said.
“We lose around Dh10.5 billion on traffic congestion annually, if we take into account both passenger traffic on the streets as well as heavy goods traffic. This is 3.5 per cent of the UAE’s GDP and is a considerable amount lost annually”, said Dr Salem Al Shafiei, a veteran transport planner who is the managing director of Dubai Real Estate Institute….
03/04/2009 11:54 AM | By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
Dubai: Starting September, tobacco products in the UAE will carry a message and a warning that will be hard to ignore.
Graphics of blackened lungs and a haemorrhage-impacted brain, among others, will provide stark warnings about the dangers on cigarette packs sold in the country, following in the footsteps of the UK, Canada and Brazil.
Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, told Gulf News the World Health Organisation (WHO) donated the pictures to the UAE to help with its tobacco control efforts.
“We have received donation of pictures from the WHO. Six months from now, they will be on cigarette packs,” she said.
Health officials hope the graphic warning, with its inherent shock value, will help deliver the message better and discourage people to smoke.
Previous revamp of the health warning on cigarette packs in September 2007 only required manufacturers to enlarge the warning text and to make the warning available in English and Arabic.
The graphic warning is one of the many steps the UAE, a signatory of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), is taking to clamp down on smoking. A federal anti-smoking daft law is expected to be passed into law soon by the Cabinet and President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan after the Federal National Council (FNC) approved it last month.
03/03/2009 08:41 AM | By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief, and Fuad Mohammed Ali, Staff Reporter
Al Ain/Fujairah: Hazy and partly cloudy conditions will continue over the next 24 hours with a further drop in temperatures as the near gale force Shamal winds continue to sweep through the Arabian Gulf region.
There were reports of rain and thunderstorms in Qatar and Bahrain, however, the system has been moving towards Iran, said Dr. S.K. Gupta, a senior meteorologist at Dubai Met Office.
Overnight and morning drizzle was experienced in Dubai and some other areas. However, rain, said the forecaster, was not the issue. The weather system has lowered the temperature significantly some 10 to 12C and winds have been kicking up dust.
“It’s a near gale speed [30 knots or 50 to 60km] Shamal that has been creating stormy conditions in the Arabian Gulf with 15- to 16-foot waves,” he said…
It is a very strong Shamal, he said, adding the winds will continue until tomorrow afternoon.
Three oil slicks in the Arabian Gulf are threatening to wash up on the shores of Fujairah, local fishermen say. They are concerned by an increase in the number of slicks since the start of the year after an apparent reduction in previous months.
The slicks, which threaten marine life and the coastline, are thought to be the result of illegal dumping by tankers.
“One thing’s for sure, whatever it was that allowed these slicks to happen is now back,” said Wayne de Jager, the owner of East Coast Fishing Charters, a small sport fishing company in Fujairah.
“It started getting bad again about a month ago. We’re discovering this oil all around us now. Literally, it’s all over the place and it’s getting worse.”
Mr de Jager said he and his crew saw three slicks over the weekend – 5km, 12km and 20km offshore. Some of the oil could wash up today or tomorrow, he and others said.
Andrey Malinin, 41, a Russian resident of Fujairah who regularly fishes in the area, said he and several friends saw a vessel dumping what appeared to be diesel fuel into the water at 8am on Saturday. “I was afraid to light my cigarette next to the boat, it was so bad,” he said. “There was a drainage point on the hull that was spewing the oil in the water.”
Fujairah, whose refuelling facilities accommodate nearly 200 tankers at any given time, has long been plagued by oil slicks.
Hoteliers in the emirate complain that business has been damaged by oil residue and diesel fuel that regularly blacken the beaches, while diving shops in the area have also been affected. Environmentalists have warned that petrochemicals are destroying delicate marine ecosystems.
Fishermen said they noticed an improvement since July, when Fujairah authorities, vowing to stop illegal dumping, began penalising boats. In September, after fishermen released photographs of a Saudi Arabian-managed vessel discharging fuel, the operator was fined several thousand dirhams…SOURCE
The Ministry of the Environment and Water has announced plans to tackle the “red tide” of algae devastating the waters off the coast of Fujairah. Part of the strategy is to help officials predict conditions likely to lead to new outbreaks and to react swiftly. But it does not expect an instant cure… The bloom has killed fish and coral, causing huge environmental damage as well as financial losses. Asmak, an aquaculture company with extensive facilities on the east coast, lost 600 tonnes of fish, Dr bin Fahad said. Diving operators and hotels are suffering financially as are desalination plants because of the costs of changing water-intake filters…SOURCE
clear of the menace.
Dubai Municipality as traces of Red Tide in these two beaches have surfaced again.
wasted annually as a result of traffic congestion, an official has said.
