Flamingo Breeding Colony Found in Bu Al Siaief

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

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Danger Ahead Concerning Oil Prices: Demand for oil could fall by 45%

Demand for oil could fall by 45%, says Saudi official

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/01/09/10273747.html

01/09/2009 12:18 AM | WAM

Dubai: Oil demand could fall 45 per cent due to the global financial crisis, but investments should be increased to ensure supplies are maintained, a senior Saudi government official said in remarks published on Thursday.

Majid Al Munif, an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, said the global financial crisis may cut oil demand by 23 per cent to 45 per cent, the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat reported, citing remarks made at a conference on Wednesday. World oil demand fell by 50,000 barrels per day in 2008, and is predicted to fall 450,000 bpd this year, the United States Energy Information Administration said in a report in December.

Cooling demand was led by a 1.2 million bpd contraction in top consumer the United States in 2008, and another 200,000 bpd drop is likely this year. The last time world petroleum demand fell was in 1983, part of four years of straight declines in oil consumption that began in 1980, the agency said.

The weak economy and lower oil demand has already caused US crude oil prices to sink more than $100 [Dh367] from a record $147 a barrel in July – a slump that has forced Opec to take 4.2 million bpd of oil off the market in an attempt to reduce bulging global crude inventories and stabilise oil prices…

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Company Visit Visas to be Limited

Trading in visit visas has prompted the Ministry of Interior to consider not issuing them for small businesses and restricting the number for large companies in a bid to curb illegal workers.

“The departments of Naturalisation and Residency referred a number of these companies to the Public Prosecutor after they exploited the issuance visit visas through trading in them and profiting from them,” Brigadier Nasser Al Awadi Al Minhali, a senior official with the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement to Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

“Due to such reasons the Ministry of Interior is taking measures to limit the issuance of these visas and confine them for large companies and that will be according to strict procedures to curb their exploitation for illegal purposes,” said Brigadier Al Minhali, who is acting director-general of the Department of Naturalisation and Residency at the Ministry.

Meanwhile Retired General Ali Majid Al Matroushi, member of the Federal National Council, Chairman of the Internal Affairs and National Defence Committee of the FNC said, “The committee conducted a survey about the visit visas and discovered that a large proportion of the smaller shops have taken advantage from the issuance of visit visas facility for trading in them.”…SOURCE

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Ministry of Interior Considers Tougher Visa Rules Suggested By the FNC

Tourism doesn’t seem to be a priority any more.  What happened UAE?

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is considering a Federal National Council (FNC) proposal that visitors to the UAE will have to furnish a clean police record and a bank statement from their country of origin, senior immigration officials told Khaleej Times on Monday.

Ministry figures show that 80 per cent of pickpockets and thieves, nabbed in recent crimes, entered the country on tourist and business visas.

Brigadier Nasser Al Awadhi Al Minhali, Acting Director General of Naturalisation and Residency Department at the ministry, said the restrictions under consideration would be applicable for visit, business and tourist visas.

“General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, has issued these directives calling for studying the proposal of the FNC, and take action on it as soon as possible, if the new restrictions prove practical and realistic,” he said.

“The Naturalisation and Residency departments in the country have arrested many criminals, the majority of whom had entered the country on visit, tourist and business visas. This has prompted the department to chalk out new steps, including the ones proposed by the FNC,” the minister said.

Major General (retired) Ali Majid Al Matroushi, a member of the FNC and the Chairman of the Internal and Defence Affairs ad-hoc committee in the House, told Khaleej Times the high statistics had been taken seriously and prompted the recommendations…SOURCE

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