Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

Flamingos nesting in Abu Dhabi

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This video says about itself:

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi captures and tracks its 15th Flamingo as part of ongoing conservation efforts.

From Wildlife Extra:

Greater Flamingos breeding at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve

17 chicks were born on Al Wathba in 2012 nesting season

September 2012. 2012: The Greater flamingo has successfully bred once again at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi. Flamingos first bred in this area in 1998 and then again a decade later.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, which lies about 45 minutes’ drive from Abu Dhabi city, was declared protected by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, late President of the UAE, in 1998 after it was created by an accidental discharge of over-capacity treated sewage water from Al Mafraq Wastewater Treatment Plant. … Today, the reserve covers a total area of 5 km² and is managed by The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). It is home to nearly 250 species of birds that depend on the wetland for resting, feeding or breeding. It also provides a safe refuge for many species of reptiles, small mammals and insects.

Internationally, the Reserve gained recognition when the Greater flamingo successfully bred at Al Wathba in 1999 while a 1993 flamingo breeding attempt at Al Wathba, foiled by human interference after a first chick had hatched, was the first known breeding in the Arabian Peninsula since 1922.

2000 flamingos

Today, over 2,000 Greater flamingos are present at AL Wathba and a high percentage of these are adult breeding birds. As part of the routine monitoring undertaken by EAD’s Bird Conservation team, nests were recorded at several locations; however they successfully bred at the one site only.

The bird nested at the same site where they bred successfully on two previous occasions in 1998-99 and in 2011.The first eggs were spotted during the last week in May and the first new-born chick was recorded on June 27. More chicks were born on the following days. The 2012 nesting season saw 17 chicks born, similar to the number of chicks born in 2011.

“Through our work managing areas such as Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and other protected areas in Abu Dhabi Emirate, it has become increasingly evident that the protection of such areas is crucial in ensuring the preservation of our environment, as our economy continues to grow,” said Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector at EAD.

This successful breeding of flamingos in the Reserve is an indicator of the suitability of habitat for the flamingos in the Reserve.
“Monitoring of water quality and Artemia, a key food source for flamingos, has helped us in improving the overall management of the reserve enabling flamingos to successfully breed”, said Dr. Shaikha Al Dhaheri

“Our flamingo monitoring and tracking programme and the valuable data that has been collected over the past few years has helped us monitoring trends in numbers and improved protection of their habitat” added Dr. Al Dhaheri.

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is a species with a broad distribution range from the western Mediterranean Basin to Sri Lanka in the north, to South Africa in the south. It is the most common visitor to the UAE and can be observed all year round in lagoons, fresh and salt waters of artificial wetlands, even close to human settlements or activities, such as highways, suburbs, industrial areas, salt pans, sewage ponds. The Greater flamingo is a flagship species for conservation in the UAE and has successfully bred at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, Shahama and Bulsyayeef, all in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Greater flamingo makes mound[s] on islands or in sheltered coastal habitat and lay[s] a single egg. EAD has a successful flamingo tracking programme, implemented since 2005.

Prehistoric Flamingo Nest with Eggs Discovered: here.

Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve declared as Ramsar Site: here.

Related articles

Abu Dhabi dugong research

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This video is called The Dugongs of Abu Dhabi.

From Wildlife Extra:

4 dugong fitted with Satellite tags off Abu Dhabi

EAD successfully satellite tags four dugongs in Abu Dhabi waters

May 2012: Scientists at the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) are now actively tracking the movement and habitat use of 4 Dugongs after successfully tagging them with satellite transmitters off the UAE’s Marine Protected Area of Al Yasat Island and Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve. The tagging was part of an overall effort to better understand dugong migration and movement patterns in Abu Dhabi waters.

These two sites were selected in particular for their close proximity to the Qatar border, in order to better understand dugong migration within the Arabian Gulf and to gain vital information that will enhance regional cooperation on the conservation of dugongs.

The data collected will also help EAD inform and guide the Government of Abu Dhabi in its efforts to set the environmental regulatory and policy framework needed to continue protecting both the local population of this globally endangered species and the fragile marine ecosystem which surrounds the Emirate’s coastline.

Dugong Conservation Programme

… The information collected over the past 13 years has helped EAD to understand dugong behaviour and has contributed to the establishment of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve and Al Yasat Marine Protected Area in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Traveling 6-9 Kms per day

The tagging of the dugongs was undertaken in collaboration with Charles Darwin University, Australia, one of the world’s leading institutions in the field of dugong research. Data received so far from the satellites are being analysed by EAD. The dugongs are foraging within a radius of 10 to 15 km from the site they were captured and released. The average distance travelled by the dugongs per day was calculated to be between 6.2 and 8.8 km.

Skin samples

“We tracked the dugongs by helicopter and then signalled to our team, who were in the water on a small inflatable boat and two support boats. When the dugongs swam up to the surface in shallow water, our team dove in to capture the dugong and attached a transmitter on the tail of each of the animals. They also measured each dugong and safely took a small skin sample for DNA testing before releasing each of them back into the water,” said Thabit Al Abdessalaam, Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, EAD.

“The results from this study will help us better understand their migration patterns across borders with neighbouring countries and will further facilitate and enhance existing regional cooperation in the conservation,” he added.

Densest population of dugongs in the world

Sometimes known as a ‘sea cow,’ this air-breathing mammal is highly adapted to life in the sea, spending much of its time grazing on sea grass which is found at the bottom of the sea. Abu Dhabi’s Bu Tinah Island is home to the densest population of dugongs in the world. Here, and in other parts of Abu Dhabi waters it occurs, this species continues to flourish in an environment which is not under threat.

However, due to its slow movement, large size and dependence on coastal habitats, the dugong is still vulnerable to human impacts. Globally, the dugong is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be ‘vulnerable to extinction.’ This gentle herbivorous creature is facing extinction around the world due to increased human maritime activity- from targeted and incidental harvesting, the community’s careless disposal of trash, to accidents from boat traffic, and even dredging activity. Additionally, their dependence on seagrass found in coastal habitats further increases their vulnerability due to loss of seagrass habitat as a result of human activity.

UAE wildlife conservation news

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This video is called UAE-Dubai Wildlife Sanctuary- Flamingo HD.

From Big News Network.com (IANS), Sunday 15th April, 2012:

UAE launches wildlife conservation project

The UAE has launched a project to protect the wildlife and the fragile ecosystem of the Jebel Hafit mountain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The mountain is home to some of the most threatened wildlife. The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) now plans to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the mountain in 2012.

Straddling the UAE-Oman border, Jebel Hafit is home to breeding populations of threatened species like Blanford’s Fox, Brandt’s Hedgehog and the Arabian Tahr.

The EAD has already set up special cameras to monitor the wildlife.

Raptors like the Egyptian Vulture and Bonelli’s Eagle are also found in Jebel Hafit.

Over 170 plant species have so far been documented in Jebel Hafit. This accounts for over 40 percent of the total plant species recorded in the emirate.

“Jebel Hafit supports a range of rare species and habitat, which could not thrive in the surrounding desert.

“It is vital that we ensure the cultural and environmental value of Jebel Hafit for current and future generations,” Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, EAD secretary general, said Saturday.