Protecting deserts in the United Arab Emirates

Geographical location:

Europe/Middle-East > Middle East > United Arab Emirates

Summary

From the rocky slopes of the Hajjar Mountains to the valleys of Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah – one of the 7 emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates – rare and endangered wildlife species can be spotted, including the Arabian leopard, caracal and Blanford’s fox. Unfortunately these species are disappearing due to hunting and development. The mountain gazelle and the Arabian wolf are thought to be already extinct in these areas.

WWF and its partners are working towards the creation of a Wadi Wurayah protected area to ensure the future of these species and the unique landscape in which they live.

Background

Fujairah is the only Emirate exclusively on the East Coast and one of the most fertile of the Emirates, possessing spectacular and varied scenery and encompassing mountain, alluvial plain and coastal habitats. Some areas contain rare species of wildlife and a rich and diverse bird population with many migratory species. Other areas are rich in archaeological and cultural history.

At present a number of sites of environmental importance are given formal protection (as reserves, under the management of the Fujairah Municipality) or managed to conserve their biological diversity. As the Emirate develops there will be increasing pressure on these sites and the remaining natural areas.

Environmental management in the UAE as a whole is overseen by the Federal Environment Agency (FEA). A recent initiative is the FEA’s 1999 Environmental Law, of which Section 6, No 24 deals specifically with protected areas. The FEA is encouraging each Emirate to assess its land and coastal/marine resources, formulate plans for establishing protected areas, upgrade those that may already exist, and help implement the environmental law.

Fujairah’s government body, which will take on this role, is the Fujairah Municipality.

Fujairah contains extensive mountain ranges, rich in wildlife, water pools, and hot springs which are still relatively untouched. These mountains (part of WWF’s Arabian Highland Woodlands and Shrublands Ecoregion) may still hold very rare species of Arabian wildlife, such as the Arabian leopard, Arabian tahr, Caracal lynx and Blanford's fox. Unfortunately these species are disappearing at a fast rate because of persecution by man and the development of infrastructure to improve access to these areas. The mountain gazelle and the Arabian wolf are thought to be already extinct in these areas.

Beyond its importance as one of the last refuges for key flagship species of the UAE and the Arabian Peninsula, the mountain range of Fujairah is also the home of an important cultural heritage, unique in the UAE. A unique tribal existence, based on seasonal nomadism, wild honey gathering and shaped by the harshness of the environment, has given rise to a distinctive agricultural system. Although this way of life is less practiced today, the Emirate’s mountain heritage remains immensely valuable and exists nowhere else in the UAE.

Because of its rich biodiversity, rare species, cultural heritage and spectacular landscape, the mountains of Fujairah have the potential to attract visitors seeking a unique experience of Arabian mountains.

Due to increasing pressure on the UAE government to diversify its economy, wilderness areas and traditional lifestyles are threatened by new developments and societal changes. The largest Emirates are driving the changes, often without coordination with the smaller Emirates. The few remaining areas of rich biodiversity Emirates such as Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaima are increasingly being destroyed either by direct transformation or through unregulated recreational uses.

HSBC is sponsor of the Wadi Wurya Mountain Protected Area project.

Objectives

1. Increase capacity for long-term sustainable management

- Establish a team of mountain conservation rangers from local tribes.
- Increase awareness, improve technical skills and enhance capacities within the Fujairah government.

2. Reduce threats to freshwater ecosystem of Wadi Woraya

- Begin the process of eliminating key current threats to Wadi Woraya from unsustainable recreational use and potential development.
- Establish a formal protected area in the Wadi Woraya, Fujairah, UAE.
- Raise levels of awareness on the importance of mountain biodiversity and the cultural heritage of Fujairah Emirate.

3. Deliver successful field project

- Deliver and communicate results from the establishment of Woraya Protected Area that highlight the socio-economic and ecological benefits of natural freshwater ecosystems and demonstrate practical approaches to their protection, restoration and sustainable use.
- Initiate and catalyse the development of further restoration, protection and sustainable management projects by local and federal governments and other partners.

4. Make policy more sustainable

- Ensure that national policies for the establishment of protected areas in the UAE and the region integrate experience from this field project and so encourage good practice in freshwater ecosystem management.
- Integrate the Wadi Woraya Protected Area into international processes such as the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its designation under international schemes (IUCN, Man and Biosphere).

Solution

WWF UAE has worked hard to establish a strong partnership with the governments of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaima and Fujairah to convince them of the need for urgent action to tackle the problems highlighted above. As a direct result of WWF activities in the UAE, the government of Fujairah decided to start targeting terrestrial areas for protection.

In addition, a component respecting local lifestyle and traditions, and the need to explore ways of adding economic incentives to the protection and conservation of protected areas, led to discussion with WWF on the best way to fulfill these requirements.

The intention is that the creation of Wadi Woraya Protected Area will lead to the establishment of a model management of existing and projected protected areas and the effective protection of the last of the natural freshwater habitat.

In establishing and managing Wadi Woraya for restoration and protection within the Emirate of Fujairah in partnership with the local government, the WWF UAE Project Office will increase the capacity (institutionally) of a local government to effectively manage a protected area integrating a strong human component. At present, local governments in the UAE lack the knowledge and capacity to address these issues in an effective manner. The outcome of the project is a suite of potential projects in the UAE and the region that will, if implemented, contribute as much to sustainable rural development as to environmental protection of key habitats and species.