Tackling marine and terrestrial environment issues in UAE

The UAE is actively involved in protecting the environment. Aside from keeping abreast of international laws, the country is armed with a mission to preserve its flora and fauna alongside marine life and natural topography.

The Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) is a non-profit organisation, established in 1996 under the patronage of Shaikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the leadership of Major Ali Saqar Sultan Al Suweidi. It is the UAE's first marine environmental group that provides services and solutions for projects focused on marine and terrestrial environmental issues.
The 80-square-kilometre Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the coastal lowland between Jebel Ali and Ras Ghantoot. Corals are found over most of the area in greatly variable density, diversity and surface cover. The sanctuary is also a safe breeding ground for the Green turtles and an important habitat for marine mammals such as Dugong, Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spinner dolphins and Finless porpoises.
The sanctuary is also a remarkable destination for eco-tourists. EMEG focuses on the cultural heritage of the UAE and incorporates traditional values and skills into each activity.

EMEG's top priority projects for 2015/2016

Sir Bani Yas:  Ecological monitoring including sea turtle studies to count, protect and study nesting sea turtles, enforce no-take fishing zones and reduce littering and disturbance to nesting seabird colonies at the Discovery Islands surrounding Sir Bani Yas.

Sir Bu Nair:  Conduct ecological monitoring at Sir Bu Nair including turtle monitoring (more than 60 per cent of hawksbill turtles nesting in the UAE breed at Sir Bu Nair); coral monitoring at the Arabian Gulf's most extensive and biodiverse coral habitat; and monitor and survey the largest sooty gull and bridled tern breeding sites in the UAE.

Jebel Ali sanctuary:  There are 30-40 turtle egg nests made each year at Ghantoot beaches from late March to mid-June, and these nests need to be protected from red foxes either by translocation to EMEG's Ghantoot reserve or using weld mesh grids and cages. There is also a need for satellite tagging to track males that roam much further afield than the females.

Titbits

Rotary Club of Jumeirah, in cooperation with Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG), organised the first Environmental Day at Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary on November 14 this year. More than 50 Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, their families and friends joined Major Ali Al Saqar Al Suweidi, the Founder and President of the EMEG, and his team to clean up the beach, plant mangroves, and attend educational briefings about the UAE marine environment. Participants received mangrove saplings, which will be grown for a month before returning to the reserve for planting.