Hala Al Khayyat (Abu Dhabi)
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, was known to be one of the most important pioneers of environmental protection in the world. Zayed was born and lived as a champion of nature, and was famous for his love and care for biodiversity in all its forms. In appreciation of his efforts in the environmental field, the late won titles granted to him by international organizations and bodies, including “The First Environmentalist,” “The Conqueror of the Desert,” and “Hero of the Earth,” where Zayed represented to advocates of nature protection immortal values based on his convictions, experiences and love for nature and wildlife. In an unprecedented way, and above all, he realized the importance of preserving and making the best use of every drop of water.
In 2005, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) chose the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as one of seven global personalities as Heroes of the Earth, in recognition and appreciation of the efforts he made to protect the environment in the United Arab Emirates and in other regions of the world. world, and his widely lauded contributions to agriculture, afforestation and biodiversity conservation.
Although he was born in the harsh desert environment that characterizes a region in the Arabian Peninsula, since his appointment as the ruler’s representative in the city of Al Ain and the Eastern Province in 1946, Sheikh Zayed has taken the initiative to search for water, and restore and maintain the aflaj system to secure a more sustainable supply for the population.
He also foresaw the need to strike a balance between preserving the ancient heritage of falconry, and ensuring the long-term survival of falcons and their prey in the wild. His unique vision led to what contemporary conservationists later recognized as sustainable hunting. Thus, Sheikh Zayed not only preceded his generation, but in many stages he surpassed the global advocates of nature conservation. Zayed also introduced a human aspect to the concepts of falconry, which he considered an invaluable heritage.
environmental initiatives
Before the union, Zayed – may God rest his soul – had sharpened his advanced visions on nature conservation, since the early sixties. For example, it was prepared for a process in which two pairs of Arabian Oryx were captured as a nucleus for the creation of a protected, captive-bred herd of this extinct species from the wild.
Now, nearly 50 years after that date, thanks to the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Program for the Resettlement of the Arabian Oryx implemented by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the number has reached more than 10,000 Arabian Oryx in protected areas of the United Arab Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi hosts 5,000 heads.
The UAE’s local and regional efforts contributed to changing the status of the Arabian Oryx on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in 2011.
In 1966, when Zayed became ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which began its rapid renaissance as an oil producer, he established an animal welfare authority that included a group of observers who guarded the desert to oversee the implementation of the ban on hunting wild animals.
Zayed and the desert
With the late taking over the reins of the rule of Abu Dhabi in 1966, succeeding his older brother, Sheikh Shakhbut, he realized that oil alone is not enough to build a civilization, so he turned to the formation of an infrastructure for a strong economic base, based on industry and agriculture, and succeeded in cultivating a large part of the desert, and flattening sand dunes and hills. And preparing it for agriculture, after spreading a layer of mud over it, and dividing it into farms after encircling it with trees and plants that stabilize the soil to protect it from the wind. Mangroves, and thus agriculture was primitive and then turned into a main focus of the state’s attention.
Houbara multiplication
Under the directives of Sheikh Zayed, may God have mercy on him, the breeding program of the Asian Houbara in captivity began in the Al Ain Zoo in 1977, when in 1982 it was announced that the first captive chick had hatched in the UAE. In 1989, the National Avian Research Center, which later became part of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, began its ambitious program to breed the Asian Houbara, which evolved from a humble beginning until it reached a production of 200 birds in 2004, and it is moving towards the long-term goal set by the Sheikh Zayed by producing 10,000 Asian Houbara annually, and releasing most of them to increase the number of wild populations.
In the Kingdom of Morocco, in 1995, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan established the Emirates Wildlife Development Center for the breeding and release of Houbara in the wild. In Pakistan, Sheikh Zayed supported the establishment of the International Houbara Commission. This has helped to strengthen relations with the Pakistani government to combat illegal hunting of Houbara bustards, and rehabilitate the confiscated birds for release into the wild.
breeding falcons
In 1995, Sheikh Zayed switched from using wild falcons to captive-bred falcons, and by 2002 the UAE became the first Arab country to rely on the use of captive-bred falcons in the sport of falconry. Reviving an extinct Arab tradition, Sheikh Zayed established the tradition of re-releasing many of his falcons into the wild at the end of the hunting season.
The Zayed Falcon Release Program began in 1995, and today the total number of falcons released has reached approximately 1,800 Saker and Shaheen falcons that have succeeded in returning to their natural wild life after being released in their original migratory paths in Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Sheikh Zayed actively encouraged falconers to make the optimal investment of birds produced in captivity, and approved a strict system for licensing the use of wild birds in the United Arab Emirates. This was accompanied by the issuance of the (falcon passport), which was approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which had a significant impact in reducing illegal fishing activities in neighboring countries.
success story
And as evidenced by the huge efforts of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, over many years, fairness alone requires us to be certain that it is a success story unmatched anywhere in the world. This is evidenced by the great global appreciation these endeavors received, especially the Environment and Development Man Award in 1993, the Appreciation Award and the Gold Medal of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1995, the Golden Panda Certificate from the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1997, and the French Supreme Prize for Combating Desertification in 1998, the Arab UNESCO Chair, and other certificates and awards.
The late Sheikh Zayed received all these honors, in recognition of his efforts and historical achievements that will leave immortal fingerprints for many generations to come.
In 1998, after the successful breeding of flamingos for the first time in Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, the site was declared a protected area under the guidance of the late Sheikh Zayed, and managed under the supervision of the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi.
Thanks to his belief in environmental conservation, the reserve is today the only site in the UAE where flamingos still breed regularly. The reserve has been recognized as one of the wetland sites of global importance and one of the most prominent eco-tourism sites in the emirate; Because it represents a unique model that reflects the distinguished biodiversity of Abu Dhabi.
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