|
Home
AET Information Bank
Your
Environment In United Arab Emirates
The
United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) is proud of its beautiful natural
environment. U.A.E leaders have implemented a number of preservation
and improvement efforts that have been commended internationally.
The nation's
environmental conservation is rooted in its Bedouin tradition of man
living in balance with wildlife. Every effort is made to let nature
flourish where it can and to develop green areas in locations that
would otherwise remain barren.
As the
population increases, development needs and commercial growth
unavoidably impact U.A.E's marine and terrestrial natural
environment. The U.A.E has adopted a focused approach to environmental
protection and wildlife management to help ensure that the use of its
resources is both sustainable and equitable.
Environmental
Recognition
Regarded
internationally as an environmental visionary, UAE President, H H
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was presented the World Wide Fund
for Nature's prestigious Gold Panda Award in 1997. The UAE also grants
environmental awards including:
The Dubai
International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living
Environment is presented for exemplary initiatives that have made
outstanding contributions to improving the quality of life in cities
and communities around the world, as defined by the United Nations
Human Settlements Programme.
The Zayed International Prize for the Environment is the world's
largest environmental prize. It recognizes and encourages
environmental achievements that have substantial impact on policies
and actions of development in line with the vision and development
philosophy of Sheikh Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates.
Marine Conservation
Protection of
the marine environment is one of the greatest challenges facing the
UAE and one of the government's top environmental priorities.
Endangered species such as dugong (a sea mammal) and turtles are fully
protected by law. Planting and restoration of mangrove stands that
serve as spawning grounds and nursery areas for young fish and
shellfish is part of an overall plan to improve fisheries. Artificial
reefs have also been created, leading to local increases of 35 percent
to 40 percent in populations of some varieties of fish.
Weather in U.A.E
The region
has traditionally been known for high temperatures, heavy humidity and
sporadic rainfall. Sunshine is abundant, averaging eleven hours a day
in the summer and eight hours in the winter.
Temperatures in
U.A.E
The
most uncomfortable months are those from June to September where the
heat often ranges between 35°C/95°F to 42°C/108°F. Night time
temperatures drop to roughly half the midday readings, i.e. 20°C/68°F
to 28°C/82°F. The winter months provide a more temperate climate with
midday temperatures ranging from 25°C/77°F to 35°C/95°F and falling as
low as 9°C/48°F at night.
Wind in U.A.E
For the
Bedouins, each wind had its own characteristics and was known by a
different name. The main period of storms was called Al-Barih al-owd
and the minor storm period Al-Barih al-sagheer. The first major shamal,
or wind, occurs around May 25th and is known as the Al- Haffar, the
driller, since it drills huge depressions in the desert dunes. The
second shamal arrives in early June and coincides with the dawn star
Thorayyam (known in the West as Pleiades) and is therefore named Barih
Thorayya.
Geology in U.A.E
The sea's
rising and falling was influenced by major world climatic changes, and
thus deposited its sediments for at least 500 million years. Layers of
rocks formed as a result of these changes, in some places several
kilometers thick, and deep under the sea in airtight pockets of the
seabed. The processes of decomposition in these locations have created
the Arabian Peninsula's vast oil and gas reserves.
Find
out how everyone celebrated World Environment Day, the most important
environmental day of the year.
The 30th World Environment Day, the year's most important occasion for
focusing worldwide attention on the environment, was celebrated on
Saturday 5th June 2004.
World Environment
Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to
mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
Since then, it has been held every year, always on the same date, and
with an ever growing list of participating countries.
World Environment Day is a people's event with global participation.
It has previously been celebrated in many ways, with people all over
the world getting involved in street rallies, bicycle parades,
concerts, school activities and tree planting as well as recycling and
clean-up campaigns.
The day is also marked by a global summit attended by important
environmental and governmental representatives, each year held by the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at a new host city.
For those of you
who know that you want to enter the environmental field, as a student
or a professional, you can breath a little easier.
Everything on
EnviroEducation.com has been researched, written and designed for
those who are pursuing an environmental career. We've got a growing
list of more than 2,000 environmental department and program listings
and more than 1,000 links to help you with everything from searching
for and applying to environmental programs to finding and winning
environmental scholarships. Then, we go beyond the academic,
providing a clearinghouse for finding environmental jobs at top
companies, government agencies and the conservation sector and
training to receive environmental certificates and licenses.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the world’s largest,
independent conservation organisations whose mission is to stop and,
eventually, reverse the degradation of the planet’s natural
environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with
nature. WWF opened its project office in the UAE in February 2001. It
was the conservation body’s first office in the region, although an
association with the UAE can be traced to the early 1960s, when WWF
helped save the Arabian Oryx from extinction.
In
the UAE, WWF is working in association with a local NGO – the
‘Emirates Wildlife Society’ (EWS). The WWF’s UAE project office is,
therefore, referred to as WWF- EWS. It has been established under the
patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan to implement
conservation actions for the protection of local biodiversity. The
Society is governed by a Board of Directors that also acts as WWF-UAE
Project Office Board.
IUCN is a unique Union. Its members from some 140 countries include
over 70 States, 100 government agencies, and 750-plus NGOs. More than
10,000 internationally-recognized scientists and experts from more
than 180 countries volunteer their services to its six global
commissions. Its 1000 staff members in offices around the world are
working on some 500 projects.
For more than 50 years this ‘Green Web’ of partnerships has generated
environmental conventions, global standards, scientific knowledge and
innovative leadership.
ERWDA
is a governmental agency whose overall function is to promote
sustainable development and to protect and conserve the environment in
the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This to be done through concerted scientific
research, establishment of laws and by-laws to protect Abu Dhabi's
environment and putting forth-appropriate permits, regulations and
policies. In addition, ERWDA aims to raise
the level of environmental awareness and education in the Emirate of
Abu Dhabi.
On
27 November 2000, the Agency was designated by Abu Dhabi Emirate's
Executive Council, in its order no.31 session 23/2000, as the
"Competent Authority" for environment and
wildlife issues in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The
fully searchable archive of past issues of Arabian wildlife provides a
wide range of information on the animal and plant life of the region,
including trees and flowers, insects, rodents, mammals, song birds,
birds of prey, sea birds, houbara, oryx, gazelle, marine mammals -
including dolphins and whales. A wealth of information is also
available on topics such as satellite tracking, conservation and
captive breeding programmes include the breeding and conservation of
endangered species such as the Arabian leopard and Arabian oryx.
Arabian Wildlife on-line is of particular interest to teachers and
school students. The Arabian Discovery programme is designed
especially for schools, but the entire site offers a huge variety of
resources for special projects.
Greenpeace is a non-profit organization, with a presence in 40
countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations
from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from
individual supporters and foundation grants. As
a global organization, Greenpeace focuses on the the most crucial
worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment.
Friends of
the Earth
is
-
The largest
international network of environmental groups in the world,
represented in 68 countries.
-
One of the
leading environmental pressure groups in the UK.
-
A unique
network of campaigning
local groups, working in more than 200 communities in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
-
Largely
funded by our supporters. Over 90 per cent of our income comes
from individual donations, the rest from special fundraising events,
grants and trading.
Friends of
the Earth Trust
is a charity which
Over the years
we have won many battles with government and industry - achieving bans
on ozone-destroying CFCs, reduced trade in rainforest timber,
increased support for cleaner energy technologies, and much, much
more. | 
