Emirates reserves are natural treasures that attract the world’s attention – newsdubai

Interest in nature reserves is increasing in the UAE, as the percentage of the total area of ​​nature reserves in the country in 2020 reached more than 15.5% of the country’s total area, so the UAE is strengthening its position in the field of attention for nature reserves and its development in modern ways and methods that attracted the attention of the world. The adoption of some of them within the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The UAE ranks first in the “Marine Nature Reserves” standard in the “Environmental Sustainability Index”, a global indicator that measures countries’ progress in this area, in addition to the important successes they have achieved in the conservation, multiplication and release of endangered species in their natural environments.

The accreditation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Wadi al-Wurayah in Fujairah, within the global network of biosphere reserves, and before that the approval of the Marawah Marine Reserve, located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in 2007, as a global recognition of the efforts made by the United Arab Emirates in the field of environmental protection and preservation of life. Inherently, as well as testament to the UAE’s great diversity of natural resources, there are many reserves and sites of great importance at regional and international levels, including

Marawah Marine Reserve:

It is located in the western region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, 120 km from the capital, and is an ideal model that represents the marine and coastal environment of the country in the world, giving the region a global significance.

There are species of sea turtles in the reserve, the most important of which are green turtles and hawksbill turtles. The beaches of the reserve area are an ideal environment for hawksbill turtle nests, and abound with types of dolphins, many types of fish, coral reefs, seaweed and algae, and types of brown reefs that feeds on many fish, which is an ideal environment to incubate their eggs, as well as mangroves in the coastal area of ​​the islands of Marawah, Al-Bazem, Al-Fiy and Butina Socotri, as well as protecting and feeding fish. The Marawah Protected Area has a cultural and archaeological value as it includes on its various islands more than 20 archaeological sites dating back to the Stone Age.

Wadi Wurayah Reserve:

Wadi Wurayah Nature Reserve is located in a mountain range with unique biodiversity, unique geological formations of rocks, rivers and amazing rock formations. The reserve covers an area of ​​220 square kilometers and includes an amazing natural diversity, including about 652 species of animals and 208 types of plants. Wadi Wurayah National Reserve is the first mountain reserve and the first state-level national park. It is home to the Blandford fox, the Arabian wildcat, the porcupine, the lynx and other distinct species. It also includes 94 species of endangered birds in the region, and recent wildlife surveys show that the reserve includes 22 species out of 24 known species of wild dragonflies, which can be seen throughout.

Sir Bu Nair Nature Reserve:

Sir Bu Nair Island is located off the northern coast of the UAE and is considered one of the most important marine reserves in the country because it also contains important environmental elements, such as its geological formations, natural plants and seabirds. to coral reefs rich in the rarest forms of marine life. The island is also one of the most important nesting sites for sea turtles in the Arabian Gulf region, and there are a number of birds that are rare elsewhere. The island also contains important types of endangered animals and plants, and large amounts of mineral materials are available in the subsurface of Sir Bu Nair Island, such as: iron oxide and sulfur.

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai:

Located at the end of Dubai Creek, which stretches 14 km in length, within the area connecting the Arabian Gulf with the Al Awir Desert, the reserve covers an area of ​​6.2 square kilometers and contains about 450 species of animals, including 270 species of birds and contains about 47 species of plants. The reserve is famous for its abundance of flamingos and mangroves. Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is the first global reserve for the United Arab Emirates in the Ramsar system of wetlands of global importance, and is also a global site for birds (IBA), according to Birdlife International.

Sir Baniyas:

Sir Bani Yas Island is one of the largest natural islands in the United Arab Emirates with an area of ​​87 square kilometers. In 1971, the island became a nature reserve, according to the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul. It currently harbors more than 30 species of free-ranging wildlife, and excavations indicate that humans have settled on the island throughout history, starting in the Bronze Age, and 42 archaeological sites have been discovered on the island, some dating back to AD 600. AD. A monastery dating back to the pre-Islamic era, specifically to the seventh century.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve:

It is a complex of water bodies located 40 km southeast of Abu Dhabi city, between Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Mussafah and Al Ain Truck Road. It was established in 1998 under the guidance of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, and the site was included in the lists of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2013, where the site was internationally recognized as one of the environmentally important wetlands on an international scale. More than 250 species of birds, notably the flamingo, and an abundance of aquatic creatures have been monitored, in addition to 37 species of plants. The percentage of the total area of ​​nature reserves in the country reached more than 15.5% of the country’s total area in 2020. Important successes achieved by the state in conserving, propagating and releasing endangered species in their natural environments.