Your Suggestions to Solve the Oil Dumping Crisis in Fujairah Waters

Urgency

New Head of the Municipality’s Environment Protection Department, Eng. Fatma Hassan Sharary, said she would welcome suggestions from the public as her department puts together a plan to address oil dumping in Fujairah waters.

After the major oil dumping in April that killed fish and birds and closed the tourist beaches at Al Aqah and another blanket of oil this month, the issue of finding an effective solution must be marked URGENT and IMPORTANT.

Suggestions

Let your creative ideas flow about the following matters:

• Surveillance and policing
• Detection of oil entering the water
• Accurately tracing the oil to the rogue oil tanker
• Penalties for oil tanker owners
• Early alerting of stakeholders regarding oil in the water
• Preventing the spread of leaked oil and clean up operations
• Determining local government and federal government responsibilities
• Financing the oil dumping prevention plan
• Other aspects

Pass Them On

I’m happy to receive your ideas and plans on this matter and pass them on to the department.

Geoff Pound

Contact via the following:

Email geoffpound(at)gmail.com

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This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Rare Visit to Fujairah, UAE of Franklin’s Gull

'Is It a Bird?...'

Alarm bells started to ring when Dr Reza Khan posted in the UAE Birding Forum the names and photos of birds he had spotted on Tuesday 17 May 2011 at Fujairah and Kalba in three different locations.

‘Weird Black-Headed Thing’

Mark S, one of his birding colleagues added these comments to the forum:

“White-eyed Gull AND that weird white-eyed black-headed thing, Reza? Not only is White-eyed Gull a serious rarity, but that black-headed gull looks VERY interesting - similar to Laughing/Franklin's Gull. Reza-do you have any more photos of either bird?”

Franklin’s Finding Authenticated

The spotting and identification of the Franklin’s Gull in Fujairah was reported (25 May 2011) in The National along with news of a sighting on 12 May of a Cory’s shearwater which had also not been seen before and documented in the UAE.

Video Footage

On 27 May 2011 UAE birder Mike Barth posted an article about visiting Fujairah on Friday 20 May 2011 to discover this ‘extreme migrant’.

Mike found the Franklin’s Gull on the stretch of beach near the Fujairah Port and posted on his blog some photographs along with some video footage.

He writes about wading out among the high waves and getting drenched in order to get his photos. The lengths that bird spotters go to get their photos and video footage!

Take a look at Mike Barth’s post, his photos of the rare bird in Fujairah and the Franklin’s Gull starring on video.

Related

Fujairah is For the Birds, FIF, 3 November 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The Franklin’s Gull making his rare appearance in Fujairah and the UAE. (Photo courtesy of Mike Barth).

Crown Prince Orders Speedy and Efficient Public Services in Fujairah

The Fujairah Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, spoke this week (25 May 2011) to the directors of all his departments and urged them to speed up and facilitate their procedures as they serve the public and investors.

The Crown Prince is not happy with the slow and cumbersome procedures. He has obviously heard stories from business people, investors and the general public about inefficient and slow systems encountered in Fujairah.

Can’t Do Culture

The slow, convoluted processes do not match the marketing propaganda of the UAE being a ‘Can Do’ country.

The common response, that ‘things happen shway shway (slowly, slowly)’ in Fujairah, is wearing thin.

To use the insha’allah expression as an excuse for not getting things done efficiently and on time is a perversion of its meaning and simply a way of passing the blame.

Slow and Cumbersome

What are the processes in Fujairah that you are finding to be slow, confused and inefficient? Pass on your stories. Maybe some publicity might lead to further pep talks from the Prince, a simplifying of the processes and some speedy, smiling service.

One glaring example of inefficiency reported today (27 May 2011) concerns a lack of cooling in schools around the UAE, including some in Fujairah. Despite the intense heat in recent days The National said that the Ministry of Education currently knows of 7,000 faulty AC units in UAE schools! It added that the usual time for getting these cooling units fixed was between five to 10 days. Department officials would not tolerate such slow service in their own homes. The Ministry indicated that these cooling problems would be attended to by the end of the summer holidays! How long is that? The Ministry of Education receives a FAIL for such inefficiency.

Celebrating Service

Write in with your stories of excellent service that you experience in Fujairah. The celebration of the ease of doing business and the ‘can do’ spirit is something that needs to be reported and encouraged.

Well done to the Fujairah Crown Prince for addressing such an important issue.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The Fujairah Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi.

Oil Update on Sea and Beaches at Al Aqah, Fujairah

Following the oil dumping that appeared at Al Aqah on Monday and grew in its intensity on Tuesday a further report emerged on Wednesday (26 May 2011).

Guests at the Al Aqah resorts said that Wednesday was a rough day at sea with waves crashing onto the beaches, particularly at high tide.

This turbulence helped to break up the long band of oil and may have been a blessing to the many hotel staff who were on the beaches and in the sea attempting to disperse the oil.

On Wednesday morning there were many hotel workers armed with brooms and shovels seeking to clean the washed up oil from the sand. Despite their good efforts there was still much oil in evidence on the beach.

One hotel guest who ventured along the beach said the smell of oil was still in the air and the waves had a ‘creamy top’ to them.

The roughness of the waves not the oil was the primary cause of the curtailing of many water activities yesterday.

Further

New Oil Dumping in Sea and on Beaches at Fujairah’s Al Aqah Region, FIF, 25 May 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Images: Views of the Al Aqah beach on Wednesday (25 May 2011) and those who were part of the cleaning brigade.

New Oil Dumping in Sea and on Beaches at Fujairah’s Al Aqah Region

A huge dumping of oil has been washing over the beaches at Fujairah’s Al Aqah hotel and resort region.

The oil started appearing on Monday (23 May 2011) but by Tuesday afternoon it had arrived with greater intensity.

The oil was in a band about twenty yards wide from the beach out to sea. According to Al Aqah hotel guests on Tuesday the beaches were closed. Nobody was allowed in the sea from the Rotana Hotel to Sandy Bay.

Guests said the oil was causing their eyes to water and the pungent smell was most unpleasant.

One guest reported seeing a turtle raise its head through the oily sea surface but who knows if it will survive.

Hotel workers along the Al Aqah stretch were working strenuously to clean the beaches but with so much oil still in the water it appeared as if it would be a long process.

It is one thing to get the beach to the point where guests can walk on it without them getting tar on their feet or shoes. It is another thing to thoroughly clean the beaches so they are brought back to a satisfactory condition.

Fujairah Municipality Response

Newly appointed head of the Environment Protection Department of the Fujairah Municipality, Eng. Fatma Hassan Sharary, said today (Wednesday) that she was aware of the oil dumping at Al Aqah and that every effort was being made to ensure that local people were assisted in the cleaning of the beaches.

Prevention is Better than Cure

When reminded of the most recent oil dumping at Al Aqah last month and asked what more is being done in the way of prevention, Fatma mentioned that a new plan was being devised to combat oil dumpings. This will address early surveillance and using technology to accurately detect the tanker from which the oil is being discharged through to reviewing such matters as policing, penalties and cleanup operations.

Fatma said that the problem is too big for it to be left to municipalities and that there needs to be a national approach.

The new plan will involve a significant amount of work and is likely to be released and put into operation sometime in 2012.

Isn’t it Ironic?

As the oil is washing up on the beaches, delegates at the Wetlands Workshop and the Ramsar Convention from the UAE and the surrounding region are inside one of the Al Aqah hotels discussing more effective ways of conserving protected areas and hearing reports from the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME).

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: A photo taken on Tuesday of one of the Al Aqah beaches, showing traces of oil in the sand and the dark band of oil in the sea.

Arab Proverb: “A Promise is a Cloud…”

“A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is the rain.”

More Arab Proverbs—Link.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Importance of the Wetlands Workshop to Fujairah and Beyond

Royal Support

The patronage and presence of the Fujairah Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi at yesterday’s (23 May 2011) opening ceremony at Le Méridien Resort Al Aqah did much to elevate the importance of the Wetlands Workshop and the Ramsar Convention in West Asia—the Gulf countries, Iran and North Africa.

Organizers

The workshop which continues until 26 May 2011 is hosted by the Environment Protection & Development Department of the Fujairah Municipality and organised by this group, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Ramsar Regional Centre RRC-EA, EWS-WWF and supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) of United Arab Emirates, the Secretariat of the League of Arab States and UNEP-ROWA.

Purpose

The workshop is focusing on the national implementation of the Ramsar Convention wetland policies, national policy mechanisms for the conservation and wise use of wetlands by regional organizations and governments. It is exploring greater opportunities for regional cooperation.

Issues

Some of the practical wetland site issues include working with local communities, management planning wetland habitat management, the restoration and monitoring of areas, community education and public awareness and tourism programs.

Participants

More than 30 experts, site managers, governmental officials and NGO representatives are attending the workshop which includes a combination of papers, discussion, field visits to UAE protected areas and formal and informal networking.

Importance of UAE

Adding to their international importance for some breeding species, the UAE wetlands are the last refuelling stop-overs for thousands of migrants waterbirds coming from the Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds (Siberia, Russia) on their way to the Southern Hemisphere wintering grounds (Africa) before crossing the thousands kilometres of Arabian desert.

They also provide a respite for these flying migrants before reaching breeding sites on their way back.

In these arid countries, artificial wetlands (dams, reservoirs, sewage basins, etc.) are attractive as feeding and resting grounds for waterbirds and some have been categorised as of international importance.

Other wetlands like Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah have been shown to host a unique biodiversity and cultural heritage, in addition to freshwater resources. However, because of the recent development of the country, a lot of natural wetlands have shrunk considerably or disappeared.

UAE and Ramsar

Since 2007, the UAE has been a member of the Ramsar Convention, named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, where the international “Convention on Wetlands” was signed on 2 February 1971.

Ramsar Convention

This convention is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Convention's mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world".

Wetlands Defined

The definition of wetlands according to the text of the Ramsar Convention is the following: “Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 m”.

Value of Ramsar

Although the RAMSAR listing doesn't ensure a protection, it elevates the site to a higher status: the wetland is recognized as a place of “international importance” and it focuses more attention upon it. National governments are then implicitly making a commitment to ensure that the ecological character of the site will be maintained.

UAE Ramsar Sites

In 2008, the first UAE RAMSAR site was declared: Ras al Khor in Dubai and in November 2010, the second Ramsar site for UAE was designated at Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah.

Wurayah Process

On March 16, 2009, Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah, was designated officially by HH Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, as a Protected Area, becoming the first Mountain Protected Area of the United Arab Emirates.

Generous Support

Initiated in 2006, by the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) in partnership with Fujairah Municipality, the Wadi Wurayah project has been generously sponsored by HSBC Bank Middle East, Bridgestone, and with contribution of Jumeirah English Speaking School, Raffles school of Dubai and Higher Colleges of Technology of Fujairah.

Precious Resource

Wadi Wurayah contains mountain as well as freshwater habitats that shelter rare and endangered species. It also provides opportunities for the sustenance and revival of livelihoods of tribal communities. These make the Wadi, undoubtedly, a critical area for environmental and cultural preservation. Work will now commence on establishing a sustainable protected area that will integrate local tradition and lifestyle with the conservation of the Wadi’s biodiversity.

Related

Fujairah to Host Workshop on Wetlands & Ramsar Convention for Region, FIF, 24 May 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, in conversation with international delegates at the Wetlands Workshop in Fujairah.

Happenings at the Fujairah International Airport 2011

Busy Year

It’s been a busy year so far at the Fujairah International Airport (FIA) with the hosting of the inaugural Air Center Conference in April, further Safety and Security Exercises and attendance at the Arabian Travel Market on the Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority Exhibition stand..

Coming Up

There’s no letting up on the 2011 calendar of the Fujairah International Airport.

Airport Show-Dubai

The FIA will be participating in the eleventh annual Airport Show 2011 which is being held at Dubai Airport Expo from 31st May until 2nd June (10 a.m. - 6p.m.)

This is another opportunity for FIA to promote the development of new facilities at FIA, in the quest to fulfill the vision of the airport that is mapped out until 2025. These include new airline offices, maintenance workshops & store rooms/offices and the Executive Aviation Terminal. It is also an opportunity to see the latest and most advanced equipment and services related to airport development and operations..

FIA will be one of the many exhibitors along with the Fujairah Aviation Academy and the Fujairah-based company, Perma-Pipe Middle East.

EMAA Awards

The Airport Show is hosting a Gala Dinner on 1st June at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai at which the Emerging Market Airport Awards (EMAA) 2011 will be presented.

This is one of the world’s largest Airport gala dinner events and it recognises excellence in 25 categories in the Airport industry.

The Fujairah International Airport has been nominated for an award this year.

Related

Fujairah International Airport Evolving into Air Center for Middle East, FIF, 20 April 2011.

Exciting Plans Developing at the Fujairah International Airport, FIF, 17 April 2011.

Middle East Aviation Boom Sets Context for Air Center Conference 2011 in Fujairah, FIF, 14 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Glimpses of the 2010 Air Show in Dubai.

Arab Proverb: “He Walks Slowly and…”

“He walks slowly and arrives first.”

More Arab Proverbs—Link.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo (taken in Dibba) courtesy of this blog.

Congratulations and Celebrations at Opening of Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel

Crowds of invited guests packed Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel to celebrate the grand opening, view the new facilities and sample the chef’s cuisine.

The hotel staff just before 7pm putting the final touches to the façade of the Fortune Royal Hotel.

The celebratory cake appropriately iced and waiting to be cut.

Many flowers decorated the hotel lobby.

Mr. Praveen Shetty, (on the left), the Managing Director of the Fortune Group, receiving more well wishers and their gifts of flowers.

At 7pm the Fortune Royal Hotel lobby was filling up with guests and abounding in colourful saris.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ali Bin Rashid Al-Naimi, the sponsor of the Fortune Hotel Group, came from Ajman. He is looking very happy with the Grand Opening. Mr. Walid Issa Baw, who already manages the Fujairah Fortune Residence Apartments and now has the responsibility for the new Fortune Royal Hotel is looking more pensive.

Q: How do you attract members of the Indian community to the opening of a hotel?

A: Invite Indian film stars to your function.

Pooja Gandhi (left) from Kannada and Rima Kallingal (right) from Kerala certainly turned out to be a draw card. Here they are getting ready to cut the cake.

This was their first visit to the Emirates.

Sheikh Sultan asks the superstars how they were finding Fujairah. “It’s so hot,” they said as the evening temperatures were still hovering around 40 C degrees.

The lighting of the tall and heavyweight candles provided some sparkle and gave the cake a sprinkling of magnesium.

The art of getting half a dozen people to cut the cake at the same time—Sheikhs, Stars and Shettys.

The dignitaries look relieved to have cut the cake successfully.

Everybody begins to clap as the music starts and they hear the voice of Sir Cliff Richard singing:

“Congratulations and celebrations…

When I tell everyone that you’re in love with me.

Congratulations and jubilations,

I want the world to know I’m happy as can be.”

After the formal cake cutting ceremony everyone went on a tour of the new Taravad Restaurant and a tasting of the Fortune food.

Further

More details about the Fortune Royal Hotel, its facilities, pictures, menus for download and contact information have been posted at the first link:

Why Visit the New Fortune Royal Hotel in Fujairah, FIF, 13 April 2011.

Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel Celebrates Official Opening, FIF, 19 May 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

International Family Day Activities Celebrated Tonight in Fujairah

Fujairah Family Fun

The Fujairah Municipality is sponsoring tonight an evening of entertainment, competitions and fun for all members of the family.

It commences at 5pm on Thursday 19 May 2011 at Fujairah’s Al Bustan Hall.

International Family Day

The International Day of Families is a United Nations initiative and this year it is held on 15 May 2011.

Countries and states take a flexible approach and celebrate the day when it seems to best fit the local calendar.

2011 Theme

Since 1996 each year has a theme worked out by the UN.

In 2011 the theme is Confronting Family Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Annual Message

Here is the message (in English) for this year given by the UN Secretary General:

(Here it is in Arabic).

Far too many families endure chronic, punishing hardship. Lacking jobs and the means to make ends meet, adults are unable to provide adequate nutrition for children, leaving them with lifelong physical and cognitive scars. Other family members can suffer neglect and deprivation. Poverty continues to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year in childbirth.

Social exclusion is often at the root of the problem. Discrimination and unequal access to social services deprive families of the opportunity to plan a better future for their children.

Certain types of families are at particular risk, including large families, single parent families, families where the main breadwinners are unemployed or suffer from illness or disability, families with members who suffer discrimination based on sexual orientation, and families living in urban slums or rural areas. Indigenous and migrant families, as well as those living through conflict or unrest, are also on the front lines of marginalization and deprivation.

A number of governments have adopted family-focused strategies, including cash transfer programmes, child allowances, tax incentives and specific gender and child sensitive social protection measures. An expansion of these policies, which can improve the nutrition and educational status of children, can help end cycles of poverty that persist across generations.

On this International Day of Families, let us resolve to support families as they nurture the young, care for the old and foster strong communities built on tolerance and dignity for all.

Thanks to the Fujairah Municipality for this initiative. Shukran Jazeelan!

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The picture is by 14 year old Juehao Wu, USA and it was recognized in the UN International Children’s Art Competition. It has this caption:

“Poverty occurs all around the world. It is serious but there are many ways to end it. Such ways include a better education for the future generation, good agriculture to prevent starvation by planting more crops, getting loans from banks to start more businesses and provide more job opportunities. Last but not least, we have to avoid warfare and violence. Poverty has affected many generations negatively, including ours, and right now, it is all up to us to end poverty and make the world a better place to live.”

Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel Celebrates Official Opening

The Fortune Royal Hotel on Fujairah’s Al Gurfa Road had a ‘soft start’ in April but now with its Taravad Family Restaurant open for business the official opening is scheduled for tonight (Thursday 19 May 2011).

Celebrations

The cutting of a cake in the lobby will commence the proceedings at 7pm and this will be followed by a grand tour of the hotel facilities.

Invited guests will enjoy a festive meal in two dining areas—Freddy’s Restaurant, which looks out over the sea and the Taravad Restaurant, which looks out to the Hajar Mountains.

Celebrities

To add to the festivities two well-known personalities have flown in for the grand opening—Rima Kallingal from Kerala and Pooja Gandhi from Kannada.

Rima Kallingal is a model and Malayalam film actress. She was named first runner up in the Miss Kerala 2008 context. She made her film debut in 2009 in the film Ritu and has starred in a dozen Malayalam and Tamil films.

Pooja Gandhi, also known as Sanjana Gandhi, is an actress who commenced her career in a Bengali film and now has starred in over 35 films, most of which have come out of Kannada.

Further

More details about the Fortune Royal Hotel, its facilities, pictures, menus for download and contact information have been posted at this link:

Why Visit the New Fortune Royal Hotel in Fujairah, FIF, 13 April 2011.

Update: Congratulations and Celebrations at Opening of Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel, FIF, 20 May 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Farming in Fujairah and the UAE

Founder of Organic Food and Café, Nils El Accad, wants to see good food produced in the UAE in a sustainable way with the lowest ecological footprint.

Accad is alarmed at the cost of providing water (from the ground or by desalination) but he sees potential for greater farming on the fertile soils of Fujairah and the UAE’s East Coast.

Link

Nils El Accad, The Pros and Cons of Local farming, Hotelier ME, 18 May 2011.

Related

Vivian Salama, UAE Examines Farm Future, The National, 19 October 2008.

Fujairah to Host Workshop on Wetlands & Ramsar Convention for Region

A Workshop on Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention for countries in the West Asia region is being held next week, 23 to 26 May 2011, at Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah.

Auspices

The workshop is being held under the patronage of the Fujairah Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi.

It is hosted by the Environment Protection and Development Department of Fujairah.

It is organized by the department, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the EWS-WWF.

It is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) of the UAE, the Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the UNEP-ROWA.

First for UAE

This will be the first workshop dedicated to the study and protection of wetlands to be conducted in the United Arab Emirates.

The purpose of the workshop is to develop the capacity and expertise of those who manage wetlands and increase their knowledge of this task as it is performed throughout the region.

Participants

Those expected to attend the workshop in Fujairah are the site managers and overseers of wetlands from the invited countries which include the GCC nations, Iran and the Arabic speaking countries of North Africa such as Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

Topics and Themes

More than 30 scientific papers will be presented during the workshop and this will be supplemented by documentaries and displays in the way of case studies on wetlands of the region.

The main topics to be discussed will include:

• The wise use of wetlands
• The involvement of local communities in wetlands
• The socio-economic benefits of wetlands
• The importance of having national committees to oversee issues related to the conservation of natural resources
• How to develop processes and legislation to support and protect bio-diversity
• The Ramsar Convention and its role in directing and supporting various parties to encourage the development of legislation and practices relating to the wise use and management of wetlands.

Exhibitions

On the side of the workshop will be photos and information that tell the story of Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah as well as a focus on a Ramsar certified site in Jordan.

Field Visits

Built into the workshop will be field visits to the Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah and the Ras Al Khor reserve in Dubai which are the only two Ramsar certified sites in the UAE.

There are currently 1,932 Ramsar certified sites in the world.

Fujairah Developments

Hopefully this workshop sponsored by Fujairah might give an impetus to new local and national environmental initiatives.

Already Fujairah has four marine protected areas (declared by Emiri decree in 1995) and the one mountain site at Wadi Wurayah (declared a protected park in 2009 by the Fujairah Ruler and gaining Ramsar certification in 2010). One development that is envisaged is to form an over-arching network of Fujairah’s protected sites.

Beyond this is an idea to develop a network of protected sites across the UAE in order to encourage the effective protection and management and as a way of seeking common standards. Currently there is a national committee for biodiversity but as yet there is not a national committee with the focus on the wetlands of the UAE.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

According to its website:

“The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.”

“The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem.”

Bad News

Unfortunately half of the world’s wetlands have already been destroyed.

Good News

Through the Ramsar movement there is a growing awareness about the precious resources of the wetlands and international support being given through such workshops as will be staged in Fujairah next week.

Take a Look

Check out this short video on the importance of wetlands or view this longer version.

Download the Programme

To get a more detailed look at the Draft [this may change!] Summary Program of the Workshop on Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention in West Asia (23-26 May 2011) at Fujairah’s Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort follow this link.

Related

Photo Shooting Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah, FIF, 19 April 2011.

Visiting Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah During and After Storms and Floods, FIF, 18 April 2011.

Michel Roggo’s ‘Desert Water’ Photo Exhibition of Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, UAE, FIF, 13 April 2011.

Swedish Princess and Emirati Prince Make a Right Royal Visit in Fujairah, FIF, 20 January 2011.

The Royal Treatment for Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah, FIF, 19 January 2011.

Resources for Visiting Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, UAE, FIF, 17 May 2010.

How Do We Get to Wadi Wurayah? FIF, 19 May 2009.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: A shallow pool teeming with life at Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah.