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The Ministry of Environment and Water has stressed the country’s deep commitment to the preservation of the biodiversity.
Saif Mohammed Al-Shara’a, the Executive Director for Water Resources and Conservation at the Ministry said that the concept of biodiversity reflects the diversity of all living organisms and the interaction among micro-organisms that range from what we can only see with a microscope in one end, and the big trees and large whales in the other.
He noted that biodiversity is everywhere, in the deserts and oceans, rivers, lakes and forests, and no one knows the exact number of living species on Earth. The estimates ranged between 5 and 80 million or more living things, but the number is most likely to be somewhere near10 million, he added.
The official also noted that despite the progress achieved in science on the global level, the characteristics of the all species have never been fully described. The mankind could classify from them so far only 1.4 million species including 750 thousand types of insects, 41 thousand types of vertebrates and 250 thousand plants and the rest are invertebrate, fungi, algae and other micro-organisms.
Shara’a noted that the preservation of wildlife and biological diversity was one of the first environmental issues handled by the country. Through the efforts made over the years, UAE made significant achievements and a leading position on the map of international environmental action.
As a result of the wise policy adopted by the founding leader of UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the perpetuation of those policies by President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a large number of protected areas were marked with utmost care and keenness, said Al Shara’a.
Some of these areas have gained international fame as they provided safe havens to many endangered species, thus contributing to the preservation of the biodiversity, he said.
The policy led to a significant set of programmes, which are not only designed to protect the endangered species, but also for breeding those species and re-introducing them to their natural habitat, he noted.
These include the Zayed Falcon Release Programme and the protection of the Arabian Oryx, bustards, turtles and dugongs and the Arabian leopard.
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