A multimillion-dollar drive to safeguard dugongs in the UAE and other threatened species has been unveiled by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. As part of the efforts, a UAE Conservation Leaders programme is being launched to support early career conservationists, and the fund is also supporting projects in South-east […]
Shark conservation has been boosted by a new international trade ban that offers greater protection for 70 species of sharks and rays. Restrictions on shark and ray fishing were announced at a major conference on protecting wildlife in trade. The UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of […]
The UAE’s turtle population has steadily increased in recent years, with the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi reporting a 30 per cent increase in numbers compared with a decade ago. But ingesting plastic remains a key issue, with reports this year that discarded plastic bags have caused some turtles to lose their flippers. While plastic pollution is still a major issue […]
The nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags has been praised for helping to save the lives of the UAE’s camel population. The number of camels found dead with plastic bags in their stomachs has fallen by up to 80 per cent after restrictions were introduced by the government, new research has found. Dr Ulrich Wernery, scientific director of Dubai’s […]
Dubai residents are being invited to have their mobile phones at the ready to join an international effort to document urban wildlife and deepen understanding of biodiversity. The annual City Nature Challenge got under way on Friday, with nature-lovers from hundreds of cities invited to photograph and record wild plants, animals and fungi using the iNaturalist […]
More than 47,000 species around the world are threatened with extinction, according to the latest update of a global Red List of endangered animals, plants and other organisms. The figures from the International Union for Conservation of Nature highlight how factors such as deforestation and the expansion of agricultural and urban areas are causing an irreversible loss of species. […]
A viral turtle video sparked a global movement and inspired millions to join the fight against plastic waste. In 2015, the plastic-free movement gained significant momentum following a haunting viral video of a distressed sea turtle with a 4-inch plastic straw lodged in its nostril. This heart-wrenching moment, viewed by millions, sparked a global outcry […]
Sharks and rays have populated the world’s oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat. An international research team led by palaeobiologist Manuel A. Staggl from the University of Vienna has now investigated whether and how […]
Most species don’t have just one threat putting them at risk of extinction, but many threats acting together. Nearly a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction, according to new research. “Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time freshwater environments are […]
“Sharks and rays are important predators, and their decline disrupts food webs throughout the ocean”, said one of the study’s authors. More than half of all sharks and rays have disappeared since 1970, but a new study shows a clear path to preventing their numbers from dwindling even further. Research reveals that overfishing has caused […]
