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 […]
A bale of 57 endangered sea turtles was released into the wild at Jumeirah Saadiyat Island on Thursday. The turtle species consisted of 39 hawksbill, 17 green turtles and one loggerhead. Organised by Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi, the release was attended by volunteers as members of the public watched on, coming after 214 turtles were rescued since the […]
Fishermen in Sharjah have rescued a whale shark after it became stranded on a beach. Videos shared on social media show the whale shark, which measured about six metres in length, near Luluyah Beach in the exclave of Khor Fakkan. The whale shark became beached after it was caught in the fishing nets, with about 10 men pushing […]
