The Worldwide Fund for Nature International (WWF) yesterday announced its recognition of the United Arab Emirates' Qarnein Island as a Gift to the Earth.
Announcing the UAE initiative, Dr Claude Martin, the WWF Director-General, revealed that he has handed over a Gift to the Earth certificate to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to receive it on behalf of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairman of Environmental Research and Wildlife Develop-ment Agency.
"The certificate is in recognition of international efforts and initiatives for the conservation of the environment. The wildlife fund created it six years ago."
The announcement, made at the conclusion of the Environ-ment and Energy 2003 Confer-ence and Exhibition, follows designation of Qarnein and its unique ecosystem as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), the first internationally-recognised reser-ve of its type in the Arabian Gulf.
"The declaration of the MPA status for Qarnein was annou-nced by Sheikh Hamdan, who has been instrumental in affording protection to the island's marine and terrestrial habitats following traditional Islamic principles of conservation and natural resource management," said Mohammed Al Bowardi, Managing Director of the ERWDA, who also thanked the WWF for its official recognition of the gift.
Dr Martin also said it was the first such recognition in the region, and for the first time an entire island, which has been well preserved, been dedicated to earth. The Gift to the Earth is the highest accolade given by the organisation to recognise environmental leadership and globally significant conservation achievement.
According to the WWF chief, 81 Gift to the Earth have been recognised worldwide in protection of forests, freshwater and marine ecosystems and endangered species since 1996.
They included the first one in Russia, which is a territory as big as India, and two massive parks in Mozambique recognised by WWF as internationally protected areas.
After presenting the certificate to Sheikh Nahyan, Dr Martin said: "The WWF recognises Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his exemplary role in establishing full protection of the ecosystem of Qarnein.
"This sets a glowing example for the United Arab Emirates government and to other countries in the region to encourage them to set up an ecologically representative network of MPAs in the Arabian Seaeco-region."
He said the WWF has been working with local authorities since 1995 on various environmental projects. "The UAE is a very important partner of the wildlife body, with President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's keen interest and care for the environment."
Frederic Launay, Director of the WWF-UAE, said the Arabian Sea is one of the 200 global eco-regions scientifically recognised by the wildlife body as the world's most biologically outstanding and representative areas of biodiversity. He added that Qarnein Island, which has an area of approximately 300 hectares, has a combination of natural characteristics rarely found amongst islands of the Gulf. "Coral reef, seagrass and sandy bottom ecosystems exist offshore, while the island itself is a site of regional and international importance for breeding seabirds."
Lesser-crested terns, swift terns, bridled terns, white-cheeked terns, sooty gulls and red-billed tropic birds are among the avian species breeding on the island. Some of these colonies contain more than one per cent of the total world breeding population of the species and are, therefore, considered to be of international importance.
The island has already been acknowledged by BirdLife International as an 'Important Bird Area in the Middle East'.
The island is the largest lesser-crested tern colony in the Middle East, perhaps in the world, with an estimate of 20,000 pairs breeding at a time, according to the ERWDA.
Qarnein and its adjacent marine habitats also host endangered green turtles; while the hawksbill turtle nests on its beaches, one of the last breeding grounds in the region for this critically endangered species.
The rare leatherback turtle has also been observed in winter. The rich coastal waters are also a spawning ground for a wide variety of local fish species, providing food sources for the turtles.
Dr Launay, who is Director of the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) explained: "The designation of Qarnein Island as a terrestrial and marine protected area, the establishment of a management plan for the island and its species, and the initiation of regular monitoring activities is a long term commitment towards ecosy-stem sustainability.
"This conservation initiative will also help promote sustainable fisheries management in the southern Arabian Gulf."
Simon Aspinall, Chairman of the Emirates Birds Record Committee, who worked on the island and formerly with the ERWDA, said Qarnein as a gift to earth makes him feel like it was his birthday yesterday.
Qarnein is an important island situated at 24.39 N and 52.85 W, which is about 160km north west of Abu Dhabi, and about 25km south of Das Island. From north to south, the island is 2.5km long and around one kilometre wide. It is 85km north of Jebel Dhana in the Western Region.
The north of the island is dominated by a group of hills, which include two higher hills. The southern part is low and sandy, while the coastline and inter-tidal areas of the island are characterised by sand, rocks, seaweeds and coral reefs.
When it rains, the island turns into a peaceful green field. The island is owned by Sheikh Hamdan.
Gulf News 2003
