UAE marks World Wetlands Day

Dubai, 2nd February, 2015 (WAM) -- The UAE will join the international community in observing the World Wetlands Day which falls on February 2. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The World Wetlands Day 2015 is being held under the theme 'Wetlands for Our Future – Join us!' Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, said in a statement to mark the day that the concerned authorities in the UAE were making tremendous efforts to protect and conserve biodiversity in general and terrestrial and marine protected areas, and wetlands in particular. He indicated that collective national plans would have a positive impact on these ecosystems and their economic value and services as well as their economic, social and environmental benefits. He noted that these efforts had paid off and helped the UAE's biodiversity and habitat to advance in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) rankings from 33rd to 15th place between 2012 and 2014. He added that five wetlands in the UAE have been designated as sites of international importance by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention) since it became a member in 2007. The five wetlands have a total surface area of more than 20,000 hectares. Ramsar 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 Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai became the first UAE wetland to be named by Ramsar as a site of international importance. Later, Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi and the Mangrove Protected Area in Khor Kalba, Sharjah, were added to the Ramsar list. He said that the National Strategy for Biodiversity and National Strategy Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Environments, both developed by the ministry in partnership with other stakeholders, would play a significant role in the development, conservation and protection of these wetlands in order to adapt to human and natural challenges by 2021. The minister said the UAE in November 2014 launched two innovative initiatives UAE Smart Map of Natural Capital and the National Program of Sustainable Wildlife initiative to promote efforts to protect the UAE's ecosystems and achieve national strategies concerning biodiversity, the marina and coastal sustainability and stem desertification in consistence with the UAE Vision 2021. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395275896016.html