EAD to promote Bu Tinah Island and Abu Dhabi's Desert Wildlife at ADIHEX 2011

Abu Dhabi, Sept 15, 2011 (WAM) - In line with its role to educate the public about Abu Dhabi's natural heritage and the need to protect our natural resources, the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) will be participating in the ninth annual Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) this week.
EAD's team of experts will be on hand to promote Bu Tinah Island, a finalist in the international New7Wonders of Nature competition, as well as showcase some of Abu Dhabi's exciting desert wildlife, such as the Zarudny's Worm Lizard, the Dhofar Toad and the Arabian Horned Viper.
EAD will also highlight the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme which has freed over 1,200 falcons back into the wild since it began in 1995. The team will also be featuring the Make UAE Plastic Bag-Free! campaign which highlights why the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is phasing out non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags and how these bags are responsible for half of all camel deaths in the UAE each year.
At its stand, EAD will feature some of the emirate's least-known but biologically important species such as the Zarudny's Worm Lizard - the only amphibian found in the UAE, the Dhofar Toad - which survives away from permanent water sources near to Al Ain, as well as the Arabian Horned Viper which is best known for the trails it leaves after gliding down sand dunes. The stand will host a photo exhibition about the history of pearling in the UAE and also feature an Education Corner where young people and adults alike can take part in and learn more about EAD's programmes which are educating youth about our unique and threatened natural heritage.
The island of Bu Tinah was shortlisted as one of 28 global finalists in the New7Wonders (N7W) of Nature contest from a list of around 500 candidates from around the world. The Island lies in the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, and is home to unique coral reefs, healthy mangroves, endangered Hawksbill turtles, dugongs, dolphins, Ospreys and Socotra cormorants, and is the only N7W finalist from the Arabian Gulf. EAD is urging residents to support the campaign as a vote for conservation of the UAE's environment.
Earlier this year, the UAE celebrated the successful registration of falconry as a living human heritage on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at UNESCO.
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General, EAD said, "One of EAD's priorities is to engage with the public and our stakeholders to raise awareness on the need to protect our biodiversity and live sustainably. ADIHEX provides us with a platform to interact with the community and highlight how conserving our environment and our indigenous species means protecting our natural heritage for current and future generations.
She added, "We are very excited to be a part of ADIHEX to further educate people in Abu Dhabi about our emirate's natural heritage and to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the need to protect our unique and fragile environment." Visitors attending ADIHEX will have a chance to cast their votes for Bu Tinah; a voting booth will be set up to allow the exhibition's visitors to cast their votes for the Island as well as view exciting video footage of the Island and its inhabitants.
Anyone living in the UAE can also vote for Bu Tinah by sending a SMS message to 3888 with the word ‘BuTinah' in the message. In addition, people can also vote for the UAE island via the campaign website http://www.butinah.ae. - Emirates News Agency, WAM