Hatta, Al Aweer to help increase protected land

As part of the plan to increase the proportion of protected land to ten per cent in the emirate, Dubai Municipality will declare such land in Hatta and in Al Aweer by the end of this year, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Hassan, Head of Marine Environment and Wildlife Section in the municipality's Environment Department, told Gulf News. "It is part of the strategic plan that by 2014 we attain the target of ten per cent. Each area that is declared as protected has to satisfy some requirements and we want to maintain diversity in ecosystems for flora and fauna in these areas. The protected land in Hatta, to be located near the Wadi, and land in Al Aweer will be declared by the end of this year. By the end of 2014, protected land in Al Mamoor will also be declared," he said. Currently, around 7.3 per cent of land in Dubai is protected. The emirate has protected land in Ras Al Khor and Jebel Ali. Hassan said the civic body was taking steps to generate awareness of the protection of migratory birds. "It is the sixth year in a row that we are celebrating World Migratory Bird Day. We want to involve people, especially the younger generation, and highlight the important of migratory birds, the relationship we have with them and how we can keep the tradition of conserving them," he said. The theme for this year's World Migratory Bird Day was ‘Migratory birds and people' with the municipality organising seminars, exhibitions and competitions. "When the migratory birds take their daring journey, they face numerous problems like power lines, diseases, climatic changes, food, etc. Humans also pose a threat to their existence and we should ensure that we protect these birds," added Hassan. Humaid Obaid Al Humaidi, managing director of the Dubai Falcon Hospital, said the hospital provided medical care to around 2,000 falcons every year. "Currently we can accommodate 100 sick falcons in our facility. The hospital, which is free for all falconers in the UAE, also provides medical assistance during hunting parties in Asia with its dedicated staff," he said.