UAE conservation fund saves 185 species from extinction

Almost 200 endangered species benefited from grants worth Dh5.5 million from the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund in 2012. The fund supported 250 projects in 75 countries during the year, contributing to the survival of 185 endangered species - 101 of which are critically endangered - and 27 other species. Among the species the fund helped to preserve is Morocco's Bald Ibis, a bird classed as critically endangered. According to the fund's annual report, six Arab countries received funding for conservation projects in 2012. Almost half the fund's grants, 43 per cent, were allocated to projects in Asia, 27 per cent in Africa, 15 per cent in South America, 9 per cent in North America, 4 per cent in Europe and 2 per cent in Oceania. In terms of species, 41 per cent of the funding went to mammals, 16 per cent to birds, 12 per cent to reptiles, 8 per cent to plants, 8 per cent each to fish and amphibians, 5 per cent to invertebrates and 2 per cent to fungi. In addition to supporting endangered species, the fund, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, also helps species that are as yet unclassified or insufficiently documented. Since its establishment in 2008, the fund has granted Dh32m to 825 projects worldwide. Source: The National