Dana Al Dhaen and Nouf Alqadi are championing conservation among the nation's youth. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen / Nouf Alqadi
Dana Al Dhaen and Nouf Alqadi are championing conservation among the nation's youth. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen / Nouf Alqadi
Dana Al Dhaen and Nouf Alqadi are championing conservation among the nation's youth. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen / Nouf Alqadi
Dana Al Dhaen and Nouf Alqadi are championing conservation among the nation's youth. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen / Nouf Alqadi

How young Emiratis are connecting with nature to forge a better future for all


Rachel Kelly
  • English
  • Arabic

This page was produced by The National in collaboration or partnership with Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Growing up in the UAE, Nouf Alqadi was never far from the sea or the sand. These landscapes gave her an early appreciation for the natural world.

“Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by National Geographic and dreamt of becoming an explorer,” she says. “Over time, I realised that understanding these incredible creatures is the first step towards protecting them.”

Ms Alqadi is part of a cohort of young Emirati leaders and changemakers representing the country at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress taking place in Abu Dhabi.

“Being part of the IUCN Youth Congress underscores the vital role of young people in global conservation efforts,” Ms Alqadi tells The National.

“It’s about uniting our voices and shaping a better, more sustainable future together.”

For Ms Alqadi, the UAE’s role as host of the IUCN World Conservation Congress is an important opportunity to showcase the UAE’s ongoing efforts and leadership in conservation.

“The UAE has become a pioneering partner in global biodiversity protection, and hosting the IUCN Congress here highlights our commitment to sustainability and international collaboration.”

Nouf Alqadi founded a community initiative that aims to highlight the importance of protecting nature. Photo: Nouf Alqadi
Nouf Alqadi founded a community initiative that aims to highlight the importance of protecting nature. Photo: Nouf Alqadi

Championing community action

Ms Alqadi is the founder of Ithra by Nouf, a community-based initiative that aims to reconnect people with nature through education, engagement and sustainable living. Her work ranges from guided birdwatching walks to environmental workshops and digital campaigns, that highlight both the challenges and beauty of biodiversity.

“To date, I’ve organised more than 20 activations engaging youth, households and the wider community,” she says. “Each one is designed to build awareness and inspire environmental stewardship.”

Ms Alqadi believes conservation must be inclusive, not confined to policymakers or scientists, but something that engages every individual, especially youth. “We are not working in isolation, but as part of a collective movement for the planet,” she says.

Through Ithra by Nouf, she has sought to make that collective movement tangible. Her workshops, often held in parks, schools and community centres, introduce participants to everything from native bird species to waste reduction techniques. Social media also plays a role, where Ms Alqadi shares sustainability tips and showcases examples of biodiversity from her travels.

While the environmental challenges facing the planet are urgent and complex, Ms Alqadi remains optimistic. The key, she believes, is education paired with community action. “When people feel connected to nature, they are more likely to protect it,” she says. “That connection is what I’m trying to foster.”

Dana Al Dhaen has harnessed her passion for the environment into a career bringing about change. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen
Dana Al Dhaen has harnessed her passion for the environment into a career bringing about change. Photo: Dana Al Dhaen

From backyard curiosity to national impact

Dana Al Dhaen, 25, an environmental scientist and changemaker based in the UAE, has turned her childhood fascination with nature into a mission to raise awareness of the environment, with a special focus on native plant life.

Holding a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Sustainability, Ms Al Dhaen's passion for nature began long before university, in her own back garden watching ants and observing plants.

Her environmental activism took off with a workshop on biomimicry, a concept that looks to nature for design and problem-solving inspiration.

“I wanted to reach people outside of the environmental space,” Ms Al Dhaen explains.

“Biomimicry can appeal to engineers, designers, even doctors ... it shows that nature has solutions to our human problems.” This led her to deliver workshops with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and Emirates Nature–WWF, as well as feature in the Naturally Educated podcast.

Three years ago, she launched a project researching and sharing information about one native plant of the UAE every day for a year, 365 plants in total.

Using her social media platforms, she offered the public accessible insights into the often overlooked flora of the region. “Plants are the underdogs of the natural world,” she says. “They don’t make sounds, but there’s so much silent complexity going on.”

As president of the Green Youth Majlis, an initiative by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Ms Al Dhaen now mentors other young environmentalists, helping them run their own workshops on topics from whale sharks to honeybees.

Driven by curiosity, she even uses a home microscope to explore plant structures, sharing her findings through interactive workshops. “It’s about feeding my curiosity, but also passing that knowledge along,” she says.

Recently, she participated in the IUCN Youth Summit, where she found inspiration in the work of international youth and researchers.

Looking ahead, Ms Al Dhaen hopes to collaborate with universities to publish studies on native flora and improve public education through field workshops and plant ID tools.

The World Conservation Congress – which concludes on October 15 – has brought together about 10,000 delegates from more than 140 countries, including government officials, scientists, campaigners and indigenous leaders, to set the global conservation agenda.

The congress was established in 1948 and has been held in all parts of the world, from Barcelona and Buenos Aires to Nairobi and New Delhi.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sanju

Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani

Rating: 3.5 stars

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.8%22%20edge%20quad-HD%2B%20dynamic%20Amoled%202X%2C%20Infinity-O%2C%203088%20x%201440%2C%20500ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20120Hz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204nm%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%20Gen%202%2C%2064-bit%20octa-core%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%20RAM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%2F1TB%20(only%20128GB%20has%20an%208GB%20RAM%20option)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20quad%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20f%2F2.2%20%2B%20200MP%20wide%20f%2F1.7%20%2B%2010MP%20telephoto%20f%2F4.9%20%2B%2010MP%20telephoto%202.4%3B%203x%2F10x%20optical%20zoom%2C%20Space%20Zoom%20up%20to%20100x%3B%20auto%20HDR%2C%20expert%20RAW%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208K%4024%2F30fps%2C%204K%4060fps%2C%20full-HD%4060fps%2C%20HD%4030fps%2C%20full-HD%20super%20slo-mo%40960fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20f%2F2.2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205000mAh%2C%20fast%20wireless%20charging%202.0%2C%20Wireless%20PowerShare%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205G%2C%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.2%2C%20NFC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3B%20built-in%20Galaxy%20S%20Pen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESIM%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20single%20nano%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20eSIM%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20nano%20%2B%20eSIM%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20nano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20cream%2C%20green%2C%20lavender%2C%20phantom%20black%3B%20online%20exclusives%3A%20graphite%2C%20lime%2C%20red%2C%20sky%20blue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh4%2C949%20for%20256GB%2C%20Dh5%2C449%20for%20512GB%2C%20Dh6%2C449%20for%201TB%3B%20128GB%20unavailable%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

MATCH INFO

Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')

Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')

Need to know

Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.

Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE

1. Liverpool 101 points

2. Manchester City 80 

3. Leicester 67

4. Chelsea 63

5. Manchester United 61

6. Tottenham 58

7. Wolves 56

8. Arsenal 56

9. Sheffield United 55

10. Everton 50

11. Burnley 49

12. Crystal Palace 49

13. Newcastle 46

14. Southampton 44

15. West Ham 39

16. Brighton 37

17. Watford 36

18. Bournemouth 36

19. Aston Villa 32

20. Norwich City 29

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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Updated: October 15, 2025, 1:56 PM