In recent weeks, the UAE has made international news in a variety of ways, generating enormous media coverage. Much of that has been related to international politics and the US-brokered Abraham Accord, while attention has also been paid to the steps being taken to enable the economy to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, there has been relatively little attention paid to a rather remarkable scientific discovery, the presence here for a couple of weeks of one of the world’s rarest birds, a Steppe Whimbrel.
As The National reported last week, a migrant Steppe Whimbrel was found on the Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, staying for at least a couple of weeks, apparently, before it moved onwards on its migration route to Southern Africa.
Internationally, the announcement of the bird’s discovery by two local birdwatchers, Oscar Campbell and Simon Lloyd, generated a flurry of attention in conservation circles.
Posts on social media attracted thousands of viewings, not just in the Middle East but as far away as China and North America. The story even made it on to CNN’s Arabic Service, reaching tens of thousands more.
Just for a bird? But this was a rather unusual bird.
Steppe Whimbrels are the rarest of the five sub-species of a bird called a Whimbrel, whose most common sub-species is a regular migrant through the UAE. Steppe Whimbrels, though, always rare, were declared extinct in 1994, before being discovered again in 1997. There are believed to be only around 100 of them in the world, breeding in Southern Russia and migrating to Southern Africa, where a few have been seen in recent years.
The Saadiyat bird was a young bird, a juvenile, born earlier this year and therefore proving that breeding is still taking place.
The sighting is even more significant because a juvenile has not previously been seen in the field anywhere in the world. Hence the delight of the two finders. I am personally in their debt, because they tipped me off and I was able to see it too. It was a “Mega-Mega", in birdwatching terminology.
The excitement, though, has spread throughout much of the global conservation community, since it shows that there may still be an opportunity to save this highly-endangered bird from extinction.
The sighting draws attention to the valuable work of the UAE's various conservation organisations at a global level
If there is to be a realistic chance of doing that, a major international effort will be required.
The migration cycle takes the birds from Southern Russia to Mozambique and back. If a conservation strategy is to be prepared, further studies will be needed in its Russian breeding grounds, in its wintering quarters in Southern Africa and along its migration route. We now know, for the first time, that the UAE lies on that route.
Fortuitously, studies in Mozambique are already being supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. The managing director, Razan Al Mubarak, has noted of the Saadiyat discovery that: “This is a perfect example of why supporting conservation projects for migrating birds is so important.”
The Steppe Whimbrel may not be a particularly stunning bird, except for dedicated birdwatchers. It offers, however, a good example of one of the key aspects of conservation. Many species of fauna migrate over land, like the great animal herds of East Africa. Birds can migrate over the sea, too, while fish and marine mammals like whales migrate within the oceans. To be effective, conservation needs to take an approach that not only preserves individual habitats, and the species within them, but also to take a trans-border, trans-continental view.
Individual enthusiasts, local and international non-governmental organisations and governments all have a key role to play.
Fortunately, from the earliest days of conservation in the Emirates, that kind of approach has been implemented. The decision by Sheikh Zayed to ban the hunting of houbara in the Emirates, for example, arose out of his recognition that the species needed protection in its wintering grounds.
Today, the Abu Dhabi-based International Fund for Houbara Conservation works to develop conservation programmes across the whole of the range states of the species, from Mongolia to the Emirates.
At sea, our Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, houses the secretariat of a multinational Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation of the endangered dugong. The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund supports research and conservation programmes around the globe.
The global conservation challenge is a complex task, with many little pieces making up the whole.
It is rare, of course, that a particular observation of a single bird migrating through Abu Dhabi, seen by very few people, can make a significant contribution to conservation.
“Our” Steppe Whimbrel, though, does that partly because of its widely-recognised importance in terms of new information about that particular, highly-endangered sub-species.
At the same time, the excitement generated by the sighting helps to draw attention to the valuable work of the UAE’s various conservation organisations at a global level.
It is a welcome piece of good news in what has been a somewhat challenging year.
Peter Hellyer is a UAE cultural historian and columnist for The National
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Naga
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Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Results
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
Ferrari
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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