Many years ago, growing up in the delightful English county of Sussex, I came to love the environment around me. Perhaps that was in part because my father was a gardener and author of gardening books while my mother was a biology teacher, but the birds and other animals, the trees and the flowers of the meadows and woodlands fascinated me. As I got older, I began to shoot, wandering unobtrusively around, learning where to wait for pigeons coming in to roost or how to catch a wary rabbit unawares.
I never actually killed much, although I occasionally supplemented my pocket money with small sums given for killing a rabbit that was raiding my father’s vegetable patch or that ever-present pest, a grey squirrel.
As the years passed, I no longer had the opportunity to go shooting and it has been decades since I have done so. The love of nature that I learned, though, has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps that is why I have always believed that it's perfectly understandable that many of those who hunt, whether with the gun, the falcon or the fishing rod, can, at the same time, be passionate supporters of conservation. Many leading conservationists still engage in hunting in some form.
It was, therefore, with considerable interest that I attended the Summit for the Flyways conference held in Abu Dhabi last week. Organised by international conservation charity BirdLife International, it was hosted by the International Foundation for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) which, at its heart, has the objective of increasing wild populations of the houbara bustard so that it will be possible to continue sustainable hunting with falcons.
Falconry is unpopular among much of the birdwatching community. How, I wondered, would it be possible for a collection of people with such different views to come together amicably to discuss ways of tackling threats to the world’s birds?
Yet among both dedicated conservationists who had never hunted in their lives and those who have a passion for pastimes like falconry, as well as for conserving the environment and wildlife, there was an evident willingness to engage and share ideas, proposals and the results of research.
Just over 40 years ago, I attended the first International Conference on Falconry and Conservation, held in Abu Dhabi and convened by the late Sheikh Zayed. It would have been almost unthinkable then for the same kind of dialogue I witnessed last week between falconers and non-hunting conservationists to have taken place. The debate on conservation, though, has moved on and, as with much else within the Emirates, the implementation here of Sheikh Zayed’s own vision, in this case for sustainable hunting, has played a part.
The discussion of an action plan to conserve the saker falcon, much prized by Arab falconers, provided a good example. Over the last 20 years, as the managing director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), Mohammed Al Bowardi, noted, the world population of the species has dropped by about 50 per cent, partly because of the taking of falcons but also because of habitat loss and electrocution by power lines.
In Mongolia a programme to erect special nesting boxes, run jointly by EAD and local authorities, has led to a substantial increase in the saker population. A highlight of the last day of the conference was the announcement of a new Mohammed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund. Its first initiative is the allocation of $1 million as seed money for a new campaign to bring conservationists, governments and electricity companies together to find a solution to the problem of bird mortality caused by power lines. Both projects might be of benefit for falconers but there are major benefits for conservation too.
Differing views on falconry and other forms of hunting will not disappear nor, indeed, should one expect them to do so. Millions of birds are still killed or trapped by illegal hunting every year, although it is encouraging to note that preliminary estimates suggest the UAE has the best record in the region, thanks to effective implementation of legislation. Around the world, however, the concept of sustainable hunting is now much more widespread than it was four decades ago, as well as understanding of the way in which it can contribute to conservation.
At the conference, conservationists of all kinds seem to have made major progress in pursuit of a shared commitment to protecting the world’s bird species, one in eight of which is now globally threatened. Looking ahead, the UAE seems set to continue to play its part. As a former hunter, now primarily a bird-lover, that is something I welcome.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
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Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
