Most of us can do little about the daily developments in the Covid-19 crisis except to take precautions and get on with life. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should not consider how things have changed and will continue to change once the pandemic begins to fade.
Some aspects of former life may vanish altogether or be so radically changed that they become unrecognisable. Others may require urgent attention, like the impact of the pandemic on issues close to my heart: conservation of the world’s environment and the preservation of heritage.
Last week, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund issued results of a survey of more than 300 conservationists in 85 countries carried out with the small conservation organisations whose work they help to fund. It was a gloomy picture. Many such bodies are dependent on tourism to help finance their activities. With the dip in visitors, their income has naturally been affected.
The organisations supported by the MBZ Fund are all fairly small. Much larger conservation bodies too whose work is of global significance have suffered badly. The Zoological Society of London, for example, a leader in the international conservation field, is on the verge of bankruptcy because of the closure of its main money-earners, London and Whipsnade Zoos.
In my other home of Jersey, the world-renowned Durrell Wildlife Preservation Trust has suffered similarly from the closure of its zoo for most of the spring and summer. Although it has reopened there are far fewer visitors than normal. With income taking a hit, bodies like these will be left with much less to spend on conservation.
Institutions devoted to heritage are in a similar state. The 174-year-old Sussex Archaeological Society, the oldest body of its kind in England, has warned that it may have to cease operations at its various attractions as the result of the lockdown. So far, it has lost an estimated £1 million (Dh4.8m) in entrance fees. Among its properties is the 1,900-year old Roman palace at Fishbourne in West Sussex, the largest Roman building known in Europe north of the Alps. What a tragedy it would be if that were to close.
With income taking a hit, bodies like these will be left with much less to spend on conservation
Also in the UK, the Birmingham Museums Trust has issued an urgent appeal, noting that it is being forced to plan substantial job losses and reductions in the services it can offer through its nine museums and heritage centres. Among those services are special sessions for more than 100,000 schoolchildren a year, teaching an awareness of history and heritage to the younger generation.
I have only given British examples but much the same applies to institutions involved in conservation and heritage elsewhere in the world. Some have already announced that they are closing their doors forever.
As we look forward to a time when Covid-19 becomes a memory, the world will face huge challenges. Re-employment, the alleviation of poverty, healthcare, in particular mental health, will require enormous sums of money and time to tackle effectively. Governments will face huge demands on their resources, while the plight of more needy countries will require international attention.
There will be more demands too on philanthropic and humanitarian organisations, at a time when resources will be more scarce.
In such a situation, how much priority can be given to support conservation? However much we realise the need to save wildlife and to move towards a more sustainable relationship between man and the environment, money may well be allocated to other causes.
I have no serious concerns about the recognition of the need to preserve and to teach the past in the Emirates. The lesson offered by the late Sheikh Zayed has been well learnt: “he who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future, for it is from the past that we learn.”
I am less certain, however, about other countries.
In the post-Covid-19 era, will the preservation of heritage and conservation be of sufficiently high priority? Or will the institutions, both government and voluntary, that have done so much to preserve and promote them over the years be left to wither upon the vine?
Governments, philanthropists, humanitarians and indeed all of us have some hard choices ahead. I wonder how our performance will be viewed by the generations to come. To quote Sheikh Zayed again: “These resources are not ours alone, they also belong to our children and their children."
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE's history and culture
SPECS
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
