A beach clean-up by volunteers, to help prepare for the Hawksbill turtle nesting season on Saadiyat Island, has cleared 156 kilograms of rubbish.
The clearance was attended by Dr Hind Al Ameri, assistant scientist in marine species, who leads the marine turtle conservation programme at Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi.
More than 400 people took part in the programme, led by Cranleigh Abu Dhabi schoolteacher Simon Johnson, with some also entering a five-kilometre fun run on the beach that was cleared.
They removed microplastics, traffic cones, debris from boats, building materials and general shipping, which had washed up on parts of the idyllic beaches near Jumeirah Saadiyat International Resort, where Mr Johnson also hosts a regular running club.
He said among the tiny plastic bits were nurdles. The pre-production pellets are the size of a small pea and a menace to the world’s oceans.
“Once you know what you are looking for the small plastics are easy to spot,” he said.
“We collected around 5,000-10,000 of these small nurdles, they are a raw material used in plastic manufacturing.”
In 2021, one of the worst maritime environmental disasters of recent years occurred when the X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and sank off Sri Lanka, spilling about 1,680 tonnes of plastic pellets into the Indian Ocean.
The effects are still being felt around the world, with plastic washing up on beaches such as those around Saadiyat.
Beaches there are home to several turtle nesting areas, with four productive nests situated on the Jumeirah Saadiyat resort, one which yielded some 95 hatchlings in 2022.
The small balls of plastic used for manufacturing are confused by the turtles for fish eggs, and one ingested can have devastating consequences.
“The turtle nesting season is April to July but the plastic content of the beach was still quite high,” said Mr Johnson.
“During the season I work closely with the Environment Agency to patrol the beach to check on the turtles. Jumeirah has a strong environmental image so it is a good message to promote.
“We covered an area of around 5.5km from east to west, so the majority of the beach was cleared.
“In 2020, we collected 60kg of rubbish, so this year we picked up significantly more, which had washed up.”
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
