One of Abu Dhabi’s largest wetlands will reopen to the public from Friday after being closed for months because of the pandemic.
Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, known for its large population of greater flamingos, will receive visitors from 8am to 6pm until April 30. It will open daily except on Sundays and Mondays.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi said visitors will be expected to follow Covid-19 safety measures, such as wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distancing and following any other guidance issued inside the reserve.
To gain entry, visitors must also present a negative PCR test result received within the past month.
Children under 12 will not require a test result to enter the reserve.
Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is one of the first natural reserves to be established in Abu Dhabi. It was officially declared a protected area in 1998 by the UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed after proving an ideal habitat for migratory birds and a significant breeding site for the greater flamingo.
The reserve is home to more than 260 migratory bird species, including as many as 4,000 greater flamingos, as well as about 230 species of invertebrates, 11 mammals, 10 reptiles and 35 species of plant.
Since it opened to the public in October 2014, Al Wathba has attracted more than 20,000 visitors. Many are bird watchers, photography enthusiasts and others seeking to learn about the important species found in the reserve.
The reserve’s designated walking trails, of 1.5 and three kilometres, allow visitors to closely observe its natural habitats and wildlife. The reserve has a visitor centre, bird hide and a viewing platform.
Visitors can expect to encounter species including the black fat-tailed scorpion, greater spotted eagle, red fox, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard, desert monitor lizard, Cape desert hare and purple-blushed darter, a winged insect.
The reserve is the only site in the Arabian Gulf region where flamingos have bred regularly since 2011. EAD researchers discovered three species of invertebrate new to science in the reserve, including a gasteruptiid wasp and a type of cuckoo wasp.
The reserve was recognised in the 2013 as a Ramsar site – one designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention established by Unesco.
It was also the first place in the region to be added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature green list in 2018, joining 40 such sites around the world.
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
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Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
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He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets