Almost a quarter of the world’s migratory birds are at risk and could eventually face extinction, a new report has revealed.
And mankind is to blame, according the State of the World’s Birds survey, which points the finger at illegal hunting, loss of vital feeding and breeding grounds to agriculture, pesticides and poor environmental practices.
Illegal hunting takes the lives of between 12 and 38 million birds every year.
The major culprits were Italy, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, where more than 15 million birds are estimated to be killed annually.
"The magic of birds has been astounding humanity over hundreds of years," said Patricia Zurita, the chief executive of BirdLife International, which commissioned the study.
“But we are making it very difficult for them. The trends are extremely concerning.”
The report was released on the first day of the Global Summit for the Flyways, a major international gathering in Abu Dhabi that will examine in detail the challenges facing birds and offer possible solutions for protecting populations.
Flyways are the paths used by migratory birds as they fly thousands of miles and across continents with the changing of the seasons.
Flyways exist on every continent, with some species passing the entire length of north and south America and from Siberia down to the southernmost tip of Africa. Migrations typically take place in the spring and autumn, with numbers in the billions.
One of the most famous is the Arctic Tern, which breeds in the Arctic but winters in the Antarctic, with some individuals travelling over 80,000 kilometres in a single year.
The UAE and the Arabian Peninsula is an important stage in several flyways, with birds passing en-route from countries like India and Russia to Africa.
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Read more:
The UAE hunting resort that allows visitors to kill wildlife - for a price
UAE's hunters agree that endangered wildlife must be protected
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The UAE is also home to a number of migratory birds, as part of the Asian-East African flyway, which spans 64 countries and over 300 species.
They include the greater flamingo, which arrives from Centra Asia and Iran and sometimes breeds in the UAE, and the hoopoe. which ranges across Europe and northern Asia but likes to winter in the tropics
Tris Allinson, the editor in chief of the report and senior global science officer at BirdLife, said industrial farming is wiping out hedges and small groups of trees essential to thriving bird populations, while some modern pesticides can disrupt migratory birds' ability to navigate.
“Increasingly, we are even seeing birds that not long ago were familiar and widespread becoming at risk.” Mr Allinson said.
Nearly 1,500 species could now be considered at risk, he added, representing one in eight in the world.
In other places, coastal wetlands, which provide food for wading birds, were being lost to development while even clean energy projects like wind turbines were killing birds as they attempted to fly past them.
“There are a multitude of causes,” Mr Allinson said. “But unfortunately all are the result of humanity’s making.”
BirdLife International brings together around 120 organisations from all over the world with an interest in protecting birds.
The four day conference will examine in detail all the challenges, and aims to produce a declaration of intent to protect birds worldwide at its conclusion.
As well as providing a sanctuary for many species of wild birds, the UAE has led efforts to protect the houbara, a member of the bustard family traditionally hunted with falcons, but whose numbers had dramatically fallen in many of its native countries.
Efforts to save the houbara began with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan in the 1970s, said Al Al Shamsi, a senior specialist at the International Fund for Houbara Conservation, which is based in Abu Dhabi.
Since they had established breeding programmes in Abu Dhabi, Morocco and Kazakstan for both the Asian and North African houbara.
More than 59,000 houbara have now been released back into the wild in 14 countries.
This success could be a model for similar programmes for other species elsewhere, said Mr Al Shamsi.
“We can give all of our knowledge on the houbara projects,” he said. “This is our big chance to pass on our message to all people.”
Khaled Irani, the chairman of BirdLife and president of The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan, said protecting wild birds could bring economic benefits to countries.
The Jordan Rift Valley was an important flyway from Turkey to Africa, he said, and attracted a growing number of eco-tourists and bird watchers looking for upmarket hotels and local guides. “In most protected areas they are the largest employers,” he said.
The Flyway Summit is a “huge opportunity” for conservationists and concerned organisations to agree on a common approach, said Ms Zurita.
It was also a chance to tell the world that birds were in danger. “People don’t realise,” she said. “The biggest part of the problem is a lack of awareness.”
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
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
Honeymoonish
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Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
