The Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai has been listed as the only protected wetland in the UAE that falls under the Convention on Wetlands.

The convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, was ratified officially by the UAE government last year.

Announcing this, director of environment department at Dubai Municipality Hamdan Al Shaer said officials from the department have attended recently the Asian Regional Preparatory Meeting of the Convention on Wetlands in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting was held from January 14 to 18, 2008, in preparation for the 10th Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP10), which will take place in Changwon, Republic of Korea later this year.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, said an official spokesman.

There are presently 157 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1,708 wetland sites, totaling 153 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Al Shaer said the Ras Al Khor Sanctuary, located at the far end of the Dubai Creek, is one of the few urban protected areas in the world recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the BirdLife International.

This sanctuary is established by fulfilling all the standard criteria of   protected areas defined by IUCN –the World Conservation Union.

He noted that the sanctuary is a safe haven for a variety of plants, animals and birds, which are challenged by the demanding climatic regime, the geology and other physical conditions.

'Being within the urban area, the sanctuary was always under regular anthropogenic threats and pressures. Driven by its strong commitment to protect the invaluable treasure of flora and fauna, Dubai Municipality has launched the Ras Al Khor Sanctuary as its prime strategic project. A series of measures including the enactment of comprehensive laws and statutory regulations for the protection of the sanctuary and ensuring sustainable development have been taken,' he said.

The sanctuary, which supports high species concentration and diverse ecosystems, is the first wildlife sanctuary in the Emirate of Dubai. Covering a 6.2 sq km-area surrounded by a buffer zone, the Sanctuary holds approximately 266 species of fauna and 47 species of flora.

The existence of various ecosystems within the sanctuary - mangroves, mudflats, lagoons, sabkhas, reed beds and shrub lands – contributes to rich biological diversity; as these support a variety of plants, insects, mollusks, fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The majestic Flamingoes in the background of lush green mangroves are most visible and attractive natural features of the sanctuary.

It supports a rich invertebrate fauna, mainly consisting of polychaete worms, mollusks, and brachyuran crabs. The sanctuary is also the central attraction for bird watching and nature tourism in UAE. – TradeArabia News Service