The Ministry of Environment and Water welcomed a delegation from the Environment Public Authority in Kuwait to discuss ways to enhance their cooperation in wetland management and evaluate the effectiveness of natural resource management. The Kuwaiti delegates visited the UAE from April 26 to 28, 2015 to exchange experiences with their local counterparts and jointly collaborate in developing related programs and plans. The meeting between the Ministry and the Kuwaiti officials reflects the UAE’s strong commitment to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
During the discussions, Engineer Mariam Saeed Hareb, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Water Resources and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Environment and Water, emphasized the importance of strengthening the joint cooperation between the UAE and Kuwait in promoting and developing relevant programs related to wetland management. Hareb pointed out that ever since the country ratified the Ramsar Convention in 2007, five local sites with an area of more than 20,000 hectares have been identified as wetlands of international importance.
Hareb said that the GCC and the rest of the Middle East must continuously implement concerted efforts to protect wetlands, which are fundamental to ongoing biodiversity conservation efforts. Strong wetland conservation initiatives, he explained, will reflect positively on the states, promote values and related services, and deliver social, environmental and economic benefits. Hareb specifically pointed out the significance of coastal wetland areas, regional mangroves, salt marshes and tidal flats which characterize the UAE’s marine and coastal environment.
Hareb added that the Ministry has developed the national biodiversity strategy and the national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal environments in the UAE. Both strategies aim to protect these environments from natural and human disasters, with an ultimate goal of building harmonious co-existence between human beings and nature by 2021. The Ministry of Environment and Water seeks to increase society’s biological diversity awareness and integrate relevant concepts into planning and decision-making. Additionally, the Ministry keeps abreast of the latest global practices and innovations regarding conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to help in effectively developing local policies and legislations.
The meeting also discussed channels of cooperation between the two Arab countries in terms of wetland conservation in accordance with the Ramsar Convention as well as the implementation of electronic systems for monitoring protected areas. In addition, both parties talked about the evaluation process used to check the effectiveness of the country’s natural resource management as well as the objectives of the ‘Blue Carbon Project.’
As part of their three-day visit to the UAE, the Kuwaiti delegates also joined a field trip to the Ras Al Khor protected area which boasts of marshes, tidal flats and vast islands and is also the location of the country’s Migratory Bird Center. The foreign officials visited the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi as well. The reserve, a popular tourist attraction, contains rich natural and artificial water sources.
On the last day, the delegation thanked the Ministry for the warm welcome and smooth coordination of the visit. The Kuwaiti nationals said their trip to the country was fruitful and praised the UAE for its significant achievements in protecting its wetlands and natural resources.
During its government creativity lab in November 2014, the Ministry adopted two important creative initiatives to protect both the country’s wetlands and biological diversity, which are among the main objectives of its national biodiversity strategy. The two initiatives are the UAE Smart Map of Natural Capital and the National Program of Sustainable Wildlife.