The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is a governmental agency established in 1996 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) tasked with

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

matters in the

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi (, , or ; ar, إِمَارَةْ أَبُوظَبِي , ) is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is by far the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area o ...

History

In 1989, the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) was established as a conservation, research and captive breeding organisation in Abu Dhabi. In 1996, it was renamed the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA). In 2005, ERWDA became known as the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and was chaired by the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirate ...

. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is chaired by Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Vice Chairman is Mohamed Ahmed Al Bowardi.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak ( ar, رزان خليفة المبارك) is the Managing Director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund as well as the current president of the International Un ...

, is the Managing Director and Board Member. The Secretary General is Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri and the Deputy Secretary General is Dr. Jaber Eidha Al Jaberi. EAD has its main headquarters in the city of Abu Dhabi, with an office in

Al Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tawam (region), Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ...

city. In 2000, the

Scimitar-horned oryx The scimitar oryx (''Oryx dammah''), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is a ''Oryx'' species that was once widespread across North Africa. In 2000, it was declared extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List. A captive bre ...

was officially declared extinct in the wild by the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

. Beginning in 2016, efforts by the EAD together with the

Sahara Conservation Fund The Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) is an international non-governmental organization established in 2004 to conserve the wildlife, including the endangered species, of the Sahara desert and bordering Sahelian grasslands.

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution located on a campus located just outside the town of Front Royal, Virginia. An extension of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the SCBI has played ...

, and the

Government of Chad The Government of Chad has been ruled by Mahamat Déby since 20th April 2021. The Republic of Chad maintains an embassy in the United States at 2401 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. Cabinet See also * Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ch ...

have successfully released 200 oryx that were bred in Abu Dhabi into the wild in Chad. In 2017, the reintroduction effort reported a number of successes including the first calves born in the wild in decades. The EAD has also undertaken a successful captive breeding programme and reintroduction efforts to reintroduce the

Arabian oryx The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus ''Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas o ...

back into the wild. The Arabian oryx has moved from "Endangered" to the less-serious category of "Vulnerable" in the latest Red List of Threatened Species by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN). and in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate.

Films

The agency has produced documentary films including: * ''Back to the Wild'' (2018) tells the story of the reintroduction of the previously extinct in the wild Scimitar Horned Oryx back into the wild in Chad. * ''Zayed's Antarctic Lights'' (2018) tells the story of three ambassadors who visited Antarctica in the Year of Zayed and sent a message to the world on climate change and plastics in solar lights. This film won a Bronze World Medal at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. * ''Our Sea. Our Heritage'' (2019) tells the story of the

traditional knowledge Traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK) and local knowledge generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local communities. According to the World Intellectual Property Organ ...

of the UAE fishery and the fishery's proposed recovery plan. * ''Our Sea. Our Future'' (2021) tells the story of the fisheries recovery in the UAE as a result of the regulations which were introduced. * ''Wild Abu Dhabi: The Turtles of Al Dhafra'' (2021) follows three agency scientists in their turtle conservation work in the warmest sea in the world, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

. This film won a finalist award in the 2021 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.

References

http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/uae67960E.pdf https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/law-no16-of-2005-pertaining-to-the-reorganization-of-the-abu-dhabi-environment-agency-lex-faoc067923/ https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/about-us/our-leadership https://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/africa/reintroducing-scimitar-horned-oryx-to-chad https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/discover-our-biodiversity/sheikh-zayed-protected-areas-network https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/about-us/what-we-do/conserve https://gulfnews.com/uae/environment/ead-launches-sustainable-campus-initiative-1.1342564 https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302829727 https://www.moccae.gov.ae/en/knowledge-and-statistics/marine-environment-and-fisheries-sustainability.aspx https://gulfnews.com/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-completes-worlds-largest-desalinated-water-reserve-1.2157536 https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/abu-dhabi-unveils-a-dh1-6bn-underground-reserve-for-desalinated-water-1.695643 {{Authority control Government agencies of Abu Dhabi