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REPORT WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2017 NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SECTION DUBAI MUNICIPALITY, ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT
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Page 1: REPORT WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2016 · REPORT . WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2017 ... European Turtle Dove, ... - Apply SWOT analysis for the wintering sites for each migratory bird species.

REPORT

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2017 NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SECTION DUBAI MUNICIPALITY, ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 2

2. WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2017 ............................................................................. 3

2.1 World Migratory Bird Day Seminar For Professionals .............................................. 3

2.2 Workshop for Schools.............................................................................................. 5

2.3 Social Media Awareness Drive ................................................................................. 6

3. OUTREACH AND MARKETING ......................................................................................... 7

4. FEEDBACK ON WMBD SEMINAR .................................................................................... 8

5. MEDIA COVERAGE ........................................................................................................ 13

6. PICTURE GALLERY ......................................................................................................... 18

6.1 World Migratory Bird Day 2017 Seminar for Professionals ................................... 18

6.2 Workshop for Schools ............................................................................................ 18

7. ANNEXURE .................................................................................................................... 20

Annex 1: World Migratory Bird Day 2017 Poster ......................................................... 20

Annex 2: List of organizations that attended the event. .............................................. 21

Annex 3: World Migratory Bird Day Info-graphics ....................................................... 22

Annex 4: School Workshop Outcomes ......................................................................... 24

Annex 5: List of Conservation programmes initiated by Dubai Municipality ............... 28

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1. INTRODUCTION The Natural Resources Conservation Section of Dubai Municipality’s Environment Department sustains its ancient commitment to World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) every year which started in 2007. World Migratory Bird Day 2017 came as another year of exciting workshops and activities in collaboration with the Awareness Section of the Environment Department, highlighting the theme “Their Future is our Future – A Healthy Planet for People and Migratory Birds.” The theme rings true for Dubai which hosts approximately 270 bird species in Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, linking people with the nature and promoting the importance of sustainable management of Dubai’s natural resources by emphasizing conservation of birds for the future of

the mankind.

Migratory birds play a significant role in Dubai’s sustainable development and prosperity. This year’s theme is important for the country as it is linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals agreed by United Nations and migratory birds on a global scale, and Dubai is at the forefront in achieving these goals. Following the ascension of United Arab Emirates as the 123rd member state of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in year 2016, Dubai Municipality continued to advocate for the convention at local level by promoting World Migratory Bird Day through environmental awareness activities; and by initiating several conservation programmes for the conservation of migratory species such as bird counts and bird ringing in the protected areas of Dubai. (See full list of Dubai Municipality programmes in Annex 5.)

Dubai Municipality has made tremendous efforts in conservation of migratory birds by giving protection to the critical arid-zone wetland in the emirates, Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, a Ramsar Site of global importance and Important Bird Area indentified by the Bird Life International. The sanctuary serves as a safe haven for variety of plants and animals, particularly for migratory birds that undertake exhausting journeys to find refuge in the sanctuary during the winter. Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary has set up a benchmark in best conservation practices and awarded as the Best Protected Area in the Gulf, 2015.

Plate 1: UAE Ambassador Bird Species 2017

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2. WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2017 This year Dubai Municipality celebrated World Migratory Bird Day by organizing a seminar targeted at different local and international experts in the field of environment and conservation. The workshop was also redesigned for schools to introduce the concept of flyways among the youth of Dubai, and provide an experience of workshops of professional setting to ages 12 and above. The celebrations focused on the flyways of eight UAE ambassador species (Plate 1) and the perilous journey they undertake by applying SWOT Analysis, these included: Greater Spotted Eagle, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Greater Flamingo, Black-Tailed Godwit, Osprey, European Turtle Dove, Sooty Falcon and Common Mallard.

2.1 World Migratory Bird Day Seminar For Professionals World Migratory Bird Day 2017 seminar advocated for the eight UAE Ambassador bird species by introducing the concept of flyways. The event included a series of presentation by local and international experts in the field of ornithology and conservation who were invited as speakers. The Head of Natural Resources Conservation Section, Ms Aisha Almurr Al Muhery, commenced the celebrations welcoming the audience and praising their commitment towards conservation activities initiated by Dubai Municipality. The speakers: Mr. Lyle Glowka, Dr. Reza Khan and Esmat El Faki Mohammed Elhassan shared experiences from different aspects showcasing interesting perspectives and unique blend of knowledge in the conservation of migratory birds.

The workshop by Dr. Junid N. Shah applied the SWOT analysis on three different phases of the migration of birds i.e. the flyway itself, the breeding ground and the wintering sites.

A total of 50 participants were recorded this year (Annex 2). The venue was the Falcon Heritage and Sports center which volunteers every year to provide a forum to the Environment Department for WMBD celebrations. Falcon Heritage and Sports Centre has previously served as a suitable venue not only because of excellent auditorium facilities for workshops; but also continuously being a committed partner in organizing various seminars and workshops for the Environment Department, providing staff support and technical assistance during the event.

The Speakers As a result of careful research on the relevant speakers and after several correspondence, the following speakers were invited to talk more about their work and experiences:

1) Mr. Lyle Glowka, Executive Coordinator at Convention on Migratory Species, Abu Dhabi Office, commended the long-standing observance of the World Migratory Bird Day by the Environment Department of Dubai Municipality as a statement of its loyalty towards the ideas behind AEWA-CMS. He shed more light on the objectives of the convention and the flyway concept which is the heart of the World Migratory Bird Day.

2) Dr. Reza Khan, Principal Specialist at Dubai Sarafi, informed about the historical records of Dubai’s interrelation with its migratory birds and the rare species that are recorded in the country over the years.

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3) Esmat ElFaki El Hassan, Senior Nature Conservation Officer at Natural Resources Conservation Section of Dubai Municipality, covered the efforts undertaken locally in the Emirates of Dubai, by sharing the results of the Bird Ringing Programme that was conducted by Dubai Municipality in the year 2014 till 2017.

The Workshop The workshop applied the “Strength – Weakness – Opportunities – Threats (SWOT) Analysis” approach which was conducted by Dr. Junid Shah, Senior Nature Conservation Officer. The audience broke out into groups, each analyzing the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for specific ambassador species.

SWOT analysis is a concept used by decision makers to share and compare ideas, bringing clear common purpose and understanding of the factors for success. It can be a useful tool in conservation of migratory bird species as it helps in assessing the factors linked to the success and failure of the conservation practices and allowing complex ideas to be represented systematically which can be easily comprehended by all the stakeholders involved.

The following guideline questions were presented to the audience to help in the analysis process:

- Apply SWOT analysis for the flyways covered by each migratory bird species. - Apply SWOT analysis for the wintering sites for each migratory bird species. - Apply SWOT analysis for the breeding grounds for each migratory bird species.

Workshop Outcomes The brainstorming resulted in interesting ideas and recommendations. Most of the working groups identified awareness, multilateral agreements, enforcement of legislations and protection of protected areas as the main opportunities in the conservation of migratory birds along their flyways. The main threats were identified as lack of awareness, illegal taking and trading and lack of international co-operation. Whereas, for each species different strengths and weaknesses were indentified depending on their physiology, flyway patterns and breeding behavior.

The below opportunities were presented:

- Multilateral Agreements - Awareness and Education - Policy and Legislation - Designation of Protected Areas - Building Capacity - Non-Transparency - Engagement

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2.2 Workshop for Schools Dubai Municipality replicated and simplified the workshop to introduce the concept of SWOT Analysis in determining flyways among students of ages 12 and above, as a result of which 150 students were empowered. Total of four schools attended the seminar on May 11, 2017 including: Gulf Indian High School, Al Afiya School, Al Ameen Private School and Oxford School Dubai.

The youth is the future of any country, and the theme “Their Future is our Future” well suits the younger generations who will act as pioneers in the sustainable development of United Arab Emirates. In order to empower youth and build their capacities for advocacy of migratory birds, Dubai Municipality created this special opportunity for schools to provide first-hand experience of professional workshops, which will give students an idea on practices followed by conservation professionals and prepare them for their future careers in conservation. The workshop was also designed to instill conservation philosophy and methodologies which are applied in the professional level which aimed to stimulate the thinking capacity of the students. Moreover, the workshop proved to be an inter-school networking opportunity and a team building exercise of one of its kind in the Dubai region. The Natural Resources Conservation Section aims to initiate several such activities to promote environmental education and encourage participatory approach in schools.

The seminar also witnessed the cacophony of students who were then divided into groups for an engaging team-building exercise that required solving a jick-saw puzzle of the eight local ambassador bird species.

The workshop resulted in interesting ideas suggested by the students represented into a diagram (see Annex 4). The students were provided a chance to present their outcomes on stage in order to hone their leadership capacity. The workshop proved to be an excellent experiential learning opportunity through interactions with other students and conservation experts of Dubai Municipality. It provided an opportunity focusing on professional management and developing skills like advocacy and communications. The below opportunities were identified by the students:

- Raise awareness about conservation of birds - Reduce water pollution - Habitat Restoration - Contracting party to international conventions

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2.3 Social Media Awareness Drive The Awareness Section of Dubai Municipality conducted a social media awareness drive (Plate 2) on Dubai Municipality Instagram, Twitter and Facebook platform which provided more details about the eight local ambassador species including their global numbers, population trends, flyways and habitats. By conducting such social media drive Dubai Municipality reached a total of 67 Thousand followers on Instagram, 98,500 followers on Twitter and 296,608 followers on Facebook.

Plate 2: WMBD Social Media Statistics

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3. OUTREACH AND MARKETING An email invitation was sent to the previous participants and professionals who indicated interest in the events organized by Dubai Municipality’s Environment Department. To ensure confirmation from participants, several follow ups with the invitees were carried out over a telephone call.

Dubai Municipality promoted the event by updating screens at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary (See Annex 1) which is an ideal location to attract several bird enthusiast, environment professionals, and other professionals who care about nature and the environment. The event was also published on the Dubai Municipality’s desktop which is viewed across the organization by all departments, an electronically generated invitation through the Knowledge Department and invitation to all staff through SMS message on mobile phones.

The Social Media Awareness not only proved to be effective in educating and raising awareness of the migratory birds but also as a great marketing tool to attract people and participants for the different WMBD activities organized by Dubai Municipality and acted as a medium for invitations and interesting information on WMBD. (Please see section 2.3).

As a part of the awareness, infographics of the eight local Ambassador species was created which was distributed to participants during the seminar and in various schools of Dubai (See Annex 3).

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Neutral20%

Agree47%

Strongly agree33%

1.2 The event provided valuable insights

Neutral27%

Agree33%

Strongly agree40%

1.3 The event was an opportunity to network

Neutral7%

Agree20%

Strongly agree73%

1.4 The venue was appropriate for this event

4. FEEDBACK ON WMBD SEMINAR Dubai Municipality values the feedback and suggestions from its supporters that helps the Natural Resources Conservation Section to improve the experience and quality of the events it organizes. The feedback is used to enhance the quality of services provided by Dubai Municipality and generate new ideas from its audience. It provides useful insights on what the supporter’s expectations are and areas of improvement for a quality experience for the audience.

4.1 General feedback A general questionnaire (Figure 1) regarding the seminar and workshop content was circulated amongst the participants with 60% strongly agreed that overall the forum was well organized and 53% strongly agreed that they found the event useful. 33% strongly agreed that the seminar provided valuable insights in the discussed topics and its application, 40% strongly agreed that the forum was an opportunity to network with influential individuals from the business community, and 73% strongly agreed that the venue was appropriate for the event. The below graph represents the complete statistics.

Figure 1: Graphical representation of general feedback on the seminar

Neutral7%

Agree40%

Strongly agree53%

1.1 Found the event useful

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Neutral7%

Agree33%Strongly

agree60%

1.6 Overall, the event was well organized

Disagree7% Neutral

13%

Agree40%

Strongly agree40%

1.5 The presentation were able to keep my interest

Strongly Disagree

12%

Agree38%

Strongly agree50%

The presenter used effective presentation techniques

2.2

Strongly Disagree

12%

Agree13%

Strongly agree75%

2.1 The presenter was knowledgeable

4.2 Feedback on workshop The audience actively took part in workshop discussion (Figure 2) with 75% strongly agreed that the presenter was knowledgeable, 50% strongly agreed that the material covered was relevant to their role and 50% strongly agreed that the material covered was relevant to their area of business. The below graphical representation summarizes the complete statistics of the questionnaire on the workshop contents.

Figure 2: Graphical representation of feedback on workshop contents.

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Strongly Disagree

12%

Agree38%

Strongly agree50%

2.3 The contents were relevant to my role

Strongly Disagree

12%

Agree38%

Strongly agree50%

2.4 The contents were relevant to my area of business

Agree20%

Strongly agree80%

3.1 The presenter was knowledgeable in the area

Neutral7%

Agree33%Strongly

agree60%

The presenter used effective presentation techniques

3.2

Disagree7% Neutral

7%

Agree33%

Strongly agree53%

3.3 The content was relevant to my role

Neutral20%

Agree40%

Strongly agree40%

3.4 The content was relevant to my area of business

4.3 Feedback on Presenter no. 1 The below graphs (Figure 3) show that 80% strongly agreed that the presenter was knowledgeable on the contents covered, 60% strongly agreed that the presenter used effective presentation techniques and 53% strongly agreed that the material covered was relevant to their role.

Figure 3: Graphical representation of feedback received on Presenter no. 1

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Neutral14%

Agree22%Strongly

agree64%

4.1 The presenter was knowledgeable

Neutral21%

Agree29%

Strongly agree50%

The presenter used effective presentation techniques

4.2

Disagree7%

Neutral21%

Agree43%

Strongly agree29%

4.3 The content was relevant to my role

Disagree7%

Neutral28%

Agree36%

Strongly agree29%

4.4 The content was relevant to my area of business

4.4 Feedback on Presenter no. 2 The below graphs (Figure 4) show that 64% strongly agreed that the presenter was knowledgeable on the contents he covered, 50% strongly agreed that the presenter used effective presentation techniques and 43% agreed that the material covered was relevant to their role.

Figure 4: Graphical representation of feedback on Presenter no.2

4.5 Feedback on Presenter no. 3 The below graphs (Figure 5) show that 67% strongly agreed that the presenter was knowledgeable on the contents he covered, 46% strongly agreed that the material covered was relevant to their role and 46% strongly agreed that the presentation was relevant to their area of business.

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Neutral6%

Agree27%

Strongly agree67%

5.1 The presenter was knowledgeable

Neutral27%

Agree33%

Strongly agree40%

The presenter used effective presentation techniques

5.2

Disagree7%

Neutral20%

Agree27%

Strongly agree46%

5.3 The content was relevant to my role Strongly

Disagree7%

Neutral20%

Agree27%

Strongly agree46%

5.4 The content was relevant to my area of business

Figure 5: Graphical representation of feedback on Presenter no. 3

4.6 Recommendations and suggestions for improvement The feedback received from the attendees noted that the seminar was effective and an opportunity to learn more about conservation of birds. Most of the attendees lauded the event and indicated interest to take part in future events organized by Dubai Municipality. Some attendees indicated they would like to see such seminars for the conservation of marine life. However, it was noted that involvement of university students is vital to events like this one as it brings innovative ideas in solving issues related to conservation and sustainability. Dubai municipality values the feedback from its attendees and will take them into consideration to improve the quality of services in the future events. The suggestions received are recorded and will be presented in the staff meeting where Dubai Municipality will identify the areas of improvements as per its customers expectations.

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5. MEDIA COVERAGE World Migratory Bird Day 2017 was promoted on Dubai Municipality’s social media with 18 postings in total; were it reached total of 16 likes on Twitter (Plate 5), 769 likes on Instagram (Plate 4) and 128 likes on Facebook (Plate 6), respectively.(For complete Social Media statistics see Plate 3)

Several media newspapers covered the event including: Emirates 24/7 (Plate 7), The Gulf Today (Plate 8) and Al Bayan (Plate 9).

Plate 3: WMBD Social Media Statistics

likes: 16

Retweets: 5

Likes: 769

Comments: 6

likes: 128

Shares: 4

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Plate 4: Dubai Municipality Instagram Outreach

Plate 5: Dubai Municipality Twitter Outreach

Plate 6: Dubai Municipality Facebook Outreach

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Plate 7: Emirates 24/7 – 11 May 2017

See full report here:

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubai-municipality-celebrates-world-migratory-bird-day-2017-05-11-1.652780

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Plate 8: Gulf Today – 11th May 2017

See full report here: http://gulftoday.ae/portal/4e876a22-eb1e-44e5-98ff-55d9ea1a53cf.aspx

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Plate 9: Al Bayan – 12th May 2017

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7. ANNEXURE

Annex 1: World Migratory Bird Day 2017 Poster

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Annex 2: List of organizations that attended the event. S. No Organization

1 Dubai Safari Park

2

Atlantis The Palm

3

HDR Hydroqual

4 S.B

5 Dubai Aquarium and underwater zoo

6 Dubai Zoo

7 International Fund For Animal Welfare

8 Emirates Wildlife Society - WWF

9 X- Architects

10 Wildlife Protection Office

11

Dubai Natural history group

12 Al Ghurair University

13 Falcon Heritage and Sports Centre

14 CMS –UNEP, Abu Dhabi Office

15 The Heart of Europe

16 Al Naboodah Contracting Co.

17 SEA-YOU water sports

18 Royal Shaheen

19 Zayed University

20 Mohd Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund

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Annex 3: World Migratory Bird Day Info-graphics

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Annex 4: School Workshop Outcomes

Diagram by Group One

Diagram by Group Two

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Diagram by Group Three

Diagram by Group Four

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Diagram by Group Five

Diagram by Group Six

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Diagram by Group Seven

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Annex 5: List of Conservation programmes initiated by Dubai Municipality

Nature Education With the aim of enlightening its citizens on the value of the sanctuary as their natural heritage, Dubai Municipality introduced environmental education facilities at RAKWS that highlights the natural processes by which RAKWS will be sustained. Bird watch hides were put up for visitors to view the plants, animals and habitats in the area. The hides constitute the first step towards a comprehensive visitor education program. Visitors are officially allowed to enter the sanctuary and go to specific vantage points through the bird watch hides. Lectures and practical demonstrations are among the initiatives organized by the NRCS for the public to better appreciate the importance of everyone’s role in the environment.

Waterbird Ringing In order to understand the behavior of the avifaunal migratory species, bird ringing is being conducted in the RAKWS. Most of the species that were ringed so far are waders. A ringing project was launched in late 2013 by Natural Resources Conservation Section, Environment Department of Dubai Municipality aiming to tag migratory birds to determine their migratory pathways for better management of its habitats. Hundreds of various water birds were ringed /recaptured at the site during the last period.

Bird Counting Part of the regular surveys that are being conducted is the determination of the monthly population of the avifauna in the RAKWS and Al Marmoum Conservation Reserve.

Mangrove Density Survey The Mangrove Density Survey at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary confirmed that the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina is well established, supporting flourishing epifaunal communities (3,416 individuals per m2), bearing fruits, producing seedlings (213 per 100 m2) and spreading in the mid to upper intertidal zone of the conservation area. Mangroves at the RAKWS were generally characterized by a dense canopy (20 trees per 100 m2) of green leaves and fruits, and the mangroves’ health status was considered to be good, given the high density of trees, seedlings and saplings, absence of disease and epifaunal abundances recorded in the area.

Monitoring of Invasive species Dubai Municipality completed a survey on biological invasions which has become a prominent issue globally; records of which have increased more or less constantly over the last 200 years due to human activities. The survey aimed to identify and classify avifauna invasive species and their distribution in the protected areas; and its possible impacts on the communities in the Dubai region. The studies were conducted at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary (RAKWS) and Al Marmoum Desert Conservation Reserve mainly focusing on wintering birds.

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Coral Translocation at Jabal Ali Marine Sanctuary Translocation has been one of the main measures that is enforced by the Dubai Municipality for the conservation of the coral species in the emirates of Dubai. The study to determine the coral growth of translocated populations provides information on the area’s suitability as well as the species’ adaptability. The rate of growth also further determines the length of time of the population’s recovery period.

Invertebrate Survey at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is an important area to understand the role of invertebrates in wetland ecosystems. The extent of its biodiversity in the area is important in understanding the food chain and the dynamics of the population of the avifauna in the sanctuary. Forty-three (43) species of invertebrates were recorded by various studies conducted at RAKWS. The studies recorded fifteen (15) annelids, thirteen (13) snails, six (6) species of crabs, four (4) mollusks, two (2) tube worms, one (1) amphipod, one (1) lancelet, and one (1) barnacle.

Bat Survey at Jabal Nazwa Conservation Reserve The Natural Resources Conservation Section conducted a study on bats of Jabal Nazwa which is a unique combination of limestone rocks and sandy deserts. The study aimed to assess abundance and diversity of bats on site, to allocate bats roosting areas and key species and create biometrics.

Camera Traps at Al Hatta Mountain Conservation Reserve Camera traps were deployed in Hatta Mountain Conservation Reserve on 5th May 2016 and the first set of photos were retrieved on 14th December 2016 . For seven months or 223 trap nights, the cameras captured more than 1,600 photos. More than the wildlife, it also captured seasonal changes that the Hatta mountain was subjected upon.

Floral Biodiversity in Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary In the survey conducted by the Natural Resources Conservation Section, 22 species of flora were recorded during the 2016 survey. However, the mangrove areas have increased by approximately 7.5 hectares which is currently being regulated by the Natural Resources Conservation Section of Dubai Municipality.


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