PETER HELLYER first came to Abu Dhabi in 1975, to make documentary films for the late Sheikh Zayed. He has been a committee member of the ENHG since 1985 and is now a Life Member.  He was chairman for a couple of years around 1990-1991. He launched the group's peer-reviewed journal, Tribulus, in 1991 and has edited it ever since. He was the first recipient nearly twenty five years ago of the Jashanmal Annual Award for Natural History, the forerunner of the Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Award, which he has also received. He has written or edited a dozen books on the UAE's history, archaeology and natural history and was also a founder member over twenty years ago of the Emirates Bird Records Committee, of which he remains a member. Between 1991 and 2006, he was also Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS, finding numerous important archaeological and fossil sites throughout Abu Dhabi, often in collaboration with two other former Group Chairmen, Simon Aspinall and Drew Gardner. His current interests include birds and UAE history before the federation, topics that he often covers, besides politics, in his fortnightly columns for The National, while his official job is as Director of External Information and Research for the government's National Media Council He was given UAE citizenship by the President in 2010, for his contributions to knowledge of the country's heritage and natural history, and received the Abu Dhabi Award in 2014 His wife, Wafa, was Group Secretary for nearly a decade from the early 1990s. 

About the Speaker: Sean Parker was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1974. In 1977 the family relocated to the small coastal village of Umhlanga Rocks in Kwa Zulu-Natal where nature still abounded. Being able to watch wild dolphins from the front garden as well as having mongoose, vervet monkeys, Blue Duiker and a whole host of other animals in the area, instilled a deep love and passion for the Animal Kingdom. In 1997, Sean began his career with animals by starting off as a bird trainer at the Umgeni River Bird Park in Durban, South Africa. This show was the first free-flight bird show in Africa and focused on endangered African birds (Wattled Crane, Blue Crane, Crowned Crane, Southern Ground Hornbill and Cape Vulture). In addition, the show allowed guests to come face to face with exotic species such as Palm Cockatoos and various macaw species. In total there were over 30 different bird species in the show ranging from tiny owls, small raptors, large eagles, parrots, lorikeets, pelican and even Marabou Storks. During his time working with birds, Sean managed to do an internship in the United States and studied bird training and behavior with Steve Martin – not the actor. Wanting to experience more of South Africa and the incredible wildlife it offered, Sean studied guiding in 2001 and qualified as a guide though FGASA, where he spent the next few years living and working in the African bush. After working with the creatures of the air and terrestrial beasts, Sean wanted to fulfill a childhood dream of working with dolphins. In 2004 he was accepted into a position as an assistant trainer at uShaka Marine World in Durban, South Africa. In 2007, Sean accepted a position as a Marine Mammal Specialist in Dubai and is now an Associate Director for Marine Mammals. About the Presentation: The presentation will be a photographical journey through the Greater Kruger National Park. Brief information will be given on the history and the ecology of the park. The focus will be on leopard sightings and the differences in the behavior between leopard found on private land and those found in the public spaces. One if the private farms is known as the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, and it forms a part of the Western Boundary of the Greater Kruger National Park. The Public spaces in the Kruger National Park are able to be self-driven, and you may take your own vehicle or hire a vehicle to go and look for wildlife. There are many rules that apply to these self drive safaris, one of which is no off-roading. This means that if you see something interesting in the distance, it is impossible to get closer unless it moves towards the road. In the private reserves, you may not use your own vehicle, and here you need to go on organized trip in an open game viewer. The benefit of the game viewer is that you are able to follow an interesting sighting off-road. These organized drives are conducted by professional guides and are often accompanied by trained trackers who are able to find the animals based on the evidence they leave behind. The presentation will focus on the differences in behavior exhibited by a leopard with regards to the self-drive system with no off-roading and organized game drives where off-roading is allowed. It will highlight the differences in photographical opportunities and give the pros and cons of each.

There is more to Abu Dhabi than shopping malls and busy streets! With a significant and diverse coastline and a mix of terrestrial habitats inland, Abu Dhabi offers visitors and residents with the opportunity to explore natural habitats and sometimes observe their uniquely adapted species. Many of us go on our camping, diving and trekking adventures with a sense of responsibility and commitment to leave no trace. This consultation seeks to consolidate observations and opinions on the true definition of 'ecotourism' and on best outdoor practices to contribute towards a responsible adventuring guideline for Abu Dhabi. It's time to encourage all Abu Dhabi residents and visitors young and old to venture outside the city, get out there, discover, love and play a part in protecting Abu Dhabi's natural beauty . Please join and be part of the effort and add your voice. This discussion will take the form of an interactive workshop where participants will be encouraged to actively participate, voice their views and recount stories. The discussion will be jointly facilitated by Keith Taylor, ENHG-AD Chairman, and Nessrine Alzahlawi, ENHG-AD Online Outreach Coordinator.

·      The story behind the ADMCG and a word about the group’s members: “Inspired by the words of our late father Sheikh Zayed Bun Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Marine Conservation Group was founded by a group of environmentally aware young UAE nationals with the goal of raising awareness within the society about the marine life found in Abu Dhabi’s waters and highlighting the importance of conserving our fragile marine ecosystem.” ·      An overview of the group’s activities: §  Cleanups §  Sea turtle rescue §  Ghost net removal §  Awareness raising campaigns §  Reporting illegal actions to the CIPCA and EAD ·      Deploying Baited Remote Underwater Video System (BRUVS*) ·      The ADMCG’s use of social media for interaction with the community ·      Coastal cleanups: §  Saadiyat Beach §  Al Mughairah Beach §  Al Harmiya Beach §  Al Shuriya Island ·      A brief about the BRUVS research project, with short BRUVS videoclips ·      Ghost nets effect ·      Ways forward     ADMCG’s Vision: To sustain a healthy marine environment for future generations. ADMCG’s Mission: To raise awareness, engage the community and promote positive action towards Abu Dhabi’s marine life. What We Do: Most of ADMCG’s current work is based on individual efforts where our team members do the following: • Beach and underwater cleanups around Abu Dhabi's main island and western region. • Clean barnacle infested sea turtles, and release them back in the water. • Release any tangled marine mammals (Dolphins, Dugongs) or sea turtles found in nets. • Build artificial reefs to provide shelter for marine life in over fished areas. • Raise awareness within the community about the marine life found in the emirate and the threats it is facing. • Report illegal action to the CICPA (996).   Set up osprey nests around the coastal shores of Abu Dhabi, where many ospreys have lost their habitat and original nesting areas to coastal development  

Since the discovery of its fossil fuel wealth, the Arabian peninsula has rapidly developed in many ways. That includes the now many rich Arabs' rapport with wildlife as well as domesticated animals, illustrated here by camel races with robot jockeys and hunting training of falcons with remote-control airplane drawn lures. Marine wildlife is still exceptionally rich, despite Saddam's Gulf war petrol well arson. Despite clever use of technology and respect for nature, population growth, energy and water use well above world average constitute major ecological dangers.

The Emirates Natural History Group is hosting a casual after-dinner social event which is open to members and the general public. So, do come and join us in the elegant and relaxing ambiance of the Beach House rooftop bar at the Park Hyatt on Saadiyat Island for cool refreshing drinks and a genial chat about ENHG activities. This is the perfect opportunity for current members to share memorable experiences about past trips and activities with each other and, especially, “not-yet-members” who are interested in learning more, or are just curious, about the group. Tuesday’s event begins at 7 p.m. and ends when the last person leaves (no charge for entry – drinks charged individually).

ENHG brings you a screening of the second part of the excellent and beautifully shot documentary series BBC Wild Arabia . If you have not seen this series yet, you won't want to miss it.  ''In a remote corner of southern Arabia one mountain range holds a remarkable secret. Swept by the annual Indian Ocean monsoon, the Dhofar mountains become a magical lost world of waterfalls and cloud forests filled with chameleons and honey-badgers. Off-shore rare whales that have not bred with any others for over 60 thousand years and green sea turtles come ashore in their thousands, shadowed by egg-stealing foxes. Heat-seeking cameras reveal, for the first time ever, striped hyenas doing battle with Arabian wolves. Meanwhile local researchers come face to face with the incredibly rare Arabian leopard."

Iran’s mountains provide one of Asia’s securest habitats for big cats, and the country is home to eight species.  However, those same mountains also make research very difficult and exciting, and so we’re pleased to be getting a report from the front line of that research. Iranian Mohammad Farhadinia has been engaged in wild cat conservation since the age of 16, and studied the Asiatic cheetah and the Persian leopard while at the University of Tehran.  Mohammad has established and worked with various study and conservation organizations for which he has also received a number of national and international awards and has recently joined Oxford University to pursue further research. Mohammad Farhadinia’s presentation to the ENHG-AD on March 3rd will begin with a brief overview of the work of the Iranian Cheetah Society and will then focus in on his doctoral research related to the conservation of the Persian Leopard in Iran. His talk will be accompanied by footage of these animals in the field. The meeting on Tuesday 3rd March will gather at 7:00pm, and the talk will start at 7:30pm. We will meet in our usual venue: Salon 1 at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, located on Saadiyat Island. About the Speaker :Born in Iran, Mohammad Farhadinia has been engaged in wild cat conservation since the age of 16 when he began compiling a dataset of observations on the Asiatic cheetah, Mohammad studied the Asiatic cheetah and the Persian leopard while complting his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees at the University of Tehran. In 2001, Mohammad established the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) (www.wildlife.ir), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of cheetahs and other wild carnivores. Since its founding, the Society has become an important player in Iran’s wildlife conservation efforts, with projects focused on the Asiatic cheetah, the Persian leopard, and the brown bear. In 2008, Mohammad joined the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) – a comprehensive conservation program established by Iran’s Department of the Environment (DOE), and carried out with Panthera, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations Development Programme. As a CACP consultant, Mohammad supervises research efforts, capacity building initiatives, student programs, and educational plans. He also leads Iran’s Persian leopard conservation efforts in the Caucasus, and has represented Iran in international meetings and symposia. He has also received a number of national and international awards, such Future for Nature Award in 2009, received from Sir David Attenborough, National Youth Award (2010) and Panthera’s Rabinowitz-Kaplan Prize for the Next Generation in Wild Cat Conservation (2012). Recently, Mohammad was admitted to University of Oxford, where he will pursue his doctoral degree at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). Through this degree, Mohammad plans to focus his research on a comprehensive ecological investigation of the Persian leopard.  If anyone wants to attend but needs a ride, please contact ENHG Chairman Keith Taylor at kjtaylor13@yahoo.com.

Notes : Advances in the medical and husbandry field have contributed to the health and management of marine mammals under human care and in many countries government authorities provide strict guidelines to follow to ensure their well-being, including Dubai, under the EHS Marine Mammal Regulation of 2008. Cross disciplinary fields such as Veterinarian Science, Ethology, Physiology, Conservation and Biology have advanced the knowledge and care of the different species of cetaceans, pinnipeds, and other marine mammals and brought animal care programs to the standard they are today.(Brando, 2010) Animal welfare and care is as much an obligation as a priority: from promoting high standards in the daily management of animals, to supporting and undertaking research to increase our understanding of the animal’s biology and behaviour. During the talk I will be covering basic anatomy of cetaceans and how it limits the clinical diagnostics and how training techniques have made possible to access animal health through routine sample collections. I will also discuss the cetacean’s requirements in terms of nutrition, water quality and how preventive medical programs are designed to ensure their health care. As a final note I will be discussing how the knowledge acquired in human care populations can be applied to free ranging populations and provide a base for stranding responses in a region.     About the Speaker :Director of Veterinary Services and Laboratory at Dolphin Bay – Atlantis, since January 2010, Ana Carina Salbany makes up part of a team responsible for the Clinical and Water Laboratory and Animal Veterinary care and Husbandry at Atlantis The Palm, giving support to the marine mammal and fish collections. She graduated in 1997 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine and joined Zoomarine, an Oceanographic park in Algarve- Portugal in March 1999 where she started as the Responsible Veterinarian for a collection of marine mammals (cetaceans and pinnipeds) tropical birds, birds of prey, reptiles and fish. In 2000 she started giving her support ti the National Recovery Network for Marine Mammals (R.N.R.M.M), becoming the Responsible Veterinarian for the Southern Centre involved in the rehabilitation of Sea turtles, otters, cetaceans and pinnipeds.in 2001 assumed the Direction of WelfareDepartment, being responsible for the veterinary care ,nutrition and water quality. in 2008she extended her responsibility to two other marine mammal parks as a consultant Veterinarian : Mediterraneo Park in Malta and Zoomarine IT in Rome. Ana Salably is an active member of the international associations of aquatic animal medicine with which she has maintained regular participation, delivering several oral presentations as author and co- author.

Notes : The archaeology of Abu Dhabi's coastline dates back to around 150,000 years ago, as witnessed by the discovery of Middle Palaeolithic stone tools at Jebel Barakah. Excavations on both Marawah and Delma Islands demonstrate that Neolithic peoples were already engaged in trade, pastoral nomadism and maritime subsistence as long ago as 7,500 years ago. The island of Umm an-Nar acted as an important trading port during the Bronze Age, around 4,500 years ago, for the export of copper from 'Magan'. Ancient geographers such as Ptolemy speak of the land of the "fish-eaters" (ichthyophagi). A combination of archaeological and historical evidence will be discussed to illustrate Abu Dhabi's prehistoric maritime heritage. About the Speaker :Dr Mark Jonathan Beech has a Bachelor of Sciences honours degree in Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, U.K. (1982-1985), a Masters degree in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield, U.K. (1986-1987), and a Phd in Archaeology from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, U.K. (1998-2001). Since the early 1980’s Dr Beech has carried out extensive archaeological research and fieldwork in the U.K., France, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Jordan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. He has been involved in archaeological research in the UAE for the past two decades, being Senior Resident Archaeologist for the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (1994-2006), and, then Cultural Landscapes Manager in the Historic Environment Department at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (2006-2012). He is presently the Head of the Coastal Heritage and Palaeontology Section of the Historic Environment Department at theAbu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi). He is also an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, UK. His research interests are focussed on the prehistory of the Arabian Gulf, the Late Miocene palaeontology of Al Gharbia, and the archaeology of the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi emirate.

The report will present summaries, and particular points of interest, of the four sessions that were open to the general public: 1) The Universe Beyond the Rainbow: How Astronomers Use Wavelengths of Light Outside the Tiny Range Our Eyes Can See 2) Little Objects - Big Effects: White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes 3) Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Earth 2.0 4) Preliminary Search for Astronomical Observatory Sites in the MENA Region About the Speaker : In addition to being an avid scuba diver, backpacker and amateur astronomer, Denis is a senior lecturer of English at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research here in Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Chair of the Emirates Natural History Group.

Notes : Topics will be covering advantages of hydroponics (higher yield, water savings of up to 90%), together with type of nutrients that are used in growing hydroponics produce. Why The UAE can benefit from using hydroponics and reduce carbon foot print from long distance importation of vegetables. Hydroponics high quality - support by A.D.F.C.A analysis. About the Speaker :Rudi Azzato is a Hydroponics Horticulturist that successfully installed the greenhouses that service Emirates Hydroponics Farms (E.H.F) and continues to promote high quality produce that can be grown within the UAE whilst utilizing the modern water saving techniques of European technologies and management. Rudi’s career has seen him involved in small businesses across Australia, with a focus on real estate before moving in to the business of hydroponic farming in 2000 the Marketing Director for A&B Hydroponics International Pty Ltd in Australia where he was responsible for increasing the company’s profile and saw his efforts earn the company grants from both New South Wales State and the Federal Government of Australia for various research and development projects. Mr. Azzato was involved in various projects in areas of Australia, Japan, and Fiji Islands before moving to the UAE in 2006 to assist in the commissioning and management of the first 1,000 m2 hydroponics farm in the UAE. To date Azzato has expanded the EHF business to close to 20,000 m2.