All ENHG members and the general public are invited to join in on a fun evening playing Dr. Dick’s trivia quiz on UAE Natural History. Many of the questions will be challenges to identify species of the local flora and fauna presented in a display of interesting and, surely, very picturesque photographs.   The Quiz will take place in the Alyazia Ballroom at the Park Hyatt Hotel on Saadiyat Island. The evening of fun is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. with introductory remarks and the sale and serving of drinks and Christmas treats at a cash bar. The usual complimentary tea and coffee will also be served. Dr. Dick will begin the Quiz at 7.30 p.m.

In the space of 41 years the UAE has moved from a network of trading towns to the logistic centre and affluent hotspot of tourism in the Middle East. For all the growth and development we professionals of the veterinary world have worked hard to keep up, have we covered all the bases, and are we ready for the the country’s future plans? Where do we stand and where might we fall? Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qasimi qualified as a doctor of veterinary medicine at Saint Istvan University in Budapest, Hungary. He is involved in raising awareness on the issues of endangered animals and the environment as he sees nature as our oldest teacher. A keen advocate of science and education, he believes that knowledge and transparency are vital foundations for the next generation of Emiratis. He feels it is important to build strong communication amongst the UAE’s key communities for a lasting, sustainable future.  

Notes : The Earth’s climate is changing. Already in many parts of the world, coastal waters have warmed, temperatures have risen, and rainfall patterns have noticeably been altered. Globally, sea levels and temperatures are predicted to rise further, and extreme weather is expected to become more common. For the UAE, where much of the country’s population, infrastructure and economic activity are located in coastal zones, the vulnerability to sea level rise, salt-water intrusion, and more frequent extreme weather events is significant. The talk will review the issues and challenges posed to the UAE by climate through a review some of the key issues associated with a changing climate and some of the emerging findings from recent and ongoing studies. About the Speaker: Dr Dougherty has worked over the past 18 years on a wide variety of climate change related issues, with an emphasis on greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate change. He has assisted governments in the development of national GHG mitigation and adaptation strategies, led vulnerability assessments, formulated project documents, analyzed energy efficiency and renewable energy options for achieving emission reductions, and contributed to the development of methodological approaches, training programs and software tools that are used throughout the world. Dr Dougherty has been invited as a speaker or expert participant in meetings of the World Bank, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Development Bank, and the United Nations Environment Programme. He has worked throughout North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East in support of national government agencies, multi-lateral organizations, and development banks. He has authored or co-authored over 100 technical reports.

Around the world, elasmobranch (sharks, rays, guitarfishes and sawfishes) species are facing increasing pressures because of fisheries. Some species, including hammerhead sharks, have seen their numbers decline by up to 80% in the past few decades. There are concerns that fisheries in the Arabian region are unsustainable, and yet there is currently limited data on the regional diversity of elasmobranch species and their conservation status. This talk will provide an overview of elasmobranch research based on investigations under the umbrella of the Gulf Elasmo Project. The focus will be on their biology, diversity and research needs through the presentation of case studies and data gathered through interviews with fishermen, landing site surveys, trade surveys, DNA barcoding, population genetics and citizen science.   Rima Jabado is a scientist and conservationist with a passion for all things marine. Having lived by the sea her whole life, she has always been fascinated with nature and the environment and wanted to study and protect animals even as a child. She has spent over a decade developing and working on conservation initiatives around the world and has experience as a field research scientist, director for non-profit organisations and government official. Rima has travelled extensively and assisted in research undertaken on sharks, dolphins, turtles, coral reefs and seagrass in the Bahamas, South Africa, US, Australia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. ​ Rima has a B.A. in Political Science, a Masters of Applied Sciences in Natural Resource Management, a PhD in Environmental Science and Ecology and several other graduate degrees including Public Relations and Education. She has authored/co-authored over 30 scientific, technical and popular publications, lectured at schools and universities, and appeared in radio and television productions. Her work on sharks has been featured in various local and international media outlets including National Geographic, BBC, Scientific American, Gulf News, The National and the Khaleej Times. She has published a book on marine ecosystems in the UAE and is currently working on an identification guide for sharks in the Arabian region. She is also a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and has received various grants and awards in support and recognition of her work on sharks in the UAE.   Her PhD research on shark populations along the UAE coast of the Arabian Gulf was the first long-term research project to be completed on elasmobranchs in the region. She interviewed fishermen across the country and examined the artisanal fishery in the UAE describing species composition, population abundance and distribution; studied the feeding ecology of two commercially important species; and characterised the international trade in shark products from the UAE. She is currently collaborating with scientists from around the world on various projects on marine turtles and elasmobranchs. Her long-term goal in the region is to develop projects that will allow her to gather scientific data on wildlife and ecosystems that will pressure decision makers to implement meaningful measures for the protection and conservation of the marine environment. She is particularly interested in issues of human-wildlife conflict such as fisheries, by-catch and endangered species conservation as well as socio-economic aspects of the trade in marine products. Her goal with the Gulf Elasmo Project is to have it play a key role in helping to document and understand the diversity of sharks and rays in this region. This is particularly important because of the many conservation challenges in the region combined with opportunities to collect new data and to involve and build the capacity of the local people.

This year, the three day Eid Al Adha holiday coincides nicely with the preceding two day weekend and the end of the monsoon in Salalah. It is a rare opportunity to see it blanketed in bright Irish green after the downpours have ceased. Here is the proposed agenda: To sign up, email Yves at queromain@gmail.com by Tuesday, September 16. Please include the following information: your name, email address, mobile phone number, number in your party, type of vehicle you have and, if you have an off-road vehicle, number of riders you can accommodate. Meeting point and other details will be given by return email to all participants. And be sure to make a booking for your party at one of the hotels/guest houses in Ibri for Thursday night, Oct. 2.  

Come and join us for after-dinner drinks at this informal get-together to chat about ENHG activities.  Open to the general public.

The Sharjah Desert Park, on the highway between Sharjah City and Al Dhaid, consists of the Natural History & Botanical Museum, Arabia’s Wildlife Centre and the Children’s Farm.  This is an excellent opportunity to get clued in to this region’s natural history in air-conditioned comfort.  NB: bring a pair of binoculars if you’d like to do a spot of birding on the grounds. Park opening hours on Saturdays are 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. Entry fee for adults is 15 Dhs each. Lunch is available at the Wildlife Centre’s food court.  You may bring your own lunch if you wish. ENHG members who want to join our convoy will meet up on Saturday at 8:30 am at the Al Samha ADNOC Oasis service station on the E-11, heading towards Dubai. This is the ADNOC with the large tent-covered food court, a few km past the Al Taweelah exit.  We plan on arriving just before 11:00 am, when the venue opens. Some of us will stay until closing time, but others may arrange to leave earlier if they wish. Open only to paid-up members of the ENHG; all participants go at their own risk. To sign up for this trip, contact Keith Taylor: kjtaylor13@yahoo.com  / 050-820-4938.  A sign-up sheet will also be available at the ENHG meeting on Sept 16th. There is no limit to the number of participants on this trip.

The co-presenters of this talk, Karim Alaa, and Mohamed Kamel, will relate personal experiences both as members of a professional environmental crisis response team and as organisers of volunteer-groups responding to issues such as coastline erosion and threats to coral populations. Their talk will touch on the following points: 1.) The ADNOC crisis team: who they are and what they do. 2.) The ADNOC biodiversity action plan. 3.) The story of north east Bab (NEB) mangrove project. 4.) The Zirku island artificial coral reef. This evening is being planned not as a one-way lecture, but rather with a focus on interaction with the audience, so come along prepared to share.  Your own questions and comments along the way will be highly appreciated. NB:  According ADNOC policy the speakers are not representing ADNOC officially. The data used in the presentation is not under any copyright regulation. ADNOC confidential data and resources will not be mentioned or used. About the Speakers:  Karim Alaa Mohamed is an oil and gas engineer and an oil spill and HAZMAT officer working for ADNOC.  Karim has an M.SC in mechanical engineering specialising in "failure analysis in offshore oil platforms" from Alexandria University. He has a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering Alexandria University in Egypt. In addition, he is an active member of an environmental group related to the Arab League and has a passionate personal interest in marine conservation.   Mohamed Kamel Sadek is a marine biologist and environmental researcher working for ADNOC.  He has an M.Sc. in Marine Biology specialising in classification of Red Sea coral using DNA analysis.  He also has a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from Suez Canal University in Egypt