Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve () is the first unfenced nature conservation reserve in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. It is located in the desert area of Saih Al Salam in the

Emirate of Dubai The Emirate of Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous emirate of the UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai. Governance Dubai is governed as an absolute monarchy by the A ...

and comprises some 10% of the total land area of the emirate, including the extensive man-made desert wetlands, Al Qudra Lakes.

Ecology and geography

The reserve spans over of desert shrub land and of lakes and is home to 26 identified species of reptiles, nine of mammals and 39 species of plants. It provides a sanctuary for 19 animal species considered endangered, as well as flocks of between 300 and 500 flamingos and over 360 other bird species, of which 158 are migratory. Rare species observed at Al Marmoom include the Egyptian Nightjar ''Caprimulgus aegyptius'' and the giant skipper butterfly '' Coeliades anchises jucunda'', which is native to the island of

Socotra Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as ...

, off

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

History

A Panoramic view of Al Qudra Lakes Dubai

Its announcement, in January 2018, followed public concern regarding the fouling of the area by tourists as well as a number of deaths of birds and fish in the lakes.

Management

Al Marmoom is managed by

Dubai Municipality Dubai Municipality () is the Government of Dubai municipal body with jurisdiction over city services and the upkeep of facilities in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and reports directly to the Dubai Executive Council. The agency is l ...

, The formalisation of the reserve has introduced some restrictions to human leisure activity in the area, long a popular visiting place for residents. The move to regulate camping, barbecuing and picnicking was welcomed by the

Emirates Environmental Group The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) is a non-governmental professional working group founded in 1991 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). EEG is composed of corporate members, federal and local government agencies, reputed regional and inte ...

(EEG), an organisation which had organised cleanup campaigns in the area in the past. The Marmoom Biosphere Centre is intended as a facility for studying the sustainable development and management of the reserve, as well as serving as a centre for sustainable ecotourism, and will aim to be the main source of specialized

ecosystem management Ecosystem management is an approach to natural resource management that aims to ensure the long-term sustainability and persistence of an ecosystem's function and services while meeting socioeconomic, political, and cultural needs. Although indi ...

practices in the region.

Leisure activities

The Reserve currently has a number of animal and bird observation platforms, star and sunset observation decks and an 84 km cycling track, one of the world's largest. Barbecue and camping is also permitted to tourists and residents of the country.There is an ongoing development program for the reserve, including bird breeding programs as well as the development of an outdoor theatre and other facilities intended to be powered by a 5,000 megawatt solar power plant. Al Marmoom is served by one of Dubai's distinctive 'Last Exit' food truck parks. The extensive lakeland in the reserve includes Love Lake, in the shape of two intertwined hearts. Star gazing events are often held at Al Marmoom by Dubai Astronomy Group as the area has little to no light pollution. Some 20 sporting and social events have taken place in the Reserve since its launch, including a junior fun day organized Pink Caravan, the UAE-based breast cancer awareness initiative. The Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Mugatrah is situated close to the Reserve. Expo 2020 lake

Archaeological site

The Saruq Al Hadid Archaeological Site is situated within the Reserve. It was discovered in 2002 by the Ruler of Dubai,

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

, who noticed unusual dune formations when flying over the site in his helicopter. Excavations revealed an extensive

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

metallurgical centre, with signs of occupation since the Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras. Artefacts unearthed at Saruq Al Hadid include

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

work, including bronze and iron tools and weapons,

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

jewellery, beads,

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

stoneware Stoneware is a broad class of pottery fired at a relatively high temperature, to be impervious to water. A modern definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refractory fire ...

and seals. Metalworker's tools and unfinished items show that the site was formerly a production centre. A collection of artefacts from the site is housed at the Saruq Al-Hadid Archaeology Museum in the Shindaga Heritage area in a traditional ''

barjeel A windcatcher, wind tower, or wind scoop () is a traditional architectural element used to create cross ventilation and passive cooling in buildings. Windcatchers come in various designs, depending on whether local prevailing winds are unidi ...

'' building, which was built in 1928, and which belonged to

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Juma bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum.

References

External links

{{Commons category
Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve

Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve
at

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) Nature reserves in the United Arab Emirates History of Dubai Parks in Dubai Nature conservation in the United Arab Emirates Protected areas established in 2018 2018 establishments in the United Arab Emirates