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, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

matters in the

Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is one of seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest emirate, accounting for 87% of the nation's total land area or . Abu Dhabi also has the second ...

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 Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his e ...

. 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 is the managing director and board member. The Secretary-General is Dr.Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri. EAD has its main headquarters in the city of Abu Dhabi, with an office in

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

city.

Role and impact

In 2000, the

Scimitar-horned oryx The scimitar oryx (''Oryx dammah''), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is an ''Oryx'' species that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West Africa and Central Africa. In 2000, it was declared extinct in ...

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 an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

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

Sahara Conservation Fund Sahara Conservation (SC) - previously known as Sahara Conservation Fund - is an international non-governmental organization established in 2004 to conserve the wildlife, including the endangered species, of the Sahara desert and bordering Sahel ...

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

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 (French: ''Gouvernement du Tchad'') has been ruled by Mahamat Déby since 20 April 2021 as part of the National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established ...

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 program and reintroduction efforts to reintroduce the

Arabian oryx The Arabian oryx or white oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') 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 area ...

back into the wild, with the population now standing at over 1,200 individuals across the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

Films

The agency has produced multiple documentaries, including: * ''Back to the Wild'' (2018) * ''Zayed's Antarctic Lights'' (2018) * ''Our Sea. Our Heritage'' (2019) * ''Our Sea. Our Future'' (2021) * ''Wild Abu Dhabi: The Turtles of Al Dhafra'' (2021)

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 Environmental protection agencies

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...