SHARJAH // A new conservation centre and wildlife reserve aims to preserve the biodiversity of mountain animals.
Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre, on the outskirts of Kalba, opened its doors to the public on Sunday. It hopes to raise awareness of life in the Al Hajar Mountains.
Launched by the Ruler of Sharjah, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the centre is spread over 12 square kilometres and lies at the base of the mountain range. It is home to more than 30 animal species that were kept and bred at a centre near Sharjah city.
“This centre is unique because it homes and showcases the wildlife of the area,” said Hana Al Suwaidi, director of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah.
“The animals are inhabitants of Wadi Al Helo, Khor Fakkan and Kalba specifically. “The centre aims to provide a habitable and safe place for the wild animals, and to make sure that they exist for generations to come.”
Some animals – such as snakes, lizards and hedgehogs – are kept in the centre, while others roam the mountains.
The centre is also home to the Arabian leopard, a critically endangered animal, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Other endangered animals at the centre include the Arabian wolf, striped hyena and the Arabian tahr.
Wildlife experts said the centre was a huge step towards protecting the wild animals of the area.
“These animals are not kept in small cages. They run around in their natural habitat, the same environment as they used to live before,” said Paul Vercammen, operations manager of the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah. “We will see how the wild animals cope in this centre. It will give us a great insight and learning experience about these animals, as well as how the wild animals will adapt in their natural habitat.”
Ms Al Suwaidi said it was important to preserve biodiversity, adding that every animal at the centre had a complete medical record and a diet was tailored for them.
Visitors to the conservation centre will get to ride in golf carts around the reserve to see the animals in the wild.
Dalal Al Yamahi, the centre’s director, said it was a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about wildlife native to the UAE’s mountains.
“We have staff to answer visitors’ questions and teach children, and trained guides to show you around the reserve,” he said.
The centre will be open from 9am to 6.30pm on weekdays, except Mondays. Tickets are priced at Dh25 for adults and entry is free to children below 12.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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