Conservationists study freshwater ecosystem of Fujairah wadi

The study at Wadi Wurayah has seen more than 400 dragonflies tagged and about 300 toads measured, as their abundance and health gave important information about the overall health of the ecosystem.

FUJAIRAH // With the help of volunteers, conservationists are studying the fresh water ecosystem of Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah.

Teams have carried out more than 275 freshwater tests and explored 30 different areas with water in the mountain wadi.

The effort is part of the Water Research and Learning Programme carried out in the Wadi Wurayah National Park.

The programme is a collaboration between the Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF), the international environmental charity Earthwatch, HSBC Bank Middle East and Fujairah government.

As part of efforts to study the water ecosystem, more than 400 dragonflies were tagged and about 300 toads measured, as their abundance and health gave important information about the overall health of the ecosystem.

“Freshwater is a scarce yet important commodity, especially in the Middle East. It is important to better understand freshwater ecosystems, such as those inside Wadi Wurayah National Park, through gathering important data that will help us in proposing robust conservation measures,” said Ida Tillisch, director general of the EWS-WWF.

“Thanks to continued research efforts in the wadi, we now know that by reducing the pressure on the wadi through measures such as preventing access to its pools, the quality of the water resources have increased as levels of E.coli and other coliform bacteria have dropped significantly.”

The ongoing programme, which was launched in September last year, is the first effort of its kind in the Middle East, focusing on the biodiversity of freshwater areas and spreading awareness about the environmental issues facing them.

Wadi Wurayah has been off-bounds for members of the public since December last year, when the Crown Prince of Fujairah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, officially closed the gates of the wadi to let the popular area recover from years of human intervention.

The park is set to reopen after the development of appropriate infrastructure that would accommodate visitors while also preventing disturbance to rare animals and plants.