DAR AL KHAIR - Pandaawsassets.panda.org/downloads/eng_alkhair25_final.pdf · EWS-WWF Dar Al Khair volumes 25 & 26 page 5 LOCAL LANDMARKS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS The iconic Burj Khalifa

Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF

(EWS-WWF) is a non-profit organisation, established in February 2001, driving

positive change to conserve our natural environment

through the protection of biodiversity and the

promotion of sustainable lifestyles.

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DAR AL KHAIRVolumes 25 & 26 - Winter 2010 & spring 2011

2EWS-WWF Dar Al Khair volumes 25 & 26 page

The first report of its kind in the Middle East to carry out such in-depth research into a country’s Ecological Footprint has been published by EWS-WWF and its partners.

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT INITIATIVE

The Ecological Footprint Initiative (EFI) Report / Al Basma Al Beeiyah, explains the UAE’s world ranking, while giving eye-opening recommendations of scenarios the country could implement to help reduce its Ecological Footprint.

In 2007, the UAE government took significant measures to address its high per capita Ecological Footprint, resulting in the establishment of the Ecological Footprint Initiative, a partnership between the Ministry of Environment and Water, EWS-WWF, Abu Dhabi Global Environment Data Initiative and the Global Footprint Network. One of the initiative’s key findings was that householders are the major contributors to the UAE’s footprint, followed by business and industry; motivating the launch of the Heroes of the UAE Sustainable Living campaign in 2009.

Thanks to its groundbreaking research, a scientific tool was developed to track how the power and water sectors’ development may affect Abu Dhabi’s carbon dioxide emissions and the country’s Ecological Footprint up to 2030. The tool assesses the impact of potential policies and discovered that if the most ambitious plans were implemented in Abu Dhabi alone, by 2030 the emirate’s CO2 emissions could be cut by up to 40%. This tool was developed to assist the UAE government in designing policy portfolios that would result in long-term meaningful reductions in the country’s Ecological Footprint.

H.E. Dr Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water said: Since its launch, the EFI has been an inspiring journey for all involved [...] I am proud to say that the EFI has demonstrated unprecedented levels of collaboration that I hope will continue long into the future.

WELCOME TO DAR AL KHAIRIt’s been a busy few months with significant progress in many of our projects: from our turtle tagging escapades across the Gulf to securing commitment from all seven emirates to take part in Earth Hour 2011, so naturally this issue is packed full of interesting facts and exciting updates... Enjoy!

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youtube.com/wwfuae

THE UAEECOLOGICALFOOTPRINTINITIATIVESUMMARY REPORT 2007-2010

Ministry of Environment & Waterوزارة الـبيئــة والـميـــاه


To read the full EFI report, visit www.ewswwf.ae

Project manager of the Carbon Footprint Policy Laila Abdullatif from EWS-WWF said: We are immensely proud of the EFI report in documenting the journey we embarked on to address the country’s high per capita Ecological Footprint. The report gives strategic recommendations for future environmental policy in the UAE as well as highlight the continuous need for all organisations to work together in order to achieve a reduction of that footprint. In a bid to inspire people to rethink their consumption choices, a dedicated website www.ecologicalfootprint.heroesoftheuae.ae was developed in English and Arabic, offering interactive visual communication tools. The website provides a wealth of information including how Ecological Footprints are calculated, a product’s environmental cost and how the indicator works overall.

In addition an award-winning animation was developed out of recycled newspaper set as a ‘day in the life’ of a typical Emirati. The short animation shows the environmental implications of our actions and was aired on cinema screens across the UAE. It won Best Animation at Dubai Lynx Awards, Best Animation at Ottowa International Animation Festival as well as gold in the Best Animation category at Bradford International Film Festival. It has also been entered in the Cannes Film Festival 2011.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKSHOPSWorkshops were held for various government agencies raising awareness about climate change, the issue of high consumption patterns and how to address it.

Following an initial workshop for the employees of the Ministry of Environment and Water, a second workshop was delivered to a group of employees from the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Social Affairs.

Workshops were also delivered to different branches of the Family Development Foundation in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western region. Employees and Imams from AWQAF took part in another workshop that focused on energy and water conservation. As a result, mosques across the UAE talked about environmental action in their weekly Friday sermon.

LEADING BY EXAMPLEDubai Municipality is leading by example after signing up as a Corporate Hero committing to long-term reduction in energy and water consumption. Dubai Municipality also received the environmental workshop and joins other government entities such as Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport and the Executive Affairs Authority Abu Dhabi in becoming Corporate Heroes.


Earth Hour 2011 proved to be a groundbreaking event in the UAE as all seven emirates signed up to participate in the global initiative for the first time ever.

EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour asks individuals, businesses, governments and communities to switch off their lights for one hour in a bid to show their support for environmental action. From a single city event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour continues to gather pace and its popularity was marked in 2011 as more than 5000 cities in 135 countries and territories across the world took part.

Here in the UAE more than 400 organisations and over 60 schools participated in this year’s event. Abu Dhabi saw its first public Earth Hour event organised by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. In Dubai, DEWA organised a switch

off celebration and bazaar to commemorate the event at the Burj Khalifa Plaza, while students expressed their commitment through an art exhibition held at Dubai Festival City. Meanwhile diners at Dubai Festival City ate by candle light and Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum held family oriented activities including a recycling workshop before flicking the switch. Thousands of individuals showed their commitment to making a change for the betterment of our planet by taking part from the comfort of their own homes as well as attending specially organised events in UAE cities.

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LOCAL LANDMARKS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESSThe iconic Burj Khalifa and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque joined a number of top landmarks across the country and the world, by plunging into darkness for Earth Hour. The lights were also switched off at Fujairah Fort, Burj al Arab, Qanat Al Qasba and Eye of the Emirates among many others.

GLOBAL LANDMARKSLas Vegas strip, United States

Lions Gate Bridge, Canada

Gold Museum, Columbia

Eiffel Tower, France

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

Bosphorus Bridge, Turkey

Parliament Palace, Romania

India Gate, India

Times Square, United States

Just to mention a few.

“I will...turn the tap off during toothbrushing to save water” by Samra, Dubai

“I will...turn all the lights off, turn the AC off when it’s not needed and try to use public transport instead of a car” by CrisTheEcoHelperPerson, Dubai

“I will...switch off all PCs and A/C in the office after business hours” by Getjitto, Dubai

“I will...turn off all lights, computers and TVs” by Amoory, Ras Al Khaimah

Share your go Beyond the Hour tips on www.beyondthehour.org

GO BEYOND THE HOURThe Go Beyond the Hour campaign was launched globally so everyone can make small changes to their daily lives. EWS-WWF invited people in the UAE to Go Beyond the Hour by using commitment boards to pledge their commitment to protecting the planet. UAE Earth Hour Ambassador H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, better known in the region as the Green Sheikh, joined the Go Beyond the Hour movement by submitting a photo demonstrating his commitment to the environment using our commitment boards.

This led to a photography competition in partnership with Canon Middle East for people to show their commitment to Go Beyond the Hour. Christian Vasquez was picked as the winner and won a range of Canon products.

EARTH HOUR IN VIDEODocumenting this year’s event was twofour54 who created a video of the UAE’s participation. To view the video, visit our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/wwfuae

The international video of Earth Hour 2011 features a number of local shots and can now be viewed on our website: www.youtube.com/wwfuae

H.H Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi

The winning photoby Christian Vasquez

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A royal visit was in order at Wadi Wurayah when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah welcomed HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on a tour of the UAE’s first established Mountain Protected Area.

WADI WURAYAH

Wadi Wurayah is home to some of the world’s most endangered and rare wildlife and is also one of the few remaining intact freshwater catchments in the UAE. This wadi was made a protected area in 2009 following a 3-year assesment conducted by EWS-WWF in partnership with Fujairah Municipality, and sponsored by HSBC Bank Middle East.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, who encourages people to visit the wadi to enjoy its beauty, thanked HRH Princess Victoria for her interest in the protected area and taking the time to visit.

A SITE OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCEThe wadi was declared a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in February 2011. This new declaration elevates it to an even higher status giving it greater attention and recognition as a site of international importance.

GOTCHA!Our team collected impressive photos of different wildlife species taken by camera traps, sponsored by Bridgestone Middle East & Africa set in the Wadi Wurayah including the Caracal lynx, Blandford fox, Gordon’s wild cat, Arabian tahr, Brandt’s hedgehog, sand partridges and shrub warbler. Our team has been trying to capture footage of the Caracal lynx for the past 4 years, and with these photos they are able to prove its existence in the wadi.Caracal lynx caught on camera

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WWF IS 50!

MARINE CONSERVATION FORUM 2010

Fifty years ago on the shores of Lake Geneva, a group of conservationists signed an international declaration with a single-minded statement of intent: “We must save the world’s wildlife,” and so WWF was born. Since its founding, WWF has grown to become one of the largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. With its aim to stop the degradation of our planet, WWF leads several initiatives to tackle climate change, resource overconsumption and to conserve species and habitats.In the same year it was established, 1961, the organisation launched Operation Oryx to save the dwindling numbers of Arabian Oryx in the Gulf region. Since 2001, WWF’s presence in the UAE is now recognised through its association with the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS).Visit www.panda.org/50 for more information.

© naturepl.com / Edward Giesbers / WWF

SWISS SNAPSHOTSAnother visitor helping to raise the profile of the importance of Wadi Wurayah is renowned Swiss photographer Michel Roggo, who chose the wadi to represent the Arabian Peninsula in his photographic documentation of important fresh water environments around the world. His project is a contribution to safeguarding the future of the world’s wetlands, from well-known locations like the Amazon to places like Wadi Wurayah. Visit www.roggo.ch/thefreshwaterproject

OPEN AIR CLASSESContinuing the educational theme of visits to Wadi Wurayah, 12 students visited the wadi in December from the Higher Colleges of Technology Fujairah. The students have been integrating their experiences at the wadi into their end of semester assignments.

EWS-WWF hosted the region’s second ever Marine Conservation Forum in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with The Pew Environment Group.Representatives from research agencies, NGOs and the private sector across the Gulf met to share ideas and discuss joint solutions to the common threats facing the region’s marine environment.

During the forum’s final session, the threat of climate change was discussed in light of recent studies predicting that Gulf species and habitats are likely to be among the worst affected by rising temperatures. The role of public awareness and involvement was highlighted as a catalyst for conservation efforts.

The forum was open to members of the public and the private sector and identified priority actions for the region including: controlling the shark trade, encouraging in-depth research on species, enhancing regional cooperation and communicating scientific recommendations to policy makers rapidly and efficiently.

Programme Director Lisa Perry said: “As a result of this multi-representative forum, communicating with other NGOs and governments from the region, has led to the cooperation between stakeholders to work towards safeguarding the shared natural environment of the gulf.”

To view the published Proceedings of the Marine Conservation Forum 2010, please visit www.ewswwf.ae/mcf2010


Something fishy? Then it’s likely to be the buzz around our Choose Wisely campaign aiming to get people eating more sustainable fish.

CHOOSE WISELY

With statistics from government bodies indicating that fish stocks are declining in the UAE, dropping by 80% in the last 30 years, EWS-WWF launched this campaign to raise awareness of how overfishing is causing stock depletion and to encourage consumers to choose more sustainable fish options.

Conservation Officer Darren Hiltz said: “We are simply removing more species than our oceans can provide - placing a wide variety of marine life under duress. Unsustainable fishing is affecting the health of fish populations and their surrounding environments.”

“After a nationwide survey found 70% of UAE residents would be less likely to consume a particular species if they knew it was being overfished, we decided to publish a pocketsize consumer guide and the first ever sustainable fish cookbook in the UAE.”

There are eight local species currently being overfished: Kanaad (Kingfish), Shaari (Spangled Emperor), Farsh (Painted Sweetlips), Zuraidi (Golden Trevally), Hamour (Orange-Spotted Grouper), Yemah (Snub Nose Emperor), Qabit (Goldlined Seabream) and Safi Arabi (White-Spotted Spinefoot).

Download your copy of the Sustainable Fish Recipes Cookbook at www.ewswwf.ae

IN THE COMMUNITYIn an outreach programme designed to encourage more people to Choose Wisely when shopping for fish, EWS-WWF visited a number of institutions across the UAE to help spread the message: from giving informative talks at the American University of Sharjah, Sharjah Museum, Sharjah Cultural and the Women’s Higher Colleges of Technology in Fujairah, to public events at the Abu Dhabi Corniche Beach.

Since the launch of the campaign, one more species of fish has been added to the orange classification list and a further two to the green classification list:

To download the full consumer guide, please visit www.choosewisely.ae

Go for it(stock is not experiencing heavy fishing pressure)

Good choice but there’s better(stock exploited within sustainable levels)

Shaam (Yellow Fin Seabream) Hilali (Blackspotted Rubberlip)

Beyah Arabi (Blue Spot Mullet)

The Sustainable fish cookbook,launched at Gordon

Ramsey’s restaurant Verrein Dubai, contains 20 fish recipes submitted by local

residents.

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UAE YOUNG LIONSCreative junior teams in Dubai participated in the UAE Young Lions competition to produce an inspiring print advert for the Choose Wisely campaign. The winners of the competition were Josephine Younes and Nayabb Rais from DDB, Andre Bose do Amaral a and Nisha Wagh from Wunderman (picture), and Sajesh Pudussery and Alok Mohan from Team Y&R.

BUSINESSES OFFERING SUSTAINABLE FISH OPTIONSLe Royal Meridien, Abu Dhabi Le Meridien, Abu Dhabi

Le Meridien Al Aqqa, Fujairah Sheraton Corniche, Abu Dhabi

Sheraton Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi Aloft Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Carrefour, Abu Dhabi & Dubai Abela Superstores, Abu Dhabi

Lulu Hypermarkets, Abu Dhabi Hilton, Dubai Creek

Sheraton, Dubai Creek Grand Hyatt, Dubai

Radisson Blu, Yas Choitram

Shaam (Yellow Fin Seabream) Hilali (Blackspotted Rubberlip)

Beyah Arabi (Blue Spot Mullet)

HEROES OF THE UAE CORPORATE PROGRAMMEHEROES TO YOUR INBOX!EWS-WWF is now delivering updates of the Heroes of the UAE Corporate Programme to your inbox! Designed to be a quick read for businesses, tightly packed with information about reducing electricity and water consumption, the newly launched e-updates will be sent to your e-mail monthly. Want your business to enter understand environmental issues and learn how to take action? Then sign up to receive the monthly e-update from the Heroes of the UAE team by e-mailing: [email protected]

TOOLKIT ON DEMANDDeveloped in a bid to assist companies with reducing their carbon footprints, the Heroes Business Toolkit has been downloaded by hundreds of businesses in the UAE. Following the success of the toolkit, we asked for feedback and as a result will be adding more important tools to the Heroes Business Toolkit soon. The most downloaded tools were the stickers and posters. Currently the kit includes tips on energy and water conservation in the workplace and management tools to help develop an appropriate conservation strategy.

GREEN MAKEOVERSGreen Corporate Makeovers are underway at One to One Hotels and Kanoo Group thanks to funding from Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy. One to One Hotels has already installed LED lighting and water saving measures that will contribute to potential annual carbon emission reductions of 116 tonnes. The financial payback from the investment will take only 2.3 years and will save the hotel AED 21,000 per year. Meanwhile Kanoo Group is investing its fund money in installing LED lighting and has agreed to co-invest to reduce its energy and water consumption even further. These changes will reduce the company’s emissions by 6 tonnes of carbon per year.

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Beati Watani, endorsed by the Ministry of Education, has been converted into an online course www.beatiwatani.com. It will be used by students during

summer camps and formally launched in schools in September 2011.

A new programme encouraging schools to actively reduce their environmental impact was launched in the UAE in October 2010.

HSBC ECO-SCHOOLS CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVEUAE ECO-SCHOOLS ILLUSTRATE CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION

EDUCATING ONLINE

The HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative gives schools the chance to make a positive contribution to the environment by following a seven-step methodology to learn about and act to lower their emissions. In this first year of operation, about 15,000 students worked on the Eco-Schools’ core themes of energy, water and waste. The schools are being supported by 60 staff volunteers from HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd.

Senior education manager Rashmi De Roy said: “The initiative has been enthusiastically received by schools. The idea is to empower students to take action on climate change and trigger behavioural changes in themselves, school staff and their families.

“Some highlights of this programme are that it links the environment into school curriculums and gets pupils involved in taking action in their local communities.”

HSBC is sponsoring the implementation of the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative in 18 countries, including the UAE. The initiative is delivered to schools in the UAE through a partnership between EWS-WWF, HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd, the Foundation for Environmental Education and the UAE’s Ministry of Education.

Posters created by two schoolchildren have been selected to represent the UAE at the international round of the Eco-Code competition part of the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative following an award ceremony in Dubai earlier this summer.

Students taking part in the initiative were challenged to demonstrate their commitment to tackling climate change through imaginative posters where their eco-friendly attitudes and behaviour can inspire concrete action within their school and beyond. Visit www.ewswwf.ae/eco_schools

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Four schools across Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain were given green makeovers as competition winners of the Heroes of the UAE Schools Programme.

Now kitted out with energy and water saving devices it is expected these schools’ combined savings will total more than 120 tonnes of CO2 per year. Visit www.heroesoftheuae.ae

SCHOOL WINNERS

PRESTIGIOUS BLUE FLAG AWARDED TO UAETwo marinas and a beach in the UAE have just been recognised by the prestigious, international award scheme Blue Flag. The proud new owners of the first-ever Blue Flags in the region are Abu Dhabi Corniche Beach, Al Bandar Marina and Yas Marina, from the UAE. Blue Flags are granted to coastal destinations which have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management following the compliance to a strict set of criteria. Now operating in the UAE, Blue Flag is run by EWS-WWF and aims to encourage more beaches and marinas to apply for this status of coastal excellence.

Conservation and education officer, Moaz Sawaf, said: “To have Blue Flag recognised beaches and marinas in the UAE is fantastic as they can be used to promote eco-tourism and inform beach and marina users that they are among the best maintained spots in the world. More importantly it is a vital means of safeguarding the country’s 1360km coastline, the marine environment and public health. It also encourages community involvement in maintaining beaches and marinas and raises awareness of the sensitive marine environment.To apply for a Blue Flag for your marina or beach, visit www.ewswwf.ae/ blueflag to download the criteria documents and the How to Apply for a Blue Flag guide.

EWS-WWF is currently looking for sponsors for this programme. Please email [email protected] to register your interest.


This year’s turtle race has kicked off following a successful tagging season. 24 Hawksbill turtles are now swimming in the waters of the Gulf, equipped with satellite tracking devices as a result.

MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION PROJECT

The three-year-long Marine Turtle Conservation Project, now in its second year is charting the movements of the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles in a bid to protect their nesting and foraging grounds. The team successfully tagged turtles on the coasts of Oman, Qatar, Iran and the UAE.Conservation officer Marina Antonopoulou said: “Turtle tagging is always unpredictable as you never know when the animals will appear. For three nights we waited and not one turtle appeared, but then on another night four appeared!” “What makes this project unique is that by studying the movements of these turtles, it is hoped the knowledge we gain can in turn guide the design of future conservation programmes which would help ensure the protection and survival of this species.”

The Great Gulf Turtle Race sees 23 tagged turtles compete to win the titles of long distance traveller and most popular turtle across a five week period starting on June 6. Follow the race on www.gulfturtles.com

SCOUTING FOR TURTLESCorporate members were invited to visit the Emirates Marine Environmental Group’s reserve on the Dubai coast earlier this year in partnership with EWS-WWF. Visitors were able to help scout the beaches at night time for potential nesting turtles.

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOATThank you to all the volunteers who helped us build Ms. Shelly Hawksbill in November last year. and thanks also to Imdaad LLC for donating plastic bottles and Union Paper Mills for donating wood to build the base of the raft. We would like to also thank Intercontinental Festival City, Mourjan Marinas and Dubai Festival city for donating the event proceedings to EWS-WWF.


MARINE TURTLE CONSERVATION PROJECT NAMING THE TURTLESHow Amal got her name The Fairmont Hotel in Dubai engaged their Facebook fans in helping to name their sponsored turtle. With more than 300 entries on the social networking site of potential names for the endangered Hawksbill, which was tagged off the coast of Oman, Fairmont announced the winning name – Amal which translated from Arabic means Hope. The winning submission was posted by Neha Rag.

How Latifa got her name The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi engaged children attending their annual awareness event in voting for their sponsored turtle. The name Latifa (meaning the gentle one) was chosen by popular vote.

These brave turtles are taking part in the Great Gulf Turtle Race and need your support. Cheer for your favourite turtle on www.gulfturtles.com

• Journey, Otohime sponsored by Bridgestone

• C, N, A sponsored by College of North Atlantic Qatar

• Latifa sponsored by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

• Malabo, Flores, Sheeva, Salome sponsored by Géant/ Le Marché

• Rayhana sponsored by Gulftainer

• Amal sponsored by Fairmont Dubai

• Hurriya sponsored by Mubadala

• Estidama sponsored by UOC

• Maweyyah, Baby T sponsored by anonymous sponsors

• Khadhra, Khanferoosh, Hassa sponsored by

Shaikha Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation

• Toodles sponsored by 7 days

• Speedy sponsored by Jebel Ali Hotel & Resort

Support the project by purchasing your adoption pack from Al Boom Dive Centre, Fairmont Dubai, More Café, Desert Island Resort and Spa Anantara and Pavillion Dive Centre in Jumeirah, or online from Goumbook, Ekotribe and Journey Toys.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE TURTLE

GREEN MAJLISThe first ever ‘Green Majlis’ for Emirati women to talk about environmental issues and concerns was held in May. Generously hosted by Mrs Mariam Gargash, EWS-WWF had the chance to chat to 40 women about the issue of overfishing in the UAE and the Choose Wisely campaign as well as the Heroes of the UAE and the importance of conserving energy and water.

ANNUAL REPORT

ADOPT A TURTLE Download our latest Annual Report from our website covering all of the projects undertaken by the organisation throughout 2010. The Annual Report is an all-encompassing, resource to EWS-WWF activities from the past year. Visit www.ewswwf.ae


INTERVIEW WITH GABRIEL DE ANDRADE, HEAD OF REGION, GéANT/LE MARCHé

Sponsoring four turtles in thisyear’s Marine Turtle Conservation Project is French supermarket retailer Géant / Le Marché:

“We decided to sponsor turtles in the Marine Turtle Conservation Project as marine life is an integral part of our eco-system,” said Gabriel De Andrade, Géant’s Head of Region.

“As a responsible retailer, it is important that all our activities and operations help preserve the environment for future generations.

“We felt that as responsible citizens of this country, we should contribute our efforts towards the benefit

of the community and the environment which Géant is an integral part of.”

“It is imperative that we educate our stakeholders on species which are on the brink of extinction. The Future of marine turtles is threatened and we felt that as a company we must try to put our efforts towards educating the community through the conservation project.”

Géant’s first presence in the region was when the French supermarket chain opened in Bahrain in 2005 followed by further stores in Dubai and Kuwait in 2009.

When asked about how they finalised the names of their turtles, Gabriel added: “We shortlisted a number of names for the turtles suggested by various departments within the company – we decided on calling our four turtles: Flores, Malabo, Salome and Sheeva. We will be encouraging our employees to vote for the Géant sponsored turtles in this year’s turtle race: www.gulfturtles.com ”

By being a corporate member, companies are able to fulfil their corporate social responsibility: engaging their employees while helping the Marine Turtle Conservation

Project to be successful in safeguarding against the demise of this critically endangered species.

“I believe the private sector can help promote environmental issues by introducing environmentally friendly policies and procedures, such as effective waste management including recycling.” explained Gabriel.

“Protecting the environment to us implies conserving natural resources. For humans to exist, it is vital the environment we depend on also exists.

“EWS-WWF has continually provided support and guidance to ensure that our corporate social responsibility objectives are not diluted. We have been working alongside EWS-WWF since we started our No Plastic Bag campaign in February 2008. We now encourage our customers to use jute bags instead of plastic bags and as well as offering other sustainable product choices through a range of phosphorous free detergents, energy saving light bulbs and environment friendly appliances including washing machines. We also have a facility where customers can trade in their old mobile phones which are recycled through an external agency.”

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The Corporate Membership Programme gives companies who care about our natural environment a simple way to make a change today, by supporting our overall work.

JOIN OUR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMME

As the list of our Corporate Members continues to grow, we would like to thank and acknowledge all the businesses who share our passion and play an active role in helping us move closer towards a more sustainable society.To find out more about how you can make a difference as a Corporate Member, visit www.ewswwf.ae or e-mail: [email protected]

We would like to thank our corporate members for their valuable support and we look forward to working with you all!

Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative

Abu Dhabi Media Company

Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority

Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council

Aldar Properties PJSC

Applied Materials

Booz & Co.

Bridgestone

CineStar

Dubai School of Government

Ekotribe

Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy

Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Géant / Le Marché

GHC

Hill and Knowlton

HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd

Latham & Watkins

LinkLaters

Masdar

Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising FZ LLC

National Bank of Abu Dhabi

OmniCom Media Group - OMD

SNR Denton

Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority

AECOM

Bab Al Shams Resort

Baker Botts LLC

Culimer

Gulftainer

Khaleej Times

Marina Mall - Abu Dhabi

Sabban Property Investments

The National

Touchpoints Consulting & Communications

GOLD MEMBERS

SILVER MEMBERS

PLATINUM MEMBERS

Al Gurm Island Company

Aldar Marinas

Canon Middle East

Grand Hyatt Dubai

Hyatt Regency Dubai

Park Hyatt Dubai

Union National Bank

Standard Chartered Bank


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EWS-WWF has seen a number of changes in the last six months. In this edition of Dar Al Khair:

TEAM NEWS

HOW CAN YOU HELP

WE WELCOME:Ali Gargash – Business Development Associate, Darren Hiltz – Conservation OfficerErin Langs – Policy Researcher, Joanna Abu Hejleh – Administration AssistantMarina Antonopoulou – Marine Conservation Project ManagerMelissa Matthews – Communications & Marketing Officer, Nicolas Delaunay – Director, Business Development & Marketing, Nosheen Attai – Business Development Officer

WE SAY gOOdbYE TO:Leaving EWS-WWF is Conservation Officer Nessrine Alzahlawi and Business Development Associate Marie-Louise Scholdtz. We would like to wish Nessrine the best of luck in her new endeavours with the Red Cross in Darfur, Sudan. We also wish Marie-Louise all the best as she relocates back to the beautiful city of Stockholm, Sweden.

WELCOME NEW ArrivALS:Acting Director General Ida Tillisch and her husband Nicolai welcomed baby Axel in September.Science and Research Manager Christophe Tourenq and his wife Debra welcomed baby Adrien in January.

In addition to purchasing a turtle adoption pack and joining our corporate membership programme, there are many ways that you can lend us your support;

• Volunteer your time and expertise

• Pledge to become a Hero

• Become a Fish Finder

• Help us spread the word on your blog or website

• Follow us on social media

The Dubai branch is moving to a new office in the Al Barsha area of the city.The new office is in a convenient location tucked just behind Mall of the Emirates and will be the working hub for more than 15 staff.

You can find us in:Al Barsha Business PointOffice 301Tel 04 3549774PO Box 454891, Dubaiwww.ewswwf.ae

Text © EWS-WWFPhotos except where indicated© EWS-WWF

Documents

DAR AL KHAIR - Pandaawsassets.panda.org/downloads/eng_alkhair25_final.pdf · EWS-WWF Dar Al Khair volumes 25 & 26 page 5 LOCAL LANDMARKS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS The iconic Burj Khalifa