[Source: UAE Interact ]

UNESCO has listed Marawah, UAE's marine conservatory, among its bio ocean conservatories on the blue planet. UNESCO's decision comes in acknowledgement of UAE's achievements in protection of environment and its bio-diversity, said Secretary General of Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAA) Dr. Majid Al Mansouri at a press conference Shangri-La Abu Dhabi. 

Listing Marawah is yet another evidence of the commitment of the UAE and its leadership to sustainable development and preservation of natural wealth, he added. Marawah, located along UAE's coastline contains 65 per cent of the dugong population in the Arabian Gulf, and has been declared a protected area since 2001. The project has found great support from President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who set up the conservatory through a decree. The project also witnessed keen support from General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. 

Dugong is a marine mammal, an average adult reaching 2.7 metres in length 300 kg. It is the only the strictly marine herbivorous mammal, feeding on sea grass near the coastal line, which make it highly vulnerable to human development and hunting. The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years, often for its meat and oil. Apart from hunting, poaching and destroying of its habitat led to its extinction in many countries, while in others it now an endangered species. UAE declared dugong hunting as illegal as early as in 1991. (Emirates News Agency, WAM)