Al Ain Zoo becomes hub of conservation efforts

posted on 29/01/2012: 68 views

Development projects, climate change and human encroachment into animal habitats are trampling on several species and putting them at risk of extinction. Protection of wildlife may be on the backburner during an economic downturn, but Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, or simply the Al Ain Zoo, hopes some talking points will put the spotlight back on endangered animals across the world.

Last week, the zoo hosted the third annual workshop of the International Union for Conservation and Nature's (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Task Force which will present its revised guidelines later this year at a conference in South Korea.

"The focus of this meeting was climate change, pollution and its impact on habitats, and funding for wildlife projects,'' said Dr Arshad Toosy, acting chief of Life Science and Conservation Development at the zoo. He said it was the ideal platform for international experts to share ideas, discuss current issues and develop solutions to climate change and urbanisation which affect wildlife.

Speaking on the new conservation guidelines which will be released in September to 6,000 delegates this year, Dr Mark Stanley Price, Al Ain Zoo Conservation Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, said: "The main driver for updating the guidelines is the increasing realisation that the world's wildlife faces significant problems through loss and breaking up of habitats, unsustainable overuse and pollution and emerging diseases. There is very little of the earth's surface that is not affected by human activities, and very often the effects and changes are harmful to wildlife.''

The zoo has a global imprint and backs the Ishaqbini Community Conservancy in Kenya in association with the Northern Rangelands Trust to conserve the Hirola antelope, which is battling for survival. Some estimates put the number at a mere 600. The Sahara Conservation Fund which supports Saharan carnivore conservation, Ostrich conservation and Antelope reintroduction programmes is associated with the zoo.

It has an exclusive 20-year agreement with the San Diego Zoo in the US. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are also partners.

‘‘We're also involved with species conservation efforts in Yemen and Morocco,'' said Dr Toosy.

Leading experts like Dr Axel Moehrenschlager, Head of the Centre for Conservation Research at Calgary Zoological Society in Canada; Dr Peter Hollingsworth, Head of Genetics and Conservation at the Royal Botanical Garden of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom; and Dr Piero Genovesi, Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Invasive Species Specialist Group and Senior Conservation Officer of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research in Italy participated in the workshop.

In the UAE, the zoo's Arabian Oryx and Houbara bustard breeding programmes have met with remarkable success. The Arabian Leopard is another leap in in-house breeding. ‘‘We are taking our expertise based on our experience in desert wildlife conservation to other emirates like Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah,'' Dr Toosy said.

As for new exhibits at the zoo, he said four Eland antelopes are being displayed at the African enclosure. – Khaleej Times

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