Wadi Wurayah to be a protected area

Fujairah, Jan 4, 2009 - Wadi Wurayah, the wetland valley located in Fujairah’s coastal mountains, will soon be a protected area under the emirate’s law, according to environmentalists with Fujairah Municipality and the Emirates Wildlife Society according to a report by Khaleej Times.
The royal court has reviewed a protection plan proposed by the EWS, which calls for management and park rangers to patrol the area and help educate visitors.
“Once it’s announced as a protected area, there will be scientific consultants for the project and we will try to develop it in a way that does not impact the environment,” said Maral Khaled Shuriqe, a geologist with the Fujairah Municipality. The plan is currently awaiting signature from His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah.
The wadi is home to a waterfall and seven unique species. Four of the species are mayflies, insects that Christophe Tourenq of EWS said indicate good water quality. The Arabian Dhar, a close relative to the goat but unique to the UAE and Oman, also lived in the valley.
EWS tracks the dhar, but the last time they saw droppings from the animal was in the spring, the most recent example of the dhar’s existence.
Tourenq said he hopes that protection will attract people to the area, allowing them to interact with the environment through walking trails and campsites while still preserving local species. “To combine humans and environment, that would be the premier in the UAE,” he said. “You can generate revenues. You can foresee many opportunities here.”