DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2018) The Jebel Ali Wetland Sanctuary in Dubai has been added to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, making it the second in the emirate, and eighth protected wetland in the country, it was announced on Sunday.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the last day of the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, COP13, held in Dubai.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said that the addition of the Jebel Ali Wetland Sanctuary to the Ramsar list reflects the UAE's efforts to protect the environment, preserve wetlands and nature reserves, and ensure biological diversity and sustainability of the country's natural resources.
The Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary is a 2,002-hectare wetland located between the Palm Jebel Ali and up to the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border to the South West of Dubai. It is also where the Ghantoot Marine Reserve is located.
In the UAE, the other Ramsar sites cover a total area of almost 37,000 hectares, including Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah, the Mangrove and Al Hafeya Protected Area in Khor Kalba and Sir Bu Nair Island Protected Area in Sharjah, the Ghantoot Marine Reserve and Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and Bul Sayeef in Abu Dhabi, and Al Zora Protected Area in Ajman.
A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, is an inter-governmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, and came into force in 1975.
