Al Marmoum Reserve eyes bird haven status
Dubai Municipality to issue guidance to visitors even as it maps out nesting areas
Visitors to Dubai’s Al Marmoum Desert Conservation Reserve, where the popular Al Qudra Lakes are also located, will be issued guidelines not to endanger different bird species frequenting the area, Dubai Municipality said yesterday.
The civic body said in a press release that it is currently studying birds that breed in the reserve to identify breeding species and the important breeding areas in the reserve to nest and protect them during the breeding season.
“We also want to provide necessary guidance to the visitors and create awareness among them about the site, which is a protected nature reserve that provides a fertile and safe environment for wildlife,” said Alia Al Harmoudi, director of Environment Department in Dubai Municipality.
“In spite of high temperature and burning sand, the summer season is an exceptional season for breeding birds throughout the Dubai emirate and in Al Marmoum Desert Conservation Reserve in particular, which has gained its importance with its diverse natural environments and vast expansion to be the largest non-fenced natural reserve in the UAE,” she said.
Aisha Al Murr Al Muhairi, head of Natural Resources Protection Section, highlighted the threats facing birds at the reserve. “Despite the high ability of birds to camouflage with the local environment and hide their nests in places that are difficult to find or to lay eggs with the same colour of the surrounding environment and soil, natural predators also have the skill to detect nest sites in addition to easily access to the nests, compared to the birds that build their nests on trees.”
Off-road driving threat
She explained that, as the percentage of visitors who come to Al Marmoum Reserve to enjoy the lakes, sand dunes, and birds has risen, so have incidents of disturbance and threats due to mischief resorted to by some. She said off-road driving causes the greatest threat to birds nesting on the ground as cars driven at speed and without caution crush their eggs and young birds.