To encourage initiative and leadership in the environmental field, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Launches the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Environmental Award

As part of its mandate to protect the environment and ensure the sustainability of natural resources, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced the launch of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Award.

The award was founded to encourage environmental initiatives, enhance interest in environmental work, help achieve positive change, and raise public awareness about the importance of environmental protection and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

In its first edition, the award includes three main categories and six sub-categories for nominees from the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The first main category includes the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Medal, which will be awarded to honour successful individuals who have achieved excellence in the field of environmental work. This main category contains three sub-categories: ‘optimal natural resource user’ (fishermen, farmers, owners of groundwater wells, falconers); ‘environmental initiators’ (individual environmental initiatives), and ‘environmental influencers.’

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Launched Strategic Environmental Assessment Programme

In Line with UAE’s Year of Sustainability, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has recently introduced the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) planning programme to help with the evaluation of environmental impacts. The new programme will help guide the investigation of alternatives and potential mitigation and monitoring efforts associated with the implementation of strategic projects, plans, and development programmes. It will also ensuring sustainable development and promoting a healthy and resilient environment for future generations and support meeting the national strategic target of NetZero by 2050.

The Agency launched SEA in accordance with Law 24, 1999, that says EAD has the right to request an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects or facilities, and the SEA planning programme is a form of impact assessment study. The SEA decree signed by the Board of Directors in 2022 provides EAD the authority to request an SEA not just for projects and facilities but also for master plans, development programmes and strategies implementation.

In One of the World’s Most Rare and Unique Cases, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Saved and Rehabilitates Malqout the Dugong

The Agency launched SEA in accordance with Law 24, 1999, that says EAD has the right to request an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for projects or facilities, and the SEA planning programme is a form of impact assessment study. The SEA decree signed by the Board of Directors in 2022 provides EAD the authority to request an SEA not just for projects and facilities but also for master plans, development programmes and strategies implementation.

The Agency’s specialised marine species team assessed Malqout’s health, supported by experts at the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Regional Office. Due to Malqout’s weight and unstable condition, the Agency’s team confirmed that he was suffering from dehydration and malnutrition and needed specialised veterinary care. The decision was made to transfer him to a specialised facility in Abu Dhabi, staffed by animal husbandry experts and qualified veterinarians. Here, the Agency coordinated with locally based zoological experts, Worldwide Zoo Consultants (WZC) to provide veterinary consultancy and ongoing specialist animal husbandry care. The specialists advised keeping Malqout under round-the-clock human supervision due to his poor health, supported by the availability of appropriate resources that could provide the highest standards of care.

Showcasing the achievements and key milestones of 2022, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Issues Its Latest Annual Report

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has issued its 2022 Annual Report, highlighting the Agency’s key achievements. the report was issued digitally and showcases how EAD fulfils its mandate of protecting Abu Dhabi’s environment to create a sustainable future for upcoming generations. As part of its mission, the Agency monitors and conserves land, water and air quality, encourages the safeguarding of natural resources, as well as the mitigation of climate change and all its disastrous effects.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Representative of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi in the Al Dhafra Region, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EAD, said: “In 2022, EAD asserted its leadership and succeeded in strengthening the national and global position of Abu Dhabi and its active role in preserving the environment and protecting species. The Agency’s programmes were shortlisted by the United Nations Environment Programme on its list of top ten global initiatives to restore and rehabilitate environmental eco-systems, further reinforcing the uniqueness and distinction of our ambitious environmental programmes and initiatives that have become worldwide models of excellence.”