Al Hefaiyah Conservation Centre

Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre (Arabic: مَرْكَز ٱلْحفيَّة لِصوْن ٱلْحَيَاة ٱلْجَبَلِيَّة‎) is a wildlife reserve and visitor centre located west of the coastal town of Kalba in the Emirate of Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre
Interior of the conservation centre
Date opened2016[1]
LocationKalba', Emirate of Sharjah, the UAE
Coordinates
Land area12 km2 (4.6 sq mi)

Facilities

Opened in 2016, the Conservation Centre is a 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) wildlife sanctuary and visitor centre, with some 30 animals preserved at the centre, including Arabian leopards,[1] which are thought to now be extinct in the wild in the United Arab Emirates.[2] It has been hailed as a major step forward in the conservation of endangered mountain species in the UAE,[1] and in 2016, won the Middle East Architect educational project of the year award.[3]

Fauna
Arabian leopard

Developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the Centre is operated by the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority.[4] The centre comprises a number of landscape enclosures in which mountain fauna are housed in their natural environment. Many of the species housed at the centre were previously at Sharjah's Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife (BCEAW), and are indigenous to the regions of Wadi Al Helo, Khor Fakkan and Kalba in Al Hajar Mountains.[5]

Outdoor animals include Arabian leopard, rock hyrax, gazelle, caracal, Arabian tahr, Arabian wolf and striped hyena. In addition to the critically endangered leopard, the Arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs) and Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) are designated threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).[5]

Smaller species are housed indoors at the centre and include snakes, lizards and hedgehogs.[1]

Visitors to the centre travel around the outdoor areas in golf buggies with guides, with a number of hides set up to allow the animals to be observed in their natural habitat. The centre also plays host to art exhibitions and other events.[6]

See also

References
  1. Zriqat, Thaer (2016-03-06). "Safe haven for mountain animals opens". The National. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  2. "Sharjah's new wildlife centre opens to tourists | Sharjah Update". www.sharjahupdate.com. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  3. "Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority to take part in World Future Energy Summit". WAM. Emirates 24/7. 2017-01-15. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  4. "Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre". EPAA. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  5. Editor, The (2016-03-11). "Sharjah's new wildlife centre opens to tourists". Sharjah Update. Retrieved 2018-12-05.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  6. "Wildlife Centre exhibits biodiversity conservation". Gulf Today. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
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