Wadi Wurayah

Wadi Wurayah (Arabic: وَادِي ٱلْوُرَيْعَة‎, romanized: Wādī Al-Wurayʿah) is a 12,700-hectare (31,000-acre) wadi between the towns of Masafi, Khor Fakkan and Bidiyah in the United Arab Emirates. It has been designated as Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.[4]

Wadi Wurayah National Park
وَادِي ٱلْوُرَيْعَة
Overview of Wadi Wuray'ah
Location in the United Arab Emirates
Wadi Wurayah (Middle East)
Wadi Wurayah (Asia)
LocationFujairah, United Arab Emirates
Nearest cityMasafi
Coordinates25°24′N 56°15′E[1]
Area12,700 hectares (31,000 acres)
Established2009
Official nameWadi Wurayah National Park
Designated10 July 2010
Reference no.1932[3]
Map of protected area

Protected area

On 16 March 2009, the Wadi Wurayah became the first protected mountain area in the United Arab Emirates, after a three-year campaign by the Emirates Wildlife Society in Association with World Wide Fund for Nature,[5] with the support of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited.[6] In addition to the conservation of the area's delicate ecosystem, EWS-WWF have also set up camera traps to photograph the more elusive wildlife, and arranged field trips for students to help raise awareness of the area.[7]

Flora and fauna
Zygonyx torridus photographed in the wadi

Wadi Wurayah is home to more than 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as more than 300 species of plants. It is famous for its scenic waterfall set amid the Hajar Mountains. It has streams and pools dotted around the rocky outcrops. It is one of few remaining places in the world where the endangered Arabian tahr still roams free.[8][9] Conservationists believe it to be among the last places in the UAE where the Arabian leopard, which has not been seen in the UAE since 1995, still survives. A footprint of a leopard was found here.[10] The same is true for the caracal. The wadi is also home to the Garra barreimiae, a type of freshwater fish that lives only in Al Hajar Mountains. Among the 208 species of plants is a species of wild orchid unique to the area, the Epipactis veratrifolia.[11] In 2018, an Indian crested porcupine was spotted here.[12][13]

In January 2020, a few Indian fritillaries (Argynnis hyperbius) were found in the park by Binish Roobas, an Indian naturalist based in the UAE, who managed to photograph a male and female. He was visiting the area to survey the diversity of flora and insects, after there had been heavy rainfall in the country from October 2019 to January 2020, along with park ranger Sami Ullah Majeed, biologist Nuri Asmita, and the Chairman of the Dubai Natural History Group, Gary Feulner. It is thought that the fritillaries, which were found flying with members of a physically similar species, the plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus), came here as opportunistic migrants, because of the suitable conditions made by the rainfall, and thatthey would not stay during the summer.[14][15]

  • Sign of Wadi Wuray'ah
  • Crossing the wadi
  • Close up of the wadi's terrain

See also

References
  1. "The Annotated Ramsar List: United Arab Emirates". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  2. "The Annotated Ramsar List: United Arab Emirates". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  3. "Wadi Wurayah National Park". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. "The United Arab Emirates (UAE) designates Wadi Wurayah National Park as its second Wetland of International Importance". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  5. Panda
  6. Wadi Wurayah becomes the UAE's first mountain protected area, Wildlife Extra
  7. Wadi Wurayah 2006 - ongoing, WWF
  8. "Newborn Arabian tahr discovered on Jebel Hafeet". The National. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  9. "Arabian Tahr gets royal protection". WWF. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  10. Edmonds, J.-A.; Budd, K. J.; Al Midfa, A. & Gross, C. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 33–39.
  11. Establishment of Wadi Wuraya Mountain Protect Area, Fujairah, WWF
  12. Haza, Ruba (2018-09-12). "Species of porcupine seen for first time in the Fujairah". The National. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  13. De Leon, Janice Ponce (2018-09-13). "First confirmed sighting of Indian crested porcupine in UAE". Fujairah: Gulf News. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  14. Aamir, Moh'd; Salman, Nour (2020-02-29). "Himalayan butterfly found in Fujairah". Dubai: WAM. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  15. Duncan, Gillian (2020-03-01). "Himalayan butterflies found for first time in UAE". The National. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
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