Wadi Wuraya Sanctuary
Coordinates: 25 ° 23 ′ 32 ″ N , 56 ° 17 ′ 20 ″ E
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The Wadi Wuraya Sanctuary ( Arabic وادي الوريعة, DMG Wādī al-Wuraiʿa ) is located in the United Arab Emirates in the northern part of the Emirate of Fujairah in the coastal region of the Gulf of Oman a few kilometers off the coast, already in the Hajar Mountains , a few kilometers southwest of the coastal village of al-Bidiya . It covers an area of 129 square kilometers and was established on March 16, 2009 by Sheikh Hamad ibn Muhammad al-Sharqi . This makes it the first mountain reserve in the United Arab Emirates.
Climate, geography and vegetation
The climate is extremely hot and dry. In summer, temperatures can rise to 50 ° C. In winter it is cooler. This is also the time when the area receives the greatest rainfall. The area's average annual rainfall is around 180 mm. The area comprises dry mountainous terrain, but also with bodies of water with sometimes very clean water. Unique to Wadi Wuraya are waterfalls that do not dry out. The highest point is 956 m above sea level. The area is home to around 300 different plant species. Larger trees, such as acacias, are most noticeable.
Wildlife
Some of the rarest mammals in the world live in the reserve . It is one of the three last strongholds of the rare Arabian tahr worldwide . A rare subspecies of the wildcat ( Felis silvestris gordoni ) could be detected with camera traps . The desert lynx , the Arabian mountain gazelle ( Gazella gazella cora ), the Afghan fox and possibly some specimens of the Arabian leopard ( Panthera pardus nimr ) also occur in the area. Of the twelve recorded mammal species, 60% are threatened. The reserve is also home to 75 species of birds and 17 species of reptiles and amphibians .
A total of seven different types of freshwater habitats could be detected.
Web links
- Description of the protected area on the WWF website
- Royal protection for the Arab Tahr in Wadi Wuraya on the WWF site
- Location and delimitation of the protected area
- Catchment area
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christophe Tourenq, Ali Khassim, Moaz Sawaf, Maral Khaled Shuriqi, Emma Smart, Michele Ziolkowski, Mike Brook, Rhea Selwan, Lisa Perry: Characterization of the Wadi Wurayah Catchment Basin, the First Mountain Protected Area in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 35 (4): 289-311, 2009