Wildlife Conservation from your home!

We can conserve our wildlife even from home without going in jungles and taking out lot of time from our busy routine! While doing the same we can sit back and enjoy the view of colourful birds, butterflies in out back yard or balcony! We don't have to do much to get this pleasure. Birds and small animals need only shelter, food and fresh water!

- Even a small yard can be landscaped to attract bird, butterflies, beneficial insects & small animals.

- Plant local trees, shrubs, plants in your backyard or balcony of your apartment. This can provide food & shelter to these wildlife. Check with local nurseries for local plants

- Freshwater: Make watering site in your backyard or keep water container in balcony for birds and don't forget to refill it! This is very helpful for birds specially in summer. The watering pan should be shallow. In garden it should be about 2 to 3 feet wide and about 3 inches deep.

Birds are attracted by gently moving sound of water. hanging dripping bucket above the birdbath can attract birds. before refilling always empty and rinse the birdbath.

- Nesting boxes can provide shelter to birds we can hang or fix it in our small garden.

- We can add feeder to improve habitat. We get different types of feeders -tray feeder, tube feeder etc in market.

- Dead drying trees can be home to birds, plants, fungi etc. Consider leaving them as it is unless they cause any hazard. Use old logs & stumps in garden & landscape.

- Don't use pesticides for your plants they are pollutants. instead you can use

- Buy sustainable fish.

- You can creat pond and keep fish in it. It needs little maintanance but will add beauty to your garden.

Inspiration & Credit (Photos): Lucinda Manouch, "My Garden" blog

Recycling Locations in UAE

I have uploaded recycling location finder on this blog at the bottom. But it covers only US, Canada & Japan. As there are recycling stations in UAE and I am using it since long time I always felt there should be directory to these recyclers.

Finally, today I got this google map on which most of the recyclers in UAE are pined. Visit this link to find recycling locations in UAE, http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100927200895987292381.00046f46c36e3b03486bd&z=8

These recyclers are kept and maintained by EEG (Emirates Environmental Group). This map does not contain the recyclers kept by other NGOs or Institutes like Beeah in Sharjah. But still it very helpful to all the residence in UAE.

About Emirates Environmental Group

Emirates Environmental Group is voluntary, NGO devoted to protecting environment through means of education, action programs and community involvement. EEG is actively encouraged and supported by concern local and federal government agencies. It is first environmental NGO in world to be ISO 14001 certified and only organisation in UAE with accredited status in the United Nations Convention to Combating Desertification (UNCCD).

Conserving Wildlife!

These many days we were talking about energy saving techniques, recycling in our Green Living. After I attend this workshop by EWS-WWF, I learnt perspective for conserving wildlife.

Let's see how our small careless action can threaten wildlife and how each individual can take part in conserving wild life.




Threats faced by Wild life in water resources (i.e Seas, Rivers, Lakes, natural pools, *Wadi etc)
- Fishing & Diving: anchors can damage coral reefs
- Fishing endangered species: High prices & demand can lead fishermen to target rare species
- Coastal & offshore development: dredging can damage reefs, alters habitats
- Overfishing: fish are caught when they are too small and in numbers which the populations can not sustain
- Throwing rubbish: Can be eaten by turtles or other species, which then gets stuck in their digestive system & kills them

- Red tide: seasonal phenomenon possibly accelerated by high nutrient loads in coastal water
- Oil pollution: tankers waiting in seawater to enter the gulf occasionally wash out their tanks, resulting in dangerous oil pollution along the coast.
- Toxic waste: Can pollute water and damage animals. Animals become trapped by plastic
-Introduction of non-native i.e. 'alien' species: compete directly with native wildlife for food & space
- Excess ground water pumping: cause drying up water resources like wadi pool.

*Wadi- It's Arabic word. It's a valley , gully or stream bed that filled with water from rain or oasis.


Threats faced by Wild life in mountains and forests

- Quarrying: Result in habitat loss & fragmentation
- Hunting: large mammals traditionally hunted for food are now needlessly hunted for sport. population of these animals is decreasing at alarming rate
- Throwing rubbish: toxic waste can pollute water, damage trees and animals. Animals can eat the rubbish which may be harmful to them.
- Introducing alien species: Can compete with local species for food and space.
- Developments: Cause loss of habitat in region


Threats faced by Wild life in Dessert

- Off road driving: burrows can be destroyed, animals & plants can be damaged by vehicles.
- Hunting
- Throwing rubbish
- Leaving pets in dessert wildlife
- Development: Large development in dessert leads to loss of habitat


Wildlife Conservation tips when you are outdoors

-Take your rubbish home with you
-Do not realise any pet in wild
-When driving off road stick to tracks, do not disturb wildlife
-Take care not to damage coral while swimming
-Do not remove or damage any wildlife
-Do not damage plants or burn trees
-Don't use plastic, use paper or clothe
-If toilets are not available find location at least 100ft away from water resource. dig deep whole and cover up your deposit
-Don't drink aerated drinks. It's not healthy and cans, bottles are huge waste problem

WE ALL CAN PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE!!!