UAE desert to get clean touch on Friday

An online call for a desert clean-up by Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was all it took to touch hundreds of hearts and bring together organisations, volunteers, young and old to participate in cleaning up desert areas across the UAE on Friday and Saturday. "How about we all take part in cleaning up the desert?" tweeted the young leader. The response was overwhelming. "It is a call that came straight from the heart and has touched many. I, too, have decided to participate in the clean-up," said Neha, a student, echoing the feelings of many. The two-day clean-up campaign will take place in various areas across the country, including Al Warqa in Dubai, Al Faya, Al Dhaid, the Al Badayer areas in Sharjah, the Al Kharran areas in Ras Al Khaimah, on Emirates Road in Umm Al Quwain, Dibba in Fujairah, Al Khatem, Zayed City in Abu Dhabi and in Al Ain. The desert, a vital part of UAE culture and heritage, is not only an important component of economic growth, it is home to hundreds of species other than man, whether plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, arachnids or insects. For those living in the UAE, the desert is much more than all this, it determines their way of life. Thousands of people — residents and also tourists — love going to the desert for relaxing, fun activities and also adventure. The sad part is, however, that many of us do not give a thought about tidying up before we go and ensuring the desert is clean. "Desert cleaning is not only for desert drivers but also for those who go to the desert to have picnics. They should make sure to leave the desert the way they found it — beautiful and trash-free," said Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of Emirates Environment Group. The threats to the well-being of the desert are numerous, human activities and man's exploitation of the desert in the past few decades have caused more damage than ever. Over-cultivation, cities' expansion, paving the desert to build highways, the mismanagement of available water, digging for fossil fuels, oil spills, littering and off-road driving, have significant impact on the ecological balance of a very fragile and slow to recover environment. Pollution Recreational activities in the desert also leave an unsightly act of pollution to scenery and nature's beauty. Tyre tracks, broken car pieces, abandoned vehicles, fallen bumpers, debris and trash have a phenomenal negative impact on scenic life, tourism and life in the desert. "The desert has its vegetation like salt cedars, bushes…etc. It is home for important species, some do not exist anywhere else in the world, like camels, hawks and lizards. So the desert is important for biodiversity at different scales," Dr Fares Mohammad, professor of Environmental Sciences at Abu Dhabi University told Gulf News. "Plastic bags, illegally dumped tyres, car batteries, and other forms of solid waste cause the most damage. They are generally non-biodegradable trash pile that cannot be broken down by the elements." "Trash could have toxic substances that affect the ecological receptors in the desert environment. Eco-toxicity is a result of heavy metals and other pollutants that could exist in illegally dumped waste and trash, has a direct negative effect on animals and could lead and contaminate underground water supplies," he said.