New marine reserve declared by United Arab Emirates.

31/10/2006 00:00:00 ABU DHABI, June 2006. The UAE is establishing Al Yasat Marine Protection Area, surrounding and including a group of islands in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. The Yasat group consists of four islands in the far west of the UAE. They are Upper Yasat, Lower Yasat, Esam and Karsha. The islands were declared a marine protected area by Abu Dhabi Emiri Decree No. 33 issued by the President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in late 2005, resulting in an area of 482 sq. km being declared as a no-take zone. The Al Yasat MPA is expected to provide effective protection for the area's fish stocks to enable the fish to grow to maturity and increase in abundance.

The Al Yasat group of islands and the surrounding waters included in the new MPA are of considerable ecological importance. The islands are surrounded by coral reefs, which act as important marine sanctuaries to many species including the already over-exploited Hamour, Shaari and Farsh. The reefs have good coral growth and high coral cover with around 8 coral species present. The islands have irregular coastlines with both rocky and sandy shorelines, providing a variety of habitats. The MPA has suitable foraging habitats for the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles.

The MPA also has significant populations of marine fauna including the endangered Green turtle and the Dugong. Desert hares are present on the islands, where they make use of the natural landscape and vegetation for shelter, food and breeding. Upper Yasat has an important breeding colony of Socotra cormorants, a near-endemic bird species for the UAE, which is one of less than 15 existing colonies in the world.

As part of preparations for the designation of the Al Yasat area as a Marine Protected Area, EAD has undertaken extensive scientific research. This has included: Surveys and assessment of the coral reef habitat of the area, through a continuing Coral Reef Investigation project; Studying of and satellite-tracking of marine turtles after their egg-laying; and Installation of permanent monitoring stations to monitor the regeneration of coral reefs.