Habitat Management
Dubai Municipality through its various conservation programmes ensures the sanctuary is healthy and functioning well to preserve the wildlife and the natural environment. Our work is based on scientific approach, which would have not been possible without the generous support of our partners.
Find out more about our programmmes:
Mangrove Management
Since the initiation of mangrove planting in the 1990’s, the health of these ecosystems in the RAKWS has been thriving. In some areas of the sanctuary, mangrove saplings have been observed growing in adjacent habitats. Constant monitoring, proper waste management and effective law enforcement are among the factors that restored the health of the mangroves. To ensure proper management of the mangroves, collaboration with other stakeholders is continuously being strengthened. Mangrove habitat surveys are being conducted to monitor their condition. Furthermore, private institutions also participate in cleaning the mangrove areas as part of the sanctuary’s CSR program.
Water Quality Assessment
Water quality in the RAKWS is periodically monitored to understand and manage the state of the aquatic environment. The monitoring programme serves the following purposes:
– Indicate the state of health of marine waters.
– Assess compliance with the statutory Water Quality Objectives.
– Reveal long-term changes in water quality.
– Provide a basis for the planning of pollution control strategies.
Sediment Analysis
Due to the dynamic development activities surrounding the RAKWS, the sanctuary has been a depository of diverse effluents. To determine the level of macromolecules in the sediment of the sanctuary, sediment analyses for heavy metals are conducted.
Biodiversity Surveys
Bird Monitoring
Part of the regular surveys that are being conducted is the determination of the monthly population of all avifauna in the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.
Water-Bird Ringing
In order to understand the behavior of the avifaunal migratory species, bird ringing is being conducted in the RAKWS. Most of the species that were ringed so far are waders. A ringing project was launched in late 2013 by Natural Resources Conservation Section, Environment Department of Dubai Municipality to determine the pathways and habitat requirements of migratory. This information will help guide management efforts in RAKWS and maintain optimal habitat conditions. Hundreds of various water birds were ringed /recaptured at the site during the preavious years.
Mangrove Density Survey
A Mangrove Density Survey at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary confirmed that the grey mangrove, Avicennia marina is well established, supporting epifaunal communities, bearing fruits, producing seedlings and spreading in the mid to upper intertidal zone of the conservation area. Mangroves at the RAKWS were generally characterized by a dense canopy of green leaves and fruits, and the mangroves’ health status was considered to be good, given the high density of trees, seedlings and saplings, absence of disease and epifaunal abundances recorded in the area.
Invertebrate Survey
Waders in the RAKWS depend on the abundance, diversity and health of the benthic species living on or in upper sediment layers of the wetland.
Fish survey
In order to establish the seasonality of various populations of fish species in the RAKWS area, routine surveys are conducted on a monthly basis. The species are counted, measured and weighed and its biological information is determined.
