Wild Arabia 1: Three Continents Clash
- 17 Aug 07, 11:24 AM
±«Óãtv Radio Four: Monday 20th August 2100
Wild Arabia kicks off at nine o'clock on Monday 20th August with an in-depth look at the ways that wildlife adapts to survive in some of the harshes conditions on earth. From the depths of the Dead Sea to the edge of the Empty Quarter biologist, Tessa McGregor will be travelling throughout the region in search of some of the most elusive animals on Earth.
Tessa starts her journey afloat on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth and a poignant metaphor for the wildlife of the region- under intense stress from man and climate but utterly magnetic.
After a brief Saudi Arabian lesson in plant and mammal adaptation she reaches the north of the Arabian peninsula in Fujairah, one of the United Arab Emirates. Here the has succeeded in having Wadi Wuraya designated as the first piece of protected land in the UAE. 
A walk through this long, narrow canyon quickly reveals its status as the bio-diversity hotspot of northern Arabia. Tessa meets biologist, who's there to study the habits of the small brown fish that somehow survive in the middle of a desert where the water temperature can reach 39 degrees. The locals think that Emma's mad to spend her nights there, sharing the Wadi with the highly venomous Omani Saw-Scaled Viper and the Jinn, mysterious wraithes thought to spirit you away to the underworld. WWF's Christophe Tourenq describes how he's been discovering species new to science around every corner of the Wadi. The wildlife of Arabia is so little-studied that fresh discoveries are almost inevitable.
was thought to be confined in the wild to a single colony in Morrocco but in 2002 a Syrian wildlife ranger stumbled across seven of the birds near the ancient city of Palmyra.
Such a tiny colony was obviously vulnerable so Birdlife International and our own have set out to find out more about its habits. The birds are now well-protected at the breeding site in Syria and most of the birds winter safely in Ethiopia but the young non-breeding birds disappear. This summer, ace-tagger Lubomir Peske succeeded in attaching a satellite transmitter to one young bird so the mystery of the Ibis should soon be solved.
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I am unable (in france) to listen to the ±«Óãtv radio emission about Wild Arabia, but I am a bit shocked to read your text here. I have lived in the UAE for 20 years and although I left there 4 years ago I am still in almost daily contact with naturalists there. Wadi Wurriyah is NOT the only piece of protected land in the UAE. Long before WWF arrived on the scene there were several wildlife reserves in Abu Dhabi emirate (both terrestrial and marine), Dubai has a 225 sq km nature reserve and Sharjah has protected one of its islands. More important than pronouncing wildlife reserves is implementing the protection, Wadu Wurriyah deserves complete protection as it contains some rare wildlife. However, whether new species can be found around every corner I dare to doubt! Maybe small insects...? I know the wadi very well and have spent a lot of time there. In 20 years of traipsing and camping around the UAE desert every weekend I have encountered the sawscale viper twice - it does not exactly attack you when you are in your sleeping bag! The locals are quite used to camping westerners and are eager to share their knowledge and experience about their environment. Why not report factually and desist from hyperbole!
Marijcke Jongbloed
Founder of the Arabian Leopard Trust
Former director of the Sharjah Desert Park
Author of guides to the reptiles, mammals and plants of the UAE (the only ones so far)
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It would be great if the love for nature could result in buidling bridges...
I am a frequent visitor to the Judean desert and the Negev, and to me it is one of the most wonderful areas in the world. Being Jewish, sadly my ability to travel to Syria, and Saudi Arabia is very limited, but in theory I have no problems visiting to appreciate nature there too... One more reason to try harder for peace for our sake an dthe sake of the environment and nature...
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Thanks to Marikcke Jongbloed for the comments. The Wadi's protected status does need some caveats added-I'll do that at the first opportunity. Local reaction to night camping in the Wadi came directly from the researchers who had received the comments. There was no intention to patronise local people. Like every population that lives amongst poisonous snakes there is a real and understandable fear, even if they are rarely seen.
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re Dan Z's post - thankfully, there is increasing cooperation between Israel and Palestine on bird matters e.g.
[url]https://www.birds.org.il/show_item.asp?itemId=3197&levelId=848&template=169[/url]
and cooperation between birders in all the mid east states through Ornithological society of the Middle East (OSME)
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