News

Abu Dhabi wildlife photography exhibition

Friday 5th March 2010

Exhibition opening event

One hundred stunning photographs highlighting the unique biodiversity of the United Arab Emirates have gone on display in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with the aim of increasing awareness and aiding conservation efforts for the region’s fascinating wildlife.

This landmark exhibition has been organised to mark the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, and is being held in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Wildscreen, as part of the EAD’s support for the ARKive project.

Displaying images by some of the world’s top wildlife photographers, the exhibition will run at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until March 7th 2010. It is hoped that, by helping to showcase some of the amazing wildlife found within the diverse habitats of the United Arab Emirates, the event will aid in raising public awareness of the UAE’s precious biodiversity and the need for its protection.

With the help of some of the world’s best photographers, filmmakers, scientists and conservationists, ARKive have already profiled many of the captivating species of the United Arab Emirates, including:


Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica)

Arabian sand gazelle © Paul Brough, NHPA LtdThe Arabian sand gazelle is one of four subspecies of the goitered gazelle, an antelope which gains its common name from the goitre-like swelling on the throat. This subspecies is restricted to the dunes and sandy deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, where it is under threat from illegal hunting, habitat loss, and competition with domestic livestock. Image © Paul Brough, NHPA Ltd

Crab plover (Dromas ardeola)

Two crab plovers in flight © Niranjan SantThe unusual and distinctive crab plover is unique in having no close living relatives. It is a noisy and gregarious species, commonly foraging in small groups along the shore for its preferred prey of crabs, which are easily despatched with its large, powerful beak. Within the United Arab Emirates, the crab plover’s breeding colonies, located on just two islands, are formally protected, so helping to safeguard this unique species. Image © Niranjan Sant

Slevin’s sand gecko (Stenodactylus slevini)

Close up of the eye of a Slevin's sand gecko © Mike Hill, www.osfimages.comSlevin’s sand gecko is a small gecko with a large head, tapering tail, relatively slender, rounded toes, and large eyes, with pupils that contract to a vertical slit. Found across the Arabian Peninsula, it inhabits sandy plains, where it feeds on insects and other small invertebrates. Image © Mike Hill, www.osfimages.com

Yellow scroll coral (Turbinaria reniformis)

Yellow scroll coral colony © Andre Seale, SplashdownDirect.comThe reef-building yellow scroll coral is widely distributed in shallow waters of the Indian Ocean, including in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, and in the western Pacific. Like other corals, it is under threat from a range of factors, including global climate change, pollution, destructive fishing practices, and the spread of invasive species. Image © Andre Seale, SplashdownDirect.com

Jayakar’s seahorse (Hippocampus jayakari)

Male Jayakar's seahorse showing head markings © Ole Johan BrettWith a horse-like head, upright posture and prehensile tail, seahorses are some of the most unusual of all fish species. Jayakar’s seahorse occurs in coastal waters of the western Indian Ocean and, like all seahorses, shows an extraordinary reproductive behaviour in which the male rather than the female becomes ‘pregnant’, brooding the eggs and young in a specialised pouch at the base of the tail. Image © Ole Johan Brett

Further information

To find out more about conservation in the United Arab Emirates see:
The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi

Visit MyARKive to view a selection of images in the Species of the United Arab Emirates scrapbook.

We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the Abu Dhabi Photography Exhibition, including:

  • Andre Seale
  • Andy Murch
  • Animals Animals / Earth Scenes
  • Ardea wildlife pets environment
  • Avi Meir
  • Bill Wood
  • Biosphoto
  • Daniel Heuclin
  • David Fleetham
  • Dirk Motshagen
  • Don Hadden
  • Doug Perrine
  • Duncan Usher
  • Elasmodiver.com
  • FLPA - Images of Nature
  • Georgette Douwma
  • Hanne & Jens Eriksen
  • Hugh Lansdown
  • Image Quest Marine
  • Inaki Relanzon
  • Ingo Arndt
  • James D. Watt
  • James Watt
  • Jason Venus
  • Jean-Lou Zimmermann
  • Jean-Pierre Sylvestre
  • Jez Tryner
  • Jose B. Ruiz
  • Jurgen Freund
  • Kathie Atkinson
  • Kim Taylor
  • Kitagawa / e-Photography
  • Mark Chappell
  • Mark Conlin/V&W
  • Mark Harding
  • Markus Varesvuo
  • Masa Ushioda
  • Michael Nolan
  • Michael Patrick O’Neill
  • Michael Windle
  • Michel Gunther
  • Mike Hill
  • Natural Visions
  • Nature Picture Library
  • NHPA Limited
  • Niranjan Sant
  • Ole Johan Brett
  • OSF
  • Paul Brough
  • Pete Oxford
  • Roger Tidman
  • SeaPics.com
  • SplashdownDirect
  • Staffan Widstrand
  • Still Pictures Ltd.
  • Taketomo Shiratori
  • Thomas Aichinger
  • Thomas Krumenacker
  • Tony Phelps
  • Tony Wharton
  • Xavier Eichaker
  • Yossi Eshbol
  • Zig Leszczynski



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