Today's Edition
HALA AL KHAYYAT (ABU DHABI)
The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) is spreading awareness through its social media platforms to educate the public on positive environmental practices for camping trips with the start of camping and road trip season.
The Agency is publishing content that emphasises the necessity of preserving nature and leaving natural areas as is, urging the public to refrain from trampling on wild plants, as they serve as key food sources for livestock and places of refuge for animals to escape the heat of the sun.
The EAD called on trip-goers to avoid running over the burrows of reptiles and other species, to refrain from building fires directly on the soil or near wild trees and shrubs, and to safely dispose of charcoal residue.
The Agency carries out random inspections at campsites during the winter to ensure that the cleanliness of the sites are maintained after campers depart.
According to the EAD, common, environmentally detrimental practices that should be avoided include driving over desert plants, covering reptile or wild rabbit burrows, starting fires directly on the soil, leaving food scraps behind, improperly disposing of waste, and causing high levels of vehicle exhaust.
The Agency also stressed the importance of purchasing firewood only from stores and gas stations, rather than roadside vendors, to prevent wild tree and plant species from being unsustainably cut and sold.
Improper disposal of plastic bags also poses a significant threat, as these substances are fatal to wildlife if consumed. Leaving waste behind is also a practice that should be avoided, according to the EAD, as it causes a variety of negative effects. Such effects include the unpleasant odours of the waste, which harm the experience of other campers and hikers, along with the damage that waste causes to the soil and wildlife, which are potentially fatal if any non-organic substances are consumed.
The Agency called on the public to enjoy the beauty of nature and the tranquillity of the desert while preserving and respecting the value of nature as if it were their own property.
