Sharjah: As more people spend their spare time outdoors with the onset of cooler winter weather, conservation officials are asking residents to take care of natural areas for future generations to enjoy.
The call was issued on Tuesday by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah to protect habitat for wildlife and to reduce human impacts on the natural ecosystems in the emirate and across the country.
Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, chairperson of EPAA in Sharjah, said in a statement: “Community involvement in environment protection and biodiversity conservation in Sharjah and the UAE is instrumental to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations. This community contribution is particularly significant as our environment has a unique variety of rare and endangered species.”
Al Suwaidi noted that environmental laws prohibit acts such as dumping or disposing of hazardous waste in wilderness areas, soil erosion, vegetation damage, tree cutting, illegal hunting, livestock killing as well as overgrazing or leaving animals unattended.
Fines range from Dh1,000 to Dh50,000.
To educate the public about the violations, the EPAA, in collaboration with Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority (SRTA), has put up signboards in the wilderness areas in the central district and distributed awareness booklets on the administrative fines stipulate for the prevention of environmental degradation in wilderness areas.
The authority will control violations in collaboration with municipalities in Sharjah, Sharjah Police and the EPAA’s inspectors in the wilderness areas.
The Environment and Protected Areas Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Interior to integrate fines for environmental violations in the emirate of Sharjah in the police e-violations system across the UAE.
This measure will facilitate the payment of fines and help reduce acts of environmental degradation in the UAE.
