The Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi revealed nine violations that the practitioners of the herding profession are prohibited from carrying out any of them within the emirate, including grazing without obtaining the necessary license, grazing outside the designated areas for grazing, and the use of bicycles or cars or any type of vehicle or machinery in the grazing areas for the purpose of entertainment. Building a permanent or temporary building or any part thereof inside grazing areas, grazing during non-grazing seasons, placing fences, tools or waste in grazing areas, leaving livestock to graze without escort, in addition to not maintaining public hygiene in grazing areas, and not showing a license Grazing upon request by the Authority’s employees, in accordance with the Emirate's Grazing Law.
In detail, the commission confirmed that it monitors pastoral resources and conducts scientific research and studies aimed at strengthening and rehabilitating vegetation cover to preserve grazing as a traditional inherited practice, documenting and preserving it according to scientific foundations, stressing that the new "recently issued" grazing law will enhance the efforts made to protect natural pastures. And ensuring its continuity for future generations, and helps to regulate grazing and protect plants of all kinds and forms from overgrazing.
The authority indicated that the new grazing law will contribute to protecting the environment of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from the pressures caused by overgrazing, such as the degradation of desert vegetation and beneficial local plants and soil erosion and erosion, which leads to a decline in the numbers of livestock that depend entirely on natural pastures and the emergence of signs of desertification that have become It is evident in most areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
She stressed the importance of the grazing law in protecting desert habitats, ensuring the preservation of a balanced biological diversity, and promoting sustainable traditional practices, giving pastures an opportunity for natural regeneration and ensuring their continuity for future generations.
The authority confirmed that according to the new law, grazing will only be permitted after obtaining the license for a one-year renewable period, pointing out that the conditions for obtaining a grazing license stipulate that the applicant for the license must be a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, not be less than 21 years old, and be a holder. He has an approved and valid certificate stating his ownership of livestock from the concerned authorities, and holder of a certificate stating that his livestock is registered in the system for identifying and registering animals in the emirate with the concerned authorities, and that he has obtained a grazing farm license issued by the concerned authorities.
The impact of pastoralism on biodiversity
The Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi stated that it had conducted an integrated study on grazing in its environmental, social and economic aspects, and the impact of these aspects on environmental sustainability, as the project included a rapid assessment of the impact of grazing on wild biodiversity in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from 2017 to 2019, which contributes to understanding The change that occurred in the natural pastures and the analysis of the causes and the qualitative and quantitative variables that occurred on the vegetation cover in the pastoral areas and the present. Through this study, recommendations were made and a policy developed for the sustainable management of rangelands in the emirate.