The Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) recently released its annual report of 2014, which highlights the progress made throughout the year towards protecting the environment of the emirate.

The report summarises the organisation’s top accomplishments in its bid to protect Abu Dhabi’s quality of air, ground and seawater, soil and overall biodiversity.

One of EAD’s key successes during the year was the establishment of a sustainable water reserve in Liwa, which will provide a new storage facility for both desalinated seawater and groundwater.

The organisation also successfully launched a programme to reintroduce the endangered Scimitar Horned Oryx – which is extinct in the wild – into its natural habitat over a period of five years.

EAD also pioneered two extensive surveys throughout the year. The Terrestrial Baseline Survey took stock of flora and fauna in the emirate, while a project to map terrestrial and marine habitats will help minimise future environmental degradation caused by human intervention.

The results yielded from the research have helped the agency declare new protected areas within the emirate and get a snapshot of the area’s biodiversity.

On the subject of protecting Abu Dhabi’s biodiversity, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of EAD, said: “We live in a world where our environment and climate is globally connected. The quality of our air and marine water today is a result of not only our own actions, but those of our neighbours with whom we also rely on food and other resources.”

He added: “We also see globally more and more species becoming threatened through direct persecution and loss of habitat.”

To find out more about EAD’s efforts, visit: ead.ae