Helping establish the Wadi Wurayah National Park

Tucked away in the Hajar Mountains, Wadi Wurayah is one of the last freshwater resources in the Middle East and a rare hotspot of biodiversity.  

We worked closely with Fujairah Municipality for 10 years to restore and sustainably manage Wadi Wurayah as the first Mountain Protected Area and National Park in the GCC . 

We conducted research to learn about the wadi’s fragile ecosystem and initiated educational and training programmes to spread knowledge and best practices of conservation amongst corporates, youth, citizen scientists and volunteers. 1,500 individuals participated in the trainings.  

With the use of camera traps, over 1,100 species were identified in the area – rare and endangered reptiles, planets, insects, mammals and birds; species such as the porcupine which were not previously spotted in the wadi; and 55 freshwater species that are new to science altogether.  

The National Park is now recognized internationally as a Ramsar Convention site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve