The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, EAD, has hosted a training workshop on the management of Arabian Oryx records, organised by the General Secretariat for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx, GSCAO, supported by the Al Bustan Wildlife Conservation Centre.

The three-day workshop focused on best record keeping practices for management of the species, using a system designed to provide complete animal data to track their health status, identify the best care and develop plans for future management.

Held at EAD’s headquarters, the workshop was attended by over 40 wildlife experts from around the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and the USA, to discuss common challenges and agree on a unified approach to protecting the species across its natural home range.

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector at EAD, said, "This training workshop is just one of the many regional initiatives undertaken by the General Secretariat for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx. Through this meeting, we aim to continue to facilitate the exchange of information and help build capacity across the range states. By coming together regularly, we are able to develop a unified plan of action in relation to the challenges facing the Arabian Oryx in their natural habitat. "

Al Bustan Zoological Centre, ABZC, supported this local initiative as the main sponsor of this event. Meyer de Kock, Manager of ABZC, said, "The regional community drives the efforts for conservation of the Arabian Oryx in the region. The skills development training that focuses on conservation-based record keeping will provide a common database of individual Arabian Oryx in the region, and this, combined with information about the populations in the regions, will assist decision makers to formulate a regional conservation breeding plan for the Arabian Oryx."

During the workshop, participants reviewed the current systems for Oryx record keeping used in their institutions. Representatives and experts discussed new and different methods of documentation and analysis of wildlife data in order to help manage the Arabian Oryx population in the region based on scientific recommendations, keeping track of exchanges and ancestry to ensure that each herd is kept healthy and resilient.

The General Secretariat for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx was established in 2001, and was an initiative close to the heart of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This regional effort seeks to coordinate and co-operate with all range states of the species with the aim of building national and regional capacities and exchanging information and data to help protect the species and bring back viable free roaming populations across the Arabian Peninsula.