Arabian oryx back from brink of extinction

 

Dubai (CNN) -- Forty years ago the Arabian oryx was extinct in the wild. Today this large antelope, native to the Arabian peninsula, is back from the brink with 1,000 animals across five Middle Eastern countries, thanks to a breeding program and series of re-introductions. It is an unprecedented conservation success story, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which recently re-classified the Arabian oryx from "endangered" to "vulnerable." The organization said it was the first time that a species which was once "extinct in the wild" has improved in status by three full categories out of six on its Red List. The conservation organization said it is believed that the last remaining wild individual was shot in Oman in 1972. Thabet Zahran Al Abdessallam, of the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, said: "Hunting was the principal reason, but of course the loss of habitat due to the development and population increases (is) another reason. Now after the re-introduction into the wild, poaching is a threat." Operation Oryx, which included the World Wildlife Fund and Phoenix Zoo, in the United States, was set up in 1962 to establish a herd in captivity -- comprising the last remaining animals and those in royal collections -- to prepare to reintroduce them into the wild. The first re-introduction of 10 animals was in Oman in 1982, and it was subsequently extended to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and, most recently, Jordan. Re-introductions in Kuwait, Iraq and Syria have also been proposed, according to the IUCN. The animals were introduced to the United Arab Emirates 10 years ago, and the Al Maha Desert Resort, established in 2004, now has at least 450 oryx. Al Abdessallam said: "We have formed an Oryx Conservation Group covering the original countries, and we are cooperating. "United Arab Emirates is in the forefront. We have been responsible in the past few years (for) re-introducing them to Jordan, we have also a bilateral agreement with Syria. "We re-introduced 20 oryx in Jordan the intention is to re-introduce 100, and we also just recently sent 100 oryx to Oman." Al-Maha Resort in Dubai has been created to give an ideal habitat for the oryx, with 6,500 trees planted and man-made water holes -- although staff do not interfere in the animals' breeding, birth or death. The majestic creatures were once abundant in the Arabian Peninsula and were often the subject of classical Arabic poetry. The Bedouins coveted them for their meat and skins. Al Abdessallam said: "The Arabian Oryx is a traditional symbol of this region of the Bedouins. It was, at one point, an animal that used to exist in big numbers in the wild, and the Bedouins were primarily hunting it for food and their skin. "They were hunting them traditionally but with the new technology of guns and cars and sophisticated equipment. They were quickly wiped out." Riaan Tolmay, senior field guide at Al-Maha Resort, said it took a "very, very long time" for the animals to pass out of danger of extinction. "If you take these oryx, we started already in 1960s and in 2011 these animals are still endangered," he said. The Arabian oryx is uniquely adapted to living in harsh desert conditions, with wide hooves helping it walk across shifting sand, an ability to smell water from miles away, and living in small herds to reduce stress on individuals, according to the IUCN. Its two horns can appear as one when viewed in profile, leading many to believe it is the source of the unicorn legend. Tolmay said the black markings on their faces work like sunglasses in protecting their eyes from the bright desert sunlight.

Gas-guzzling Gulf cities bid to go greener

 

Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) -- With the world's highest per capita ecological footprint, the United Arab Emirates is not an obvious green hub. It is the world's eighth largest oil producer, according to the CIA World Factbook, and came top of the WWF's 2010 Living Planet report on per capita ecological footprint -- mainly due to its high carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. However, the country has been chosen to host the new International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a fact that environmentalists hope may be just what is needed to turn around attitudes to the environment. The agency will be based in the new low-carbon development, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. Adnan Amin, director general of IRENA, said: "This is really actually becoming quite a hub for discussion of renewable energy." He added: "Although it's an oil economy they make more money exporting oil than they do subsidizing it and selling it locally. "Local consumption is increasing quite a lot so it makes economic sense for them to start looking at alternatives and they've invested very ambitiously in renewable energy projects." Areeba Hanif, a Dubai-based filmmaker, who recently made a documentary about environmental awareness, said: "I realized that our ecological footprint was the largest in the world. That put me in a very disturbed state of mind. "I also discovered that it was partly due to our petrol consumption and, suddenly, also due to the vast amount of developments that were taking place." The country is also catching up with other parts of the world through the Middle East's first scheme to recycle cooking oil into biodiesel. When Karl Feilder, chairman of Neutral Fuels, moved to the United Arab Emirates he decided to try and bring in the practice which has been increasingly used in Europe in recent years. He said: "When I moved to the UAE I saw there was no biodiesel in the market at all, and yet there was a lot of waste cooking oil. "So I thought it's a great opportunity to really show some leadership in the marketplace. I approached McDonald's and asked them if they would work with us on the first biodiesel factory anywhere in the Middle East." McDonald's agreed to provide all its cooking oil to be converted into biodiesel for all of its vehicles. "The elegance of the closed loop system is that it's full recycling," said Feilder. "We're taking a 100% of the cooking oil from 100% of the restaurants to provide 100% biodiesel to 100% of the trucks. "The idea of being the first biodiesel producer in an oil-producing country was something I just set myself as a challenge. "I became obsessed with the idea, I worked and pummeled everyone I could meet, I pushed government hard, I lobbied, I got everybody on board so I could make this a reality." Amin said sustainability was moving up the agenda, not only in the United Arab Emirates, but in many Middle Eastern countries. "The recognition of the importance of sustainability is growing tremendously," he said. "Throughout the region people have started to talk about sustainability not as an abstract green concept, but as something that makes sense for the way they organize their societies. "When you live in an environment like this which can be quite inhospitable you have to marshal your resources," he added. Despite all the green initiatives, there is still some way to go to in changing public perception of environmental issues. Few young people approached by CNN had heard of IRENA or put green issues high on their agenda. Hanif said: "UAE is a young country and it has a very educated community, but there's a difference between education and awareness. "There's no environmental commitment, and I would say one of the major reasons is that this is a transition society. "When [people] come to this part of the world -- we do not have stringent laws -- yet so then they get relaxed then you find four-wheel drives starting coming and irresponsible use of water and electricity and the wasteful habits."

Cedar forests lead Lebanon eco-tourism boom

 

Shouf, Lebanon (CNN) -- Lebanon's 2,000 hectares of cedar forest are a peaceful oasis for hikers, mountain bikers and bird-watchers, a world away from the hustle and bustle of Beirut. In the Shouf Cedar Reserve, the country's largest natural forest, villagers make a living selling home-made jam, honey, pickled olives and wine to tourists. The area was declared was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2005. While sustainable tourism is booming, the ancient forests are under threat from climate change. Nizar Hani, manager of Shouf Cedar Reserve, said: "Right now we have a new challenge for the cedar forest in Lebanon, which is the climate change. "The expected threat to the cedar forest is (that) the natural regeneration will be affected, because the cedar seeds need to be under snow for two months minimum." Hani said it also affected the insects of the forest. "Right now the impact of climate change is under control. Our role, and the role of the scientists in the universities in Lebanon, is to monitor the impact of climate change on cedar forests. "We hope in the next year we'll have more snow and more rain to minimize that impact," he said. The reserve is trying to raise awareness of biodiversity among its visitors and the local community, including schools and decision makers. Hani said: "The eco-tourism is to raise the awareness of the visitors, always we talk to them about the importance of the protected areas, the importance of the cedar forest, the importance of biodiversity. "We believe if you know something very well, you can protect it. If you don't know, you can't protect it." The reserve had 40,000 visitors last year, 65% of them Lebanese and 35% foreigners. This year it is expecting to reach 50,000 visitors. "Now we have the capacities to receive all those people, before we didn't have the capacities," said Hani. "Now we have the infrastructure, we have the professional guides, we have the professional team to receive all the people, with a minimum impact on nature and on biodiversity." Villagers in the forest benefit from a sustainable tourism program to sell 42 different home-made products, from honey to walnut jam, herbs and olive oil, to tourists. Hani said: "About 40 women benefit from this program. We increase their income and they work on a seasonal basis to prepare all the products. "In addition to the women, we have the bee keepers. They can put their bees in the reserve and at the end of the season promote their honey here." The villagers also offer a unique vacation experience, renting out rooms to tourists and cooking traditional meals for their guests. During Lebanon's civil war 15 years ago, militia leader Walid Jumblatt dug ditches around the forest and planted landmines to protect it from loggers and rival militias. Hani said: "He planted landmines in those ditches to protect this forest. "We're lucky, really, it was a very difficult way, it was maybe a strange way, but it was very difficult during the civil war, it was a mess." After all, cedar trees have a fond place in Lebanese history as well as in the center of the country's flag. Their soft, light wood was highly prized in the ancient world and they featured in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" poem written nearly 3,000 years ago, as well as the Bible.

Egyptian bloggers try to make sense of UK riots

 

  A screen grab of Egyptian blogger Zeinobia's twitter account from Monday nigh                                                        

London (CNN) -- Fresh from their own revolution, Egyptian bloggers tried to make sense of the scenes of looting and burning buildings coming out of the United Kingdom Monday. Violence initially sparked by the shooting death of a 29-year-old man in London spread to other parts of the nation Monday night, with dramatic scenes of blazing buildings and confrontations between police and hooded youths. The news of London's riots -- along with the ongoing violence in Syria -- has captivated many Egyptians, with some saying that the revolution is spreading to the United Kingdom, according one CNN stringer in Cairo. It is just over six months since former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down following 18 days of protests by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Egyptian bloggers watched the action on Al Jazeera and CNN Monday evening, tweeting their thoughts and analyses of the situation in London. Egyptian blogger Zeinobia, watching CNN live Monday tweeted of correspondent Dan Rivers' report Video from the south London neighborhood of Peckham that: "The CNN reporter in London is acting as if he is in a war zone." Moments later, Rivers ran down the road to avoid bottles that were being thrown at him and Zeinobia tweeted "Oh God they are attacking the CNN crew in London and it was a live action." Then Zeinobia, who participated in the February 2011 revolution in Egypt, went on to share her confusion about the methods employed by the rioters: "To be honest I do not understand why protesters would set shops and houses on fire by all measures." Mosa'ab Elshamy, another blogger from Cairo who took part in the revolution, condemned the widespread looting, writing: "Egyptians and Tunisians took revenge for Khaled Said and Bouazizi by peacefully toppling their murdering regimes, not stealing DVD players." Noor Noor, an Egyptian activist and son of presidential candidate Ayman Noor reflected on events Tuesday, saying: "Politically speaking, marginalized people and injustice is everywhere and when it happens in more developed countries like England, people are more likely to react more violently to injustice. He added: "I hear people flirting with the word revolution in London but this is premature. The January 25 revolution started with certain demands that later resulted into controlled aggression. London started with aggression. "In Egypt, corruption and oppression was part of the polluted air we breathed. In England its not necessarily the norm, so injustice may hurt even more." While Sarah Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian student and activist who participated in the revolution from the start, added: "Violence is not justified but there must (be a cause) behind all this destruction. "The government should analyze it because if the kids felt like they owned their neighborhoods or related to to them, they would not have destroyed them." Tuesday, as London started to clean up the mess left by Monday's riots, many Egyptians on Twitter likened it to efforts made by them to clear up Tahrir Square after the revolution. Amr Tarek Gayed, a student at university in Cairo likens the London cleanup to the cleanup of Tahrir Square post-revolution: "While Cleaning the Streets of #London ... Exactly as we cleaned the streets of #Tahrir Square ... British or Egyptian we are all the same :D" Blogger The Big Pharaoh wrote: "#Tahrir spirit in #London. Brits in #cleanlondon, marching with brushes exactly like what we did. http://yfrog.com/kj5oewj"

Syria regime blunders toward self-destruction

 

Editor's note: Christopher Phillips is Syria analyst in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Middle East team. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics specializing in identity politics in Syria and Jordan and has lived for several years in Syria. His first book, "Contemporary Arab Identity: The daily reproduction of the Arab World," will be published by Routledge in early 2012. This has limited Western calls for the kind of urgent intervention seen in Libya, itself becoming a quagmire that few wished to replicate in Syria, and was grudgingly accepted by Syria's neighbors, who feared sectarian instability were Assad to fall. Assad, however, miscalculated and his heavy assault on the rebellious cities of Hama and Deir Ezzor at the beginning of Ramadan has proven too much to bear. (CNN) -- The harsh criticism leveled at the Syrian regime by Saudi Arabia and Turkey last week could prove a turning point in the popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Until now Western sanctions have been ineffective in preventing Assad's violent crackdown on protestors in the last six months. However, the influence of neighboring Turkey and Saudi Arabia is greater than the West, and opens the possibility of damaging diplomatic, economic and even military action. Yet Assad's increasing international and regional isolation was far from inevitable, and is one of a growing list of miscalculations by his regime that is bringing about its own destruction. For months Syria's security forces, under the command of Assad's relentless brother, Maher has cracked down with relative impunity while the Arab states and Turkey have said little or remained silent. Assad's strategy appeared to be to suppress demonstrations while cynically keeping casualties to a "manageable" level, rarely crossing 100 deaths on the worst days. Such miscalculations have characterized Assad's response to a crisis that looks increasingly likely to end his decade-long rule over Syria. It need not have been. When the Arab Spring began in Tunisia, Syria appeared well placed to avoid unrest. Yet ever since demonstrations eventually broke out Assad has shown poor judgment and a lack of political skill, perhaps becoming someone who inherited power. One by one he and his regime have undone nearly all of their initial advantages. Arguably the regime's greatest asset when unrest first broke out was Assad's personal popularity. Despite the security apparatus, the ruling Baath party and corrupt regime cronies being widely disliked, many Syrians placed their faith in Assad as a modernizing reformer. Yet his response to the unrest has shattered this carefully constructed image. He rambled in speeches about external conspiracies rather than delivering real change, and the few reforms he belatedly offered have been undermined by continuing regime violence. Although some core supporters still hope he will deliver, most accept that in reality he is either too weak, being overawed by hardliners such as Maher, or is himself actually as ruthless a dictator as his father, Hafez. A second factor in the regime's favor was the weakness of its opponents. Syria's opposition had been systematically crushed or forced into exile during 40 years of Baathist rule. The first protestors wanted reform rather than regime change. Yet the regime swelled opposition ranks by repeatedly overreacting with brutal force. From the arrest and alleged torture of 15 Deraa teenagers for writing anti-regime graffiti in March to the 1,600 civilians reportedly killed since then, regime brutality has galvanized the previously passive population against it. Even after unrest broke out in Syria, the regime was offered ample room to maneuver by the international community. Western states have been reluctant to call for Assad's departure. Even after initiating sanctions, EU and U.S. diplomats held off demanding that Assad step down, a move that Barack Obama will reportedly be making in the coming days Russia and China have similarly been staunch supporters, defending Syria from Western condemnation at the U.N.. Yet the regime has shown little willingness to use this time to find a non-military solution to its unrest and has wrongly assumed that such acquiescence will last indefinitely. Yet despite its self-destructive efforts, the Assad regime still retains some advantages that could prolong its survival. The security forces remain loyal and have shown few signs of fracturing. The Sunni merchant class, whose support is crucial, also remains loyal or at least neutral. The major cities of Aleppo and central Damascus, which between them host half of Syria's population, remain relatively quiet. Many ordinary Syrians still give the regime the benefit of the doubt, fearing the possibility of a sectarian civil war. The opposition is growing in size, but lacks leaders that could replace Assad. Furthermore, Syria still retains key diplomatic and economic support from Iran and its key trading partner Iraq and, despite the increased criticism seen this week, is not yet facing anything more than rhetoric, such as organized diplomatic or economic isolation. However, given its record in the crisis so far, few would bet on the Assad regime maximizing these advantages. If anything, the regime has shown a bewildering ability to make matters worse as it slowly implodes. The great fear is that, in its forlorn struggle for survival, it drags the Syrian people into the void alongside it.

How Arab youth found their voice

 

Ibrahim Mothana is a 22-year-old activist, writer and a community worker from Yemen. He is a youth ambassador for the Arab Thought Foundation. Follow him on Twitter: @imothanaYemen. When Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia in January, he did not only ignite a series of unpredicted revolts but also heralded the first appearance of Arab you on the stage of modern history. Young people in the Arab world, who had been undermined and perceived as a development burden on the region, became a promise of progress in a new era. Young people suddenly felt as if a new dimension was discovered through which they could mobilize. They finally exercised their rights and, more importantly, said "never again" to the era of absolute domination and authoritarian regimes. Their ambitions led them to sacrifice their lives while calling for the replacement of the humiliation and dehumanization they have long experienced with human rights, democracy, equality and legitimate governance. Millions of youth like me who lived an entire life under one autocratic ruler suddenly changed from being subjects in a society where public opinion didn't matter to being citizens reconfiguring the political, cultural and media spheres. With these movements, a few months of the Arab Spring created a sense of Arab solidarity that decades of political rhetoric and ideological slogans failed to achieve. I was lucky to visit Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and other Arab countries a few months before the uprising and then witness after that how those historical moments reshaped the identity of young people living in these countries. Visiting Cairo again in July during the renewed protests was a completely new experience and I could not feel this sense of solidarity anywhere more than in Tahrir Square. I received exceptional greetings and a warm welcome every time protesters found out I was from Yemen, and many of them insisted on inviting me for a "freedom tea" during which we had endless discussions about the situation in Yemen and the progress of the revolution. Everyone was surprisingly well-informed and up-to-date with the events in every Arab country going through a process of profound changes and reform. I felt as if Cairo's Tahrir was the headquarters of the Arab uprising. The dramatic shift in how young people in different countries recognize each other is astonishing. In the past our ties were shallow and negatively affected by numerous crises and conflicts we witnessed in the past decades, offering youth more reasons to disagree and even demonize each other in many cases. But now a strong sense of mutual struggle and shared noble goals emerged. It is a feeling spontaneously arising from sharing similar grievances and from the need to address them through peaceful and democratic reform. These fostered mutual concerns and ambitions were present in all the youth I met in Cairo, Amman, Beirut and other Arab cities I visited recently. In addition to strengthening their ties and asserting their commonalities, the Arab Spring created a new identity for young people living in the region. It gave them a dose of self-confidence and changed their attitudes; instead of simply blaming the status quo, they have come to strive to change it. Even in monarchies, the number of social and political taboos that were broken is outstanding. The women driving campaign in Saudi Arabia and the hashtag debates in Jordan are examples of the outreach of Arab Spring influence in countries that did not experience revolts. Young people now are more willing to express their opinions and to be proactive in influencing their societies in whatever context they are living in and are clearly showing support for their fellow Arabs struggling in other countries. Marches, events and online campaigns supporting the freedom of people in Syria, Libya, Yemen have been continuous in the past months. Moreover, citizen journalists throughout the region played an important role in spreading the word and exposing human right violations through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media. And it is not only bread and material needs, as has been commonly portrayed, that caused the youth awakening and brought about change in these societies that were long denied freedom and opportunities; but rather more importantly, it is the indignities that ordinary citizens have experienced and their inability to exercise their political and social rights. Thus the slogans of all the protests in the region were all about constitutional changes, rule of law and equality. Arab citizens are working to define themselves rather than be defined by authoritarian regimes or oversimplified Orientalist views. Such a process will definitely take time and require sacrifices, but the outcome on the long term will indisputably be a more prosperous region and empowered nations. For me, as someone who had the blessing of living through such remarkable moments, the Arab Spring seems to be a resurrection of the Arab youth from the grave of marginalization and repression into an era of a homegrown renaissance. When our lives seemed to be going towards a dead-end of frustration and video games, the Arab Spring offered the possibility for the first time of a life we could look forward to living. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ibrahim Mothana.

Arab Spring casts a shadow over Ramadan TV

The filming of the Syrian drama "Jalasat Nesaiya" and many other Ramadan series were uninterrupted by unrest, but the Egyptian revolution affected production there.

  

(CNN) -- Egyptian Gabriel Khoury's first foray into television drama "Dawaran Chobra" is being watched by millions on four channels every night during the holy month of Ramadan. A time of fasting and prayer for Muslims, Ramadan is also peak television viewing season, much like Christmas in the U.S., and Egypt has long been the region's leading producer. Movie producer Khoury had planned to make two series for this Ramadan, but the other had to be postponed until next year because several members of his team were too busy participating in the revolution to work on it. It was not the only production to be be dropped because of the revolution: The number of drama series produced for Ramadan this year dropped from more than 50 last year to 32 this year, according to Egyptian newspaper AlMasry AlYoum. A tradition has developed in recent years for families to watch television dramas together each evening after breaking fast. According to figures for the first two weeks of Ramadan 2011 from market researchers IPSOS, TV viewership jumped up across the Middle East -- a significant proportion of that increase coming from Ramadan series. In Egypt, so far, for example, viewership increased by 30% -- also affected by big audiences for the televised appearances of former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons in court on criminal charges following the January revolution. "Television production companies work throughout the year to put out their best drama during that period," said Nabil Dajani, professor of media studies at the American University of Beirut. "There will be 30 episodes covering every night of the month of Ramadan. It is a tradition that has developed over the last five or six years," he added. Khoury's series "Dawaran Chobra" is about the co-existence of Coptic Christians and Muslims, and is currently being shown on three channels in Egypt and one in the Gulf. "It's about ordinary Egyptians with ordinary problems done in a subdued and realistic way," said Khoury. "It doesn't shout over the roofs, but just shows some of the things they do together." Khoury said in post-revolution Egypt there already seemed to be a backlash about big money paid to big stars. "This year we have tried to break the mold with a good quality series without the big names," he said. The other series planned by Khoury and his company Misr International Films -- an adaptation of the book "Zaat" by Egyptian author Sonallah Ibrahim -- will be produced for Ramadan next year. The series follows the life of a woman from the Egyptian revolution of 1952 to the events of this year. "It follows the family, but with all the political events of the last 60 years as a backdrop," said Khoury. "Our scriptwriter Mariam Naoum and director Kamla Abu Zekri were both involved in the revolution so didn't have time to do it this year." Dajani said the drop in production in Egypt was also caused by difficulty in gaining funding during the revolution. Another big producer of Ramadan television dramas is Syria. Despite violence and political uncertainty sweeping the country, Syria's production of Ramadan drama continued largely undisturbed in the capital Damascus. Around 35 Syrian-made drama series are currently being shown across the Arab world. Dajani said: "The Syrian unrest started much later, so by that time the programs were ready." Muthana Subh, a prominent Syrian television director, currently has his drama series, "Jalasat Nesaiya," or Women Meet, being shown every night on six television channels across the Arab world. "Some things are normal, some things are worrying," Subh said of the current situation in Damascus. "There are many moods, you can't know every mood." Dajani said that Lebanon and the Gulf countries were also emerging as large producers of Ramadan drama, commonly known as "Ramadan soaps," but did not yet challenge the dominance of Syria and Egypt. Badih Fattouh, Group Director of Content at MBC, a major broadcaster across the Arab world, said its top-rated flagship Ramadan program was a Saudi comedy "Tash18," the most successful ever to come out of the kingdom. Fattouh agreed that Syria's prolific drama production had been largely unaffected by the unrest sweeping the country. "The major events are still until now taking place outside the capital Damascus where most of the drama productions are currently taking place," he said. Because most dramas take at least a year to produce, their content this year is largely unaffected by the political changes sweeping the region. Fattouh said: "A few production companies introduced certain changes in their scripts to make them more relevant to (Egypt's) current post-revolution situation, while a few others chose topics dealing with nationalistic or patriotic matters." However, the events of the past six months are likely to be reflected in next year's crop of Ramadan drama. "I expect by next year we will see a completely different type of drama from Egypt," said Dajani. "I think they will be much bolder in their criticism of the government and in dealing with the Palestinian problem. There is already a drama on Jerusalem that was delayed this year, but will be on air for next year." Fattouh added that the emergence after the revolution of Egyptian private channels in search of new content would provide a good source of income for production companies.