The Environment Agency sets the grazing season in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from May 1 to October 15 of each year

Abu Dhabi on September 25

 

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi has determined the grazing season in the emirate, which will extend from May 1 to October 15 of each year in order to ensure the recovery of vegetation and enhance biodiversity and its sustainability, which gives pastures an opportunity for natural regeneration and ensures their continuity for future generations.

 

 

 

 

This came within the framework of the executive regulations of Law No. (11) of 2020, regarding the regulation of grazing in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which the Authority issued under the directives of His Highness Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, in its capacity as the competent authority for environmental affairs. In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Authority is implementing this law, which aims to regulate grazing to protect natural pastures and promote sustainable traditional practices in coordination with the concerned authorities to protect protected areas and critical and sensitive natural habitats, according to balanced principles that ensure the protection of plants of all types and forms from overgrazing.

 

 

 

 

Last July, the Authority began issuing licenses to livestock owners and breeders to regulate grazing and all activities related to it in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. To obtain a grazing license, the applicant must be a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, and the age of the applicant for the license must not be less than 21 years and that The applicant must have a valid livestock inventory certificate approved by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.

 

 

 

 

The Authority hopes that these measures will contribute to allowing natural pastures to recover and protect the desert environment from the pressures caused by overgrazing, such as the deterioration of desert vegetation and beneficial local plants, soil erosion and erosion, which leads to a decline in the number of livestock that depend entirely on natural pastures and the emergence of signs of desertification that have appeared in some areas. areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as their importance in giving desert habitats the opportunity to recover and regenerate naturally.

 

 

 

 

In parallel, the Authority is investing additional efforts in research and rehabilitation through its scheduled in-depth ecological rangeland assessment programme, in addition to the rehabilitation of key plant species through its native tree protection and rehabilitation programme.

 

 

 

 

It is noteworthy that livestock owners and breeders can apply for a license to the Authority in accordance with the procedures and requirements determined by the Authority and after paying the prescribed fees, which include attaching a copy of the license applicant’s ID card, and a copy of an approved and valid livestock inventory certificate indicating his ownership of the livestock and his registration in the The system for identifying and registering animals in the emirate from the relevant authorities. The license applicant must identify the people who will accompany and care for the livestock and submit a copy of their Emirates ID.

 

 

 

 

Licensees will be allowed to graze in open wild areas and stay away from reserves, forests, residential, military, petroleum and private areas, and all roads and prohibited places, a distance of not less than 2 km. It is also required not to leave livestock to graze without an escort and to adhere to the period specified for grazing in this license for one season only, renewable. .

 

 

 

 

Those licensed to graze must adhere to a number of environmental requirements, which include not introducing exotic plants or animals or any harmful materials into the grazing areas, not uprooting, burning, transporting, cutting, damaging, logging, removing or collecting pastoral plants or any part of them in the grazing areas, and not Destroying or harming biological diversity or causing any damage to the local environment in grazing areas and adhering to the permitted grazing seasons.

 

 

 

 

The licensor must also take into account the periods of suspension of grazing determined by the Authority in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the sustainability of the grazing areas.

 

 

 

 

It is also prohibited to use bicycles, cars, or any type of vehicle or machinery in grazing areas in a way that affects the vegetation cover. It is also prohibited to transfer a grazing license to another person.

 

 

 

 

The Authority, in cooperation with the Office of Council Affairs in the Presidential Office, also organized a series of awareness lectures, numbering (9) sessions, held in the city of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Al Dhafra region, on “the practice of grazing within the framework of preserving and sustaining pastures,” in which more than (350) people participated. From estate owners and livestock owners until now, with the aim of enhancing education and awareness of issues of preserving and developing the wild environment.

 

 

 

 

A license can be applied for through the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi’s website: www.ead.gov.ae, where the applicant must choose the “Knowledge” center and then choose “Resources”, then download the “Grazing License Application Form” and fill out the application. Attach the required documents and send them to the email: Customerhappiness@ead.gov.ae.

 

 

 

 

If the request is completed, the customer will be sent a payment link worth 250 dirhams, after which an electronic copy of the grazing license will be issued and sent to the customer via his email.