The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has exhibited a strong presence at the 18th edition of the Muscat Book Fair, which is taking Place at the Omani capital from 26 February- March 18.

The SIBF stand has seen a remarkable presence of prominent figures, officials, artists, intellectuals, and lettermen, as well as university students, and a number of professionals and people interested in the publishing and book industry from various countries participating in the three-week book event.

The SIBF’s participation is being represented by a delegation headed by Salim Omar Salim, Head of Sales & Marketing at the SIBF, and Fadil Hussein, Vice Coordinator-General of the Sharjah International Book Fair.

Among the most prominent figures who visited SIBF’s stand were H.E Darwish Al Bloushi, Minster responsible for financial affairs-oman, and UAE Ambassador to Oman Abdul Redha Abdullah Khouri, who highly valued SIBF’s participation in this exhibition and praised its greatly recognised cultural reputation in the region as well as its role in enhancing the potential of Arabic culture in terms of production and dissemination.

The SIBF delegation dedicated a number of publications to the visiting dignitaries, including books authored by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, as well as various other titles.

The visiting audience were introduced to SIBF’s prestigious experience throughout its annual editions, spanning 31 years, characterised by its excellent organisation and management and its potential to accommodate large numbers of participating countries and publishers, as well as the major expansions the Sharjah Book Fair has undergone to accommodate publishers and visitors.

They also praised the quality of the programmes and events that are run along with the book exhibition, which has grown to become one of the largest and most popular cultural extravaganzas at both the Gulf and regional levels.

Speaking on the occasion, Salim Omar Salim, Head of Sales & Marketing at the SIBF, said,” We are pleased with the great hospitality accorded to us by our Omani brethren and the attention the Sharjah Book Fair ahs from visitors. Muscat Book Fair offered us the opportunity to meet with prominent figures where we discussed the participation of more publishing houses and intellectuals in the upcoming edition of SIBF. We also highlighted SIBF’s prestigious experience as well as the unlimited support it enjoys.”

The Muscat book Fair brought together more than 520 participants from 26 countries, including a large number of new participants, with the participation of foreign book publishers increasing to 26 publishing houses and libraries. The book fair offers 140,000 titles, including 61,533 books released during 2010-2012, and 5,100 titles in 2013, according to Omani official sources.

Abu Dhabi: Experts have warned an estimated one in every seven species of bird, one in every four species of mammal and one in every three amphibian species are globally threatened with extinction.

Many species in the UAE are also threatened with extinction including the Socotra cormorant, Arabian tahr, Arabian oryx, Arabian leopard, dugongs, hawksbill turtles, as well as many other species of reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and invertebrates, they said.

They were speaking during a six-day conference on global species conservation which began in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Hosted by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), the experts are members of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN SSC) and are world experts in their specialised field of species conservation.

Most IUCN SSC members are deployed in more than 100 specialist groups and task forces. Some address conservation issues related to particular groups of plants or animals while others focus on topical issues.

“These specialists are world experts on almost every conceivable creature or plant on the planet. Abu Dhabi is hosting this conference out of a deep and historical commitment to protecting biodiversity on a national, regional, and global scale,” said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of the EAD.

“This meeting will set the global species conservation agenda for the next four years and the EAD is proud to support it,” she said.

“We are continually impressed with Abu Dhabi’s strong support of species conservation both locally and internationally,” said Dr Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN SSC.

“Abu Dhabi has been instrumental in regional efforts to bring the Arabian oryx back from the brink of extinction. Its efforts with locally threatened species such as the dugong, Houbara bustard, and hawksbill turtles are also very impressive,” he said.

UAE programmes

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognised as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. It has grown in size and complexity and now plays an increasingly prominent role in guiding the conservation activities of governments, NGOs, scientific institutions and scientists.

Three experts from the EAD’s Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity sector spoke about UAE-based programmes for biodiversity at the forum. Dr Salim Javed, manager, Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring, spoke about the satellite-tracking of migratory birds, while Dr Himansu Das, scientist, Marine Endangered Species and Habitat, spoke about the world’s second largest population of dugongs living in Abu Dhabi’s waters.

Ashraf Al Cibahy, manager, Biodiversity Management and Conservation, highlighted the EAD’s efforts in protecting the coral reefs of the Arabian Gulf.

With inputs from Nada Al Taher