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Al Wathba Wetland Reserve (AWWR) lake, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is an artificially created water body in a natural wetland region that experienced seasonal flooding before the establishment of the lake. The lake is mostly fed by treated waste water, and became a protected wetland reserve after the Greater Flamingo started to successfully breed in the area in 1998. Detailed monitoring of several hydrochemical parameters and water depth at nine stations and two inlets of treated water in the lake was conducted over a period of seven years starting in January 2010. As a result, the seed-shrimps (Ostracoda: Podocopida) Heterocypris salina, previously reported from a late Miocene location in the UAE, and Cyprinotus cingalensis were recorded for the modern fauna of the UAE for the first time. The presence of the ostracods only at the station with the lowest salinity in the AWWR Lake shows that their distribution is predominantly controlled by the salinity of the water which covered an extremely large range of more than two orders of magnitude (1.45-457%) at the different sampling sites and inlets during the monitoring period. Thus, the lake represents an interesting and important ecological research laboratory under semi-natural conditions.

Epipactis veratrifolia is recorded for the first time from Jebel Hafeet, a mountain in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). This species had been previously recorded from the northern part of the UAE and other areas on the Arabian Peninsula. The occurrence of E. veratrifolia in Jebel Hafeet expands the eastern distribution limits of the species and underlines the importance of biodiversity in the region. The new record fills a gap in the distribution of this species on the Arabian Peninsula.

Long term monitoring programme on Brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) is being carried out by the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (EAD) with the prime purpose of understanding the population dynamics, ecology and habitat requirements of Artemia at Al Wathba Lake, situated within Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, which is an artificial wetland near Abu Dhabi City. The present study, being a component of this programme, intends to understand the influence of chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, ammonia and total organic carbon on Artemia biomass and cyst production at different sites of the Al Wathba Lake. The study was carried out by sampling lake water quarterly for a period of 5 years from 2010 to 2014. The Artemia population was found to have direct impact of the above mentioned parameters on its abundance. The abundance was highest during the year 2010. Further, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and cadmium were found to be the most crucial parameters for production of Artemia. The study further aimed to determine the significant relationship between physico-chemical parameters and Artemia sp. population dynamics and cyst production.

Little is documented on the alien terrestrial and freshwater species in the United Arab Emirates. To address this, an assessment of terrestrial and freshwater alien species was conducted using various techniques such as a questionnaire, fieldwork data, networking with relevant people, and a detailed literature review. The results of the initial assessment show that there are 146 alien species recorded in the following seven major taxonomic groups: invertebrates 49 species, freshwater fish five species, amphibian one species, reptiles six species, birds 71 species, mammals six species and plants eight species. To inform decision makers a full list of the 146 species identified in this assessment is presented.