In November 1999, I went with some work colleagues to the Liwa region of Abu Dhabi. The region, usually called the 'Liwa Oasis' due to the underground reservoirs is part of the vast Empty Quarter Desert which is shared between The UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the highest dunes of which occurring at Liwa, where they can reach up to 200 metres. Description of the photos: campfire in Liwa; Chris's car got stuck in pit, it was 8pm, sand dunes can be very unpredictible; the Land Cruiser hugged by the sand dunes; my own 4-wheel drive??...naahh; endless sand in the Liwa; one of the highest dunes in our trip; that's the group; the desert has probably the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen; the start of our trip.
 

A week after Liwa, I decided to have a look at another area of the UAE. This time I went to the mountains, which for the backbone of the country and run some 80 kms. north-south along the East Coast. This trip was part of an Emirates Natural History Group excursion, and the place we went to is called Wadi Sumaini, which actually lies in Oman, some 1 km. into Omani territory. Description of the photos: just inside the Omani territory; that's not my car either; picturesque scenery; hiking our way through the wadi; a underground stream spurted to the surface; setting up camp; still in Wadi Sumaini; on the way back home.
 

In late January 2000, there was a small spill of around 200-300 tons of oil some three kilometres off Sadiyat Island (just to the east of Abu Dhabi). The oil entered a nearby lagoon and affected the entire ecosystem, the most important of which are the mangroves. The prompted swift action from the Environmental Research & Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) to send its field crew to the site of the incident. Description of the photos: Dr. Benno, myself and Abdullah Al Rumaithi getting ready for field work; a mangrove forest still untouched by oil; start of the actual work on the mudflats; oil on one of the affected beaches; our field boat (photographed by another ERWDA field boat); I just had to take that pose; Mohammad Al Muhairbi and myself; another photo of our boat (photo: ERWDA).
 

The next pictures are of the office I work in, the Maqta Station. There are three ERWDA departments in Maqta, I am in the Terrestrial Environment Research Centre. With me in the photographs are my colleagues Leena Iyengar and Ramsey Ayoub. It's a pity that we will be moving from this wonderful spot for an area nearer to town. The second last picture is of the Maqta Station. Description of the photos: Ramsey and Leena in the Environmental Services Lab; Ramsey and myself; now that's one cool dude; the Maqta station; hey great pose man!!; the ERWDA Maqta Station (the area in the horizon is the Umm al Nar Refinery/Desalination & Power Plant, photo courtesy ERWDA); the ERWDA staff in early 1999.
 

The pictures below are of scenes from Abu Dhabi, the island capital of the UAE. The last photograph is of the Maqta Bridge which connects Abu Dhabi Island with the mainland UAE. Description of the photos: a view of the eastern side of Abu Dhabi; this is a street next to my place; the Abu Dhabi skyline; Hamdan Street, one of the busiest streets in Abu Dhabi being renovated; an example of the high rise buildings in Abu Dhabi (this one's 18 storeys); an example of an arab fort; one of the beaches of Abu Dhabi; the Eastern Lagoon mangrove system of Abu Dhabi (the white birds are Cattle Egrets); the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club; the Abu Dhabi Health and Fitness Club (within the Golf and Equestrian Club boundaries); the Abu Dhabi skyline on a nice afternoon; the Maqta Bridges connecting Abu Dhabi with mainland UAE.