Wadi Wurayah

Protected area

On 16 March 2009, the Wadi Wurayah became the first protected mountain area in the United Arab Emirates, after a three-year campaign by the Emirates Wildlife Society in Association with World Wide Fund for Nature, with the support of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited. In addition to the conservation of the area's delicate ecosystem, EWS-WWF have also set up camera traps to photograph the more elusive wildlife, and arranged field trips for students to help raise awareness of the area.

Flora and fauna

Wadi Wurayah is home to more than 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as more than 300 species of plants. It is famous for its scenic waterfall set amid the Hajar Mountains. It has streams and pools dotted around the rocky outcrops. It is one of few remaining places in the world where the endangered Arabian tahr still roams free. Conservationists believe it to be among the last places in the UAE where the Arabian leopard, which has not been seen in the UAE since 1995, still survives. A footprint of a leopard was found here. The wadi is also home to the Garra barreimiae, a type of freshwater fish that lives only in the Hajar Mountains. Among the 208 species of plants is a species of wild orchid unique to the area, the Epipactis veratrifolia. In 2018, an Indian crested porcupine was spotted here.

In January 2020, a few Indian fritillaries (Argynnis hyperbius) were found in the park by Binish Roobas, an Indian naturalist based in the UAE, who photographed a male and female. He was visiting the area to survey the diversity of flora and insects, after heavy rainfall in the country from October 2019 to January 2020, along with park ranger Sami Ullah Majeed, biologist Nuri Asmita, and the Chairman of the Dubai Natural History Group, Gary Feulner. It was thought that the fritillaries, which were found flying with members of a physically similar species, the plain tiger (Danaus chrysippus), came here as opportunistic migrants because of the rainfall and would not stay during the summer.

In October 2025, an Arabian caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi) was spotted here.

File:Zygonyx torridus.jpg|Zygonyx torridus photographed in the wadi File:Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah - United Arab Emirates - panoramio (4).jpg|Sign of Wadi Wuray'ah File:Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah - United Arab Emirates - panoramio (2).jpg|Crossing the wadi File:Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah - United Arab Emirates - panoramio (1).jpg|Close up of the wadi's terrain

References

References

1. "The Annotated Ramsar List: United Arab Emirates". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
2. "Wadi Wurayah National Park".
3. "The United Arab Emirates (UAE) designates Wadi Wurayah National Park as its second Wetland of International Importance". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
4. (2022-01-22). "Watch: Why Fujairah is on top of the must-visit list of tourists this winter".
5. "Panda".
6. [http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wadi-Wurayah.html#cr Wadi Wurayah becomes the UAE's first mountain protected area], Wildlife Extra
7. [http://uae.panda.org/what_we_do/projects2/2j/ Wadi Wurayah 2006 - ongoing] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-01-01 , WWF)
8. (2015-03-12). "Newborn Arabian tahr discovered on Jebel Hafeet". [[The National (Abu Dhabi).
9. (2009-04-28). "Arabian Tahr gets royal protection". [[World Wide Fund for Nature.
10. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates". Cat News.
11. [http://uae.panda.org/what_we_do/completed_projects/wadi_wurayah/ Establishment of Wadi Wuraya Mountain Protect Area, Fujairah] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-11-15 , WWF)
12. Haza, Ruba. (2018-09-12). "Species of porcupine seen for first time in the Fujairah". [[The National (Abu Dhabi).
13. De Leon, Janice Ponce. (2018-09-13). "First confirmed sighting of Indian crested porcupine in UAE". [[Gulf News]].
14. (2020-02-29). "Himalayan butterfly found in Fujairah". [[Emirates News Agency.
15. Duncan, Gillian. (2020-03-01). "Himalayan butterflies found for first time in UAE". [[The National (Abu Dhabi).
16. (2025-10-06). "World Habitat Day: Arabian Caracal rediscovered in UAE’s Wadi Wurayah National Park".
17. (2025-10-06). "Rare Arabian caracal spotted in Fujairah mountains in major boost to survival hopes". [[The National (Abu Dhabi).
18. Anwer, Laraib. (2025-10-07). "Look: Critically endangered wild cat spotted in UAE; 250 Arabian Caracals left globally". [[Khaleej Times]].
19. (2025-10-07). "Critically endangered Arabian Caracal spotted in UAE’s Wadi Wurayah National Park". [[The Indian Express]].
20. Pflughoeft, Aspen. (2025-10-09). "‘Apex predator’ makes rare appearance on trail camera in UAE mountains. See it". [[Miami Herald]].