This paper examines environmental sustainability (ES) implementation in United Arab Emirates (UAE) primary and secondary schools. Our objectives were to examine to which extent ES was 1) considered a strategic initiative and was integrated into their 2) human resource management, 3) operations, and 4) curricular and extra-curricular practices. We adopted a quantitative, descriptive research approach using a self-administrated questionnaire from 85 school teachers and staff representing 52 UAE schools. The majority of our responding schools include ES in their vision, mission, and strategic objectives, but only 38% of the schools had a formal ES management plan. More than 50% of schools implemented sustainable transportation, waste separation, or waste reduction practices into their daily operations, and integrated ES into their basic courses and offered relevant extra-curricular activities. However, the majority of schools did not integrate ES in their human resources management practices. This paper highlights the progress that has been made in integrating ES into UAE schools and suggests areas for improvement. It contributes to a gap in literature on sustainability and EaS implementation in schools and discuss the limitations of this study and possible future avenues of research.

Abstract. Sir Bu Nair Island (SBN) in the central Arabian Gulf is one of the last locations in the UAE’s Gulf waters to retain extensive and well developed coral reefs, whereas many nearshore environments have experienced severe degradation following recurrent marine heatwaves. Although tides, winds and subtidal circulation are thought to influence reef-level thermal conditions at SBN, the local physical processes governing circulation and temperature variability have not previously been resolved from in situ observations. Here, we analyse a 17-month record (May 2021–October 2022) of currents, sea level, and temperature from bottom-mounted ADCPs and multi-depth temperature moorings, complemented by reanalysis of winds. Currents at SBN are strongly anisotropic and aligned along a dominant principal axis, reflecting topographic steering around the island. At the more exposed northwest site, upper-layer along-axis velocities commonly reach ~0.6 m s−1, with episodic peaks approaching 0.8–1.0 m s−1, while at the southern site, flows are weaker, with typical upper-layer velocities of ~0.3 m s−1 and peaks of ~0.5–0.7 m s−1. Tidal forcing dominates the instantaneous flow, explaining up to ~80 % of the along-axis current variance at the northwest site but substantially less in the cross-axis direction and at the southern site, leaving significant subtidal variability. Wind–current coupling is strongest at subtidal timescales, with rapid (0–2 h) responses consistent with local barotropic adjustment to wind forcing. Temperature observations reveal pronounced seasonal variability, with summer surface temperatures exceeding 35 °C and annual excursions of more than 15 °C across the water column. A persistent seasonal thermocline develops during late spring and summer, with vertical temperature differences of 2–4 °C. This stratification is repeatedly disrupted by rapid mixing events lasting 2–3 days, during which the water column becomes nearly homogeneous. Spectral and variance analyses show that stratification variability is dominated by diurnal processes, with additional modulation at synoptic (2–4 day) timescales. The results indicate that tidal mixing alone is insufficient to suppress stratification and that episodic destratification arises from the combined influence of wind forcing and subtidal variability acting on a preconditioned water column. These findings provide the first integrated observational description of circulation and thermal structure at SBN, demonstrating how topographic control, tides, winds, and subtidal variability interact to regulate stratification, vertical exchange and transport processes around an isolated reef system in the central Gulf.

Coral reefs in Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have historically been dominated by Acropora corals. By early 2021, however, extensive Acropora cover remained at only two UAE locations: the fringing reefs of Sir Bu Nair Island (SBN) (Arabian Gulf) and Khor Fakkan (KF) (Gulf of Oman). A summer 2021 marine heatwave impacted these last Acropora refugia and caused the first mass bleaching event on the UAE’s Gulf of Oman coast. Benthic surveys were conducted before, during and eight months after this event. Bleaching severity was high, with 41% of hard corals bleached in KF and 93% in SBN. Total live coral cover declined from 68% to 25% at KF and from 36% to 9% in SBN during bleaching. Acropora cover declined from 23% to 2% in KF and from 19% to 0.02% in SBN during bleaching. There was limited recovery eight months after bleaching. Community composition shifted away from Acropora toward heat-tolerant taxa, particularly Porites and Dipsastraea, with increased homogenization of coral assemblages. These last Acropora refugia could have served as valuable sources of larvae to support coral recovery elsewhere in UAE waters, highlighting the importance of conservation and restoration efforts.

The defensive behaviours of Prionotheca coronata have not been well-described in the past. This species possesses long, sharp spines along its abdominal margin and along its inner hind legs. When disturbed, beetles frequently assume a defensive posture with their head down, posterior up and rear legs spread apart. Beetles quickly rotate so that their raised posterior faces threats coming from the side. If beetles are touched while in this defensive posture, they will often try to pinch whatever is touching them between the spines of their abdomen and inner rear legs. In trials with 50 beetles, we found that 84% of beetles assumed a defensive posture immediately after being removed from a pit trap and prodded. Beetles rotated left or right 58% of the time if the sand was hit to that side of them, but only 2% of the time if it was hit directly behind them. Beetles attempted to pinch our fingers 78% of the time when they were touched between their abdomen and rear legs, but only 31% of the time if they were touched elsewhere (top, bottom and sides of the abdomen). Their pinch is surprisingly strong, and can rarely draw blood.

The mutualism between clownfishes (or anemonefishes) and their giant host sea anemones are among the most immediately recognizable animal interactions on the planet and have attracted a great deal of popular and scientific attention [[1][1]-[5][2]]. However, our evolutionary understanding of this iconic symbiosis comes almost entirely from studies on clownfishes— a charismatic group of 28 described species in the genus Amphiprion [[2][3]]. Adaptation to venomous sea anemones (Anthozoa: Actiniaria) provided clownfishes with novel habitat space, ultimately triggering the adaptive radiation of the group [[2][3]]. Clownfishes diverged from their free-living ancestors 25-30 MYA with their adaptive radiation to sea anemones dating to 13.2 MYA [[2][3], [3][4]]. Far from being mere habitat space, the host sea anemones also receive substantial benefits from hosting clownfishes, making the mutualistic and co-dependent nature of the symbiosis well established [[4][5], [5][2]]. Yet the evolutionary consequences of mutualism with clownfishes have remained a mystery from the host perspective. Here we use bait-capture sequencing to fully resolve the evolutionary relationships among the 10 nominal species of clownfish-hosting sea anemones for the first time ([Figure 1][6]). Using time-calibrated divergence dating analyses we calculate divergence times of less than 25 MYA for each host species, with 9 of 10 host species having divergence times within the last 13 MYA ([Figure 1][6]). The clownfish-hosting sea anemones thus diversified coincidently with clownfishes, potentially facilitating the clownfish adaptive radiation, and providing the first strong evidence for co-evolutionary patterns in this iconic partnership.### Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-5 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #ref-4 [6]: #F1

In the marine environment, greening of grey infrastructure (GGI) is a rapidly growing field that attempts to encourage native marine life to colonize marine artificial structures to enhance biodiversity, thereby promoting ecosystem functioning and hence service provision. By designing multifunctional sea defences, breakwaters, port complexes and off-shore renewable energy installations, these structures can yield myriad environmental benefits, in particular, addressing UN SDG 14: Life below water. Whilst GGI has shown great promise and there is a growing evidence base, there remain many criticisms and knowledge gaps, and some feel that there is scope for GGI to be abused by developers to facilitate harmful development. Given the surge of research in this field in recent years, it is timely to review the literature to provide an update update on the state-of-the-art of the field in relation to the many criticisms and identify remaining knowledge gaps. Despite the rapid and significant advances made in this field, there is currently a lack of science and practice outside of academic sectors in the developed world, and there is a collective need for schemes that encourage intersectoral and transsectoral research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building to optimize GGI in the pursuit of contributing to sustainable development.

Cataglyphis urens desert ants use olfaction to locate their dead arthropod food, and we conducted trials to determine if vegetation interfered with their foraging ability. In each trial, two dead crickets were placed 1m apart and 1m upwind of the entrance to an ant colony. One cricket had a ring of dead vegetation, 40 cm in diameter, placed around it and the other did not (open). We traced 50 cm diameter circles in the sand around the open cricket and also outside of the vegetation ring. Ants touched the 50 cm circle around the open cricket first significantly more often (23) than they touched the circle outside the vegetation ring first (10 times). They touched the open cricket first significantly more times (27) than they touched the cricket surrounded by vegetation first (6 times). We also deployed 47 pairs of pit traps. Traps of a pair were placed 1 m apart from each other, one in open sand and the other in the interior of a short shrub. There were significantly more unvegetated traps of a pair with more ants (18) than vegetated traps of a pair with more ants (6). Cataglyphis urens shows higher activity levels in open sand compared with vegetated microhabitats, and vegetation interferes with their foraging efficiency, and possibly their ability to find food.

This chapter focuses on environmental management systems (EMS) in public sector organisations (PSOs). Our objectives are to (1) explain what is an EMS, describe the two main EMS standards (ISO 14001 and EMAS) and how to implement them in PSOs, (2) present the benefits of EMS adoption in PSOs, and (3) present the key factors of successful EMS implementation in PSOs. The major benefits of EMS implementation in PSOs are improved (1) environmental management practices, (2) environmental awareness and image, (3) organizational cost-efficiency, and (4) environmental performance. The major key success factors are (1) management’s support, (2) employees’ and managers’ awareness, competence and involvement, (3) adoption of a collaborative management approach, (4) allocation of sufficient organizational resources, and (5) stakeholder involvement. We conclude by identifying interesting avenues for future research. This chapter will assist EMS scholars and practitioners in better understanding the specific issues related to EMS implementation in PSOs.

Our research objectives were to conduct a systematic literature review of the empirical articles on the drivers, challenges and outcomes of environmental management system (EMS) implementation in public sector organizations (PSOs) in the Scopus database, published in English. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we identified, reviewed and analyzed 11 selected articles. We used content analysis to identify important themes and concepts. First, we mapped the selected literature. We then identified four main categories of drivers (environmentally strategic, social/stakeholders, regulatory and organizational efficiency), five categories of challenges (budgetary, human resource, technical, managerial and regulatory) and five categories of outcomes (improvement in environmental management practices, environmental performance, awareness of environmental issues, image and organizational efficiency). Finally, we identified important avenues for future research that should be explored further. This article synthesizes the knowledge on EMS implementation in PSOs and offers new insights. It will help EMS scholars and practitioners develop a broader and more critical understanding of the issues specific to EMS implementation in PSOs.

ABSTRACT Leandro, P.; Knuteson, S.L., and Bartholomew, A., 2022. The vegetation of the United Arab Emirates Gulf coast: Description and analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(5), 951–967. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This geobotanical study describes the United Arab Emirates (UAE) mangrove and coastal halophyte plant communities in the intertidal areas and coastal salt flats along part of the UAE Arabian Gulf coast. Nine coastal vegetation association/community groups have been identified with TWINSPAN: Association 1, Avicennietum marinae Chapman, J. 1970.; Association 2, Salicornietum fruticosi Br. Bl. 1928; Association 3, Arthrocnemo macrostachi–Halocnemetum strobiliaci assoc. nova; Association 4, Suaedetum verae (fruticosae) Br. Bl. ex O. Bolós and Molinier 1958; Association 5, Tetraenetum qatarensis assoc. nova; Community 6, Calotropis procera; Community 7, Heliotropium bacciferum and Cornulaca monacantha; Community 8, Prosopis cineraria, and two new communities associated with anthropogenic disturbance; Community 9a, Avicennia marina with Sesuvium portulacastrum; and Community 9b, Avicennia marina with Salicornia fruticosa. Vegetation profiles of each community are presented. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the A. marina communities are associated with: higher salinity of the soil, higher soil CaCO3 content, and higher soil ion concentrations (K+, Mg++, Na+, Cl–). Coastal development has modified the UAE Gulf coast extensively in recent years, and this study describes the coastal plant association/communities, which will be useful for botanists, ecologists, and managers involved in coastal restoration efforts.

Artificial reef (AR) deployment has increased dramatically in the Arabian / Persian Gulf in recent years, and will likely continue as Gulf nations continue to develop their coastlines and expand fisheries. Unfortunately, there is little publicly-available information about AR programs in the Gulf, including information about management goals and program success. ARs can provide economic, social and ecological benefits, but they also have underappreciated risks associated with them. Benefits include increasing short-term catch rates for fisheries, increasing tourism, enhancing and protecting biodiversity and providing ecological services. Risks include exacerbating regional overfishing in the long-term, facilitating the spread of invasive species, altering benthic habitat around the AR, contributing to marine pollution and creating habitats that are "sinks"for larval fish. This paper provides recommendations for managers that are considering whether to initiate AR programs in the Arabian Gulf. Deployment of ARs should not be used as an excuse to allow the destruction or degradation of natural habitat, since ARs are not surrogates of natural habitat. Managers should define clear, explicit management goals in the planning stages of the reef project, and then design and deploy the reef to meet those particular goals. Managers should also set quantifiable objectives for each goal, and implement long-term monitoring programs to determine whether the reef is successful in meeting its goals. Finally, managers should disseminate the results of the monitoring program and share "lessons learned". Implementation of these recommendations will help to guide future sustainable AR programs in the Arabian Gulf and elsewhere.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A diverse and productive mosaic of highly important ecosystems border the coastline of the Arabian Gulf, providing invaluable goods and services to coastal populations and representing the most biodiverse habitats in a region better known for its arid deserts. Recently, however, these ecosystems have come under escalating pressure from urbanization, fisheries activity, and global climate change. Artificial reefs have been in use for centuries in the Gulf region, where they were inherited through family lines and regulated under the senat al-bahar (the ‘code of the sea’). Today, regional marine managers and policymakers are increasingly promoting artificial reefs as a tool to mitigate the ongoing impacts on Gulf ecosystems and fisheries. Artificial reefs may support some goals of marine managers and policymakers, but they are not a panacea and involve many risks. Without appropriate design, regulation, and management, artificial reefs can exacerbate existing problems or inadvertently create new issues that add to management burdens in coastal areas.

The objectives of this research were: (1) To examine the outcomes and key factors of success (KFS) related to ISO 14001 certification, (2) to compare and contrast these in private organizations (PRIVOs) and public organizations (PUBOs), and (3) in the under-explored context of an Arab Gulf country with an emerging economy: The United Arab Emirates. We used an exploratory, qualitative research approach, based on semi-structured interviews with the environmental managers of 14 UAE organizations from the private and public sector. The five major outcomes of ISO 14001 certification were improved: (1) Environmental performance, (2) organizational reputation and relationships with stakeholders, (3) organizational efficiency, (4) environmental management (EM) practices, and (5) environmental awareness. These outcomes were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although improved resource management, improved relations with stakeholders, and improved EM practices were more common in PUBOs, and improved organizational efficiency was more common in PRIVOs. The six KFS for implementation were: (1) Senior management's support, (2) employees' awareness, involvement and competence, (3) government initiatives and commitment, (4) sufficient organizational resources, (5) adoption of a continuous, integrative, and collaborative approach, and (6) the use of external consultants. These KFS were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although government initiatives and commitment were more common in PUBOs, and sufficient resources were more common in PRIVOs. Our study contributes to a better understanding of environmental management system implementation in emerging countries in general, and in Arab Gulf countries particularly. Our study has implications for business leaders, policy makers, EMS professionals, and educators in the UAE and other emerging countries.

A square experimental arena with vegetation on one interior side was deployed in a Sharjah, United Arab Emirates desert. Individual darkling beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) Akis subtricostata Redtenbacher, 1850 and Trachyderma philistina Reiche and Saulcy, 1857 were placed inside the arena at temperatures ranging between 27 - 49°C. Whether they chose the vegetated side of the arena or not was recorded, as well as how long it took for them to reach the vegetated side, if they chose it. Both species preferred the vegetated side at all temperatures, and the chance of them choosing the vegetated side increased significantly with increasing temperature (logistic regression, p = 0.0096 and p = 0.0003 for T. philistina and A. subtricostata, respectively). T.philistina and A. subtricostata always chose the vegetated side at temperatures above 31°and 44°C, respectively. Individual beetles that chose the vegetated side moved quickly and directly to it at temperatures above 30°C. Below 30°C, however, beetles tended to move slower and take more pauses within the arena. Time to reach the vegetated side declined significantly with increasing temperature (least-squares regression, p < 0.00005 for both species). A few individuals of both species died at the highest temperatures (48 - 49°C).

The coastlines of many Arabian cities are now dominated by structures such as seawalls, breakwaters and jetties as urbanization has expanded rapidly in the region. Coastal development has substantially degraded the mangrove forests, saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, oyster beds and coral reefs that traditionally provided invaluable ecosystem goods and services to coastal trading villages of the Arabian Gulf. Regional awareness of environmental issues is growing, however, and local governments are increasingly promoting more sustainable urban development. The use of ecological engineering approaches, along with improved environmental policies, may mitigate some past impacts, and will potentially create new development projects with greater ecological benefits for more sustainable growth in the future. In this paper, we discuss past coastal development in the Gulf, and offer advice on how ecological engineering could be used to enhance the ecological benefits of coastal infrastructure, particularly by encouraging the colonization of juvenile corals and fishes. Such approaches can encourage more sustainable development of this increasingly urbanized seascape.

The clownfish-sea anemone symbiosis has been a model system for understanding fundamental evolutionary and ecological processes. However, our evolutionary understanding of this symbiosis comes entirely from studies of clownfishes. A holistic understanding of a model mutualism requires systematic, biogeographic, and phylogenetic insight into both partners. Here, we conduct the largest phylogenetic analysis of sea anemones (Order Actiniaria) to date, with a focus on expanding the biogeographic and taxonomic sampling of the 10 nominal clownfish-hosting species. Using a combination of mtDNA and nuDNA loci we test (1) the monophyly of each clownfish-hosting family and genus, (2) the current anemone taxonomy that suggests symbioses with clownfishes evolved multiple times within Actiniaria, and (3) whether, like the clownfishes, there is evidence that host anemones have a Coral Triangle biogeographic origin. Our phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrates widespread poly- and para-phyly at the family and genus level, particularly within the family Stichodactylidae and genus Stichodactyla, and suggests that symbioses with clownfishes evolved minimally three times within sea anemones. We further recover evidence for a Tethyan biogeographic origin for some clades. Our data provide the first evidence that clownfish and some sea anemone hosts have different biogeographic origins, and that there may be cryptic species of host anemones. Finally, our findings reflect the need for a major taxonomic revision of the clownfish-hosting sea anemones.