Our post-industrial culture and skill have enhanced the stride of our lives and man's desire to exploit mother earth has multiplied tenfold .

Consequently, the atmosphere is fast wasting away hurricanes, hailstorms, a burning forest, degraded wetlands and general ecological obliteration are the order of the day. We are reaching the tipping point of climate change, running low on natural resources and facing ecosystem collapse.

Preferably laws are expected to aid the protection of the environment, but all hope has been lost,. The protection of the environment thus shall require other innate approaches to complement the laws. And to do this it is we that we go back to where we originated from.

Environmental conservation is not a recent phenomenon in native UAE communities. Past generations knew about environmental degradation and the need for preservation. This found expression in traditional religious practices simply because the Emirati (locals/nationals of United Arab Emirates are called Emiratis)believes that everything that belongs to the ecosystem and the environment has a strong spiritual meaning for humans. Indeed the Emirati attitude to nature is deeply rooted in the belief that all things were created by the Supreme Being for a harmonious continuity, and as such there must be a relationship of mutual obligations between all created things.

For instance, natural phenomena were seen as possessing spiritual power and the natural force that supplies food seen as superior and accorded respect and veneration. Certain trees, for instance, indigenous Ghaf tree could not be felled because they were considered as (God's trees) and are therefore sacred and endowed with healing powers. Indiscriminate tree felling experienced today was unheard of in the days when these traditional religious practices ensured the preservation of The Ghaf tree (Prosopis cineraria) - an indigenous tree species that dots the landscapes of the flat sandy plains of Al Ain's deserts. A true desert survivor, this tree's very long roots reach water from sub-terranean sources beyond the grasp of other plants and is salt tolerant to 4,500 ppm.

The Ghaf tree has held an important value to the inhabitants of the UAE. Historically its leaves were used instead of rice before this grain became available and its elongated pods provide fodder for animals which in turn supply milk, butter, cheese and meat. The Ghaf trees also provides shade, wood for cooking, timber for shelters and food in the form of edible leaves and fruit. The Ghaf woodlands also support large populations of insects that either feed on the trees or use them as shelter or habitat. The insects provide food for reptiles, birds and small mammals, on which, in turn, wild cats and desert foxes prey. And, because of the concentration of domestic and wild animals, the ground under the trees is well fertilized and produces rich undergrowth for grazing after occasional heavy rains. Even, during long dry periods, when much of the ground vegetation is dormant, these trees maintain lush canopies of leaves and are often heavy with flower and fruit. In addition this tree is a vital combatant of desertification in its ability to reduce sand encroachment on valuable oases. In fact, in areas like Pakistan it has been used in reforestation of arid lands as it is a versatile species affecting soil improvement as well as sand dune stabilization. It is in this context, as well as its dual value from both a cultural and ecological point of view that the late president HH Shiekh Zayed personally gave this tree a "national protection" and his own personal patronage.

Flowers, fruits, leaves, bark, branches and roots of Ghaf – all provide resources and habitat for a variety of native fauna and flora, making the tree a keystone species one that plays such an integral part of the food chain in an ecosystem.

Many birds build nests on the Ghaf – desert eagle owl, brown-necked raven, yellow-throated sparrow and long-legged buzzard are examples. Still others nest in holes along trunk and branches and many more use the trees as roosts.

This tree is one great survivor! Fierce temperatures, searing winds, high rates of water loss -the Ghaf tolerates them all. A multipurpose tree of arid lands that is considered a solution to desertification, the Ghaf stabilizes dunes while it improves soil. What is more, it propagates itself by providing new shoots from parent root systems.

The Ghaf tree provides wood for use in construction. It is used for house-building, chiefly as rafters, posts scantlings, doors and windows, and for well construction water pipes, upright posts of Persian wheels, agricultural implements and shafts, spokes, fellows and yokes of carts. It can also be used for small turning work and tool-handles. Container manufacturing is another important wood-based industry, which depends heavily on desert grown trees.

The Ghaf tree is much valued as a fodder tree. The trees are heavily lopped particularly during winter months when no other green fodder is available in the dry tracts. 

There is a popular saying that death will not visit a man, even at the time of a famine, if he has a Ghaf tree , a goat and a camel, since the three together will sustain a man even under the most trying conditions.

The Ghaf tree one of the most important feed species for desert livestock, contributing a major proportion of their feed requirements. It provides nutritious and highly palatable green and well as dry fodder that is readily eaten by camels, cattle, sheep and goats. Locally it is called Loong.

The seedpods, locally called sangar or sangri, contain sweet pulp. The dried pods, locally known as Kho-Kha, are eaten by humans and nearly all livestock. Pods are also fed to animals when young (green) and their taste is improved by boiling and drying them. They are also used as famine food and known even to prehistoric man. Even the bark, having an astringent, bitter taste, was reportedly eaten during the severe famines of 1899 and 1939. 

The heating value of Prosopis Cineraria wood is reported to be high, making it some of the best firewood. The lopped branches are good as fencing material.

The Ghaf tree leaves are used as a salad in the United Arab Emirates. After mincing the leaves extensively, it's considered a delicacy by some to mix the leaves with their fish and rice meal.

Medicinal uses

Prosopis Cineraria flower is pounded, mixed with sugar and used during pregnancy as safeguard against miscarriage. Water-soluble extract of the residue from methanol extract of the stem bark exhibits anti-inflammatory properties.

Prosopis Cineraria plant produces gum, which is obtained during May and June. The bark of the tree is dry, acrid, bitter with a sharp taste cooling anthelmintic tonic, cures leprosy, dysentery, bronchitis, asthma, leukoderma, hemorrhoids and muscle tremors. The smoke of the leaves is good for eye troubles. The fruit is dry and hot, with a flavor, indigestible, causes biliousness, and destroys the nails and the hair. The pod is considered astringent. The bark is used as a remedy for rheumatism, cough, the common cold, asthma, and scorpion stings. The plant is recommended for the treatment of snakebite.

Identified with Arab tradition, it is not surprising that Ghaf finds a place in folklore.

In the past, the United Arab Emirates Bedouins of the Al Ain desert sought to maintain a balance between their needs and nature's gifts through self-imposed bans on tree felling and the creation of temporary grazing reserves. Now, it seems that these practices are weakening.

Traditionally, when an area was declared musawwan (reserved), all camps and small livestock were removed from the vicinity for about two months to allow vegetation to recover and develop. Today wells have increased water extraction in the woodlands, lowering groundwater levels and threatening the prosopis trees.

Modernization is threatening the range lands too: Bedouins are settling permanently, with their livestock, within reach of clinics and schools, giving local grazing no chance to regenerate.

Traditional sustainable tourism

Rather than increasing carbon footprint by flying and spending heavy sums on foreign holidaying ,there are traditional eco-friendly outdoor activities like desert safaris to enjoy in desert and camping in the Hajar Mountains, and bird-watching adventures. With over 400 species in the U.A.E., there are extensive bird-watching opportunities in places as diverse as Mushrif Park.

Traditional means of transport  

Abras are traditional wonderful wooden boats still being used in Dubai to cross the creek.  They ply the waters of the creek, ferrying passengers from one side to the other. They are safe, cheap, enjoyable, convenient  and the most eco friendly means of transport.

Likewise "Dhow" is UAE's traditional sailing vessel . These trading vessels primarily are/were used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise.

The Arab dhow is one of the world's most graceful sailing crafts and the Emirates were famous throughout history for the prowess of their sailors and the sleek lines of their vessels.

The Sustainable Development of Local /traditional Housing Units in UAE : Energy Saving Vernacular approach of architecture

Local housing units in Dubai (from historical ages) have the  minimum value of energy consumption . With the beginning of using cooling systems in 1970's, the total energy consumption has lifted up about four times than the total energy consumed by/in the traditional unit.

Dubai's historical architecture exposes a mixture of cultures and nationalities and at the same time Arabic in style. The historical vernacular approach of architecture in Dubai is the outcome of a combination of three principal factors: the climate (hot and humid), the religion and traditions of people, and the locally available building materials.

 

Traditional houses were mud houses with wind catchers and internal courtyards where climate was controlling the people behaviours from day to night and summer to winter. People were choosing the room based on it's climate so they were moving from room to room in order to get the best thermal comfort during the day. This kind of movement created a behavioral adjustment that has been a basic adaptive approach formed by the people of such hot desert area. In summer and starting from sleeping on the roof, people were moves to the internal courtyard looking for some shade and relative cool in the morning hours. During the hottest hours of the day, they were migrate to the basement until evening time where they came out to the courtyard and cool it slightly by throwing water on the hot surfaces which will keep cooling as night draws near. Another kind of movement occurs in winter where people move horizontally from the shaded north side to the south side rooms looking to the courtyard to be warmed by the sun.

 

Wind Towers

In vernacular buildings in hot desert climate the wind catchers (Barjeel) were functioning like the present modern air conditioning systems. It doesn't have a standard design or dimensions but they creatively designed to fit the local climate conditions. In north east Iran wind catchers are small cowl ventilators on the top of domes while in the tremendously hot climates as the Gulf region, Barjeels are exceptionally large and attached to ventilated parapet and wall to increase the air flow through the house and move as much air as possible across the living areas .The traditional heavy mass structure and the wind catchers are the  practical approach for cooling in Gulf houses.

In the awfully hot interiors of Iraq, the wind catchers are connected by thin ducts to the cellars rooms occupied on hot afternoons in order to supply small ventilation as the air inflowing the rooms from the roof might be at temperatures of 40s C. In cooler desert metropolis of Cairo, wind catchers applied as huge roof ventilators passing air down throughout the high living halls in combination with cupolas at the apex of domes above the halls.

Traditional wind catchers are used in four ways: To supply fundamental ventilation as in Baghdad to allow convective cooling for indoor temperatures of 25-35, to provide evaporative cooling at temperatures above 35, and to cool the building mass down by either coupling the internal air temperatures to those of the night sky or with the earth in basements and underground tunnels and streams. By basically looking at the type of local original wind catchers, with respect to the rooms served, an impression of what the local climate is in a region could be observed from the form and size of the wind catchers.

 

The energy saving features of vernacular architecture are appreciable.Using vernacular materials, such as, earth walls and thatch roofs, enhances the efficiency of houses.

There is a lot to gain knowledge from the vernacular architecture when designing the passive low energy buildings leading the 21st century design prototypes which will be gradually more designed. Modern builders  should apply energy saving vernacular methods to modern buildings and preserve vernacular architecture patterns.

 

Clearly, traditional practices reveal that local societies were aware in the past of the need and ways to protect their environment.

Sources :

http://www.epda.rak.ae/cms/uploads/magazine/506-1074494443en.pdf

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/dubai/732768

http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/how-can-we-stay-rooted-in-our-own-culture-in-a-globalised-world