the Avian Research Centre in Abu Dhabi, Office National de la Chasse 
in France, the French petroleum company Total, Polish Airlines, the Al 
Fahim Group in Abu Dhabi, local oil companies ADMA-OPCO and 
ADNOC, the Hilton Hotel and the Union National Bank. 
ATLAS OF THE BREEDING BIRDS OF ARABIA (ABBA) 
ABBA Surveys 11 & 12 - Last September we received a copy of the 
report of these surveys to Oman, UAE and Northern Saudi Arabia car- 
ried out from February to May 1992. The ABBA project aims to deter- 
mine the distribution and occurrence of all breeding birds in the 
Arabian Peninsula. Survey 11 visited the UAE and Oman from 18 
February to 2 March 1992 while Survey 12 was to Northern Saudi 
Arabia from 11 April to 3 May 1992. The report gives information on 
the topography and bird habitats of the areas visited as well as breed- 
ing bird distribution maps and details of all birds seen including 
migrants. The authors of the report, which was commissioned by 
Saudi Arabia's National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and 
Development (NCWCD), have produced a valuable document for 
anyone interested in the distribution of birds in Arabia. A further 
report is in preparation on Surveys 13 to 16 which visited Oman and 
Saudi Arabia between December 1992 and April 1994. 
Copies of the report Results of Ornithological Surveys to Oman, 
UAE and northern Saudi Arabia: February - May 1992 are available 
from: Michael Jennings, 1 Warners Farm, Warners Drove, Somersham, 
Cambridgeshire PE17 3HW, England. Price £12.00 including postage. 
BIODIVERSITY CONVENTION 
Under the Biodiversity Convention, countries are required to produce 
National Environmental Strategies. In the Middle East these have now 
been completed by Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and Saudi 
Arabia. (Source: Network News 2(3).) 
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 
The English edition of Important Bird Areas in the Middle East was pub- 
lished last autumn and is available from OSME sales. 
An Arabic edition is in preparation by the National Committee for 
Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) of Saudi Arabia. 
It is hoped that it will be launched during 1995. 
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