In Dubai's parks you will see indigenous tree species such as the date palm and the neem, and a large number of imported species, including eucalypts. The sandy desert surrounding the city supports wild grasses and the occasional date-palm oasis.

In the salty scrublands along the coast, the desert hyacinth emerges in all its glory after the rains. It has bright-yellow and deep-red dappled flowers.

Decorating the flat plains that stretch away from the foothills of the Hajar Mountains, .11 mind Hatta, are different species of acacia. These are flat-topped, rather scraggly, incredibly hardy trees. The ghaf also grows in this area; this big tree looks a little like a weeping willow. It is able to survive because its roots stretch down for about 80m, allowing it to tap into deep water reserves. The lower foliage of the ghaf is usually trimmed flat by grazing camels and goats.

As in any major city, you don't see much wildlife. Urbanisation, combined with zealous hunting, has brought the virtual extinction of some species. These include the Houbara bustard, the Arabian oryx (also called the white oryx), the caracal and the striped hyena. The sand cat and Gordon's wildcat are types of cat that have adapted to desert life and are under threat because of cross-breeding with domestic tabbies.

On the fringes of the city, where the urban sprawl gives way to the desert, you may see a desert fox, sand cat or falcon if you are very lucky. Otherwise, the only animals you are likely to encounter are camels and goats. The desert is also home to various reptile species, including the desert monitor (which grows up to a metre long), the sand skink, the spiny tailed agama and several species of gecko. The only poisonous snakes are vipers, such as the sawscaled viper, which can be recognised by their distinctive triangular heads. There are even two remarkably adapted species of toad, which hibernate for years burrowed deep in wadis between floods.

The city is a hot spot for bird-watchers; because of the spread of irrigation and greenery the number and variety of birds is growing. Dubai is on the migration path between Europe, Asia and Africa, and more than 320 migratory species pass through in the spring and autumn, or spend the winter here. The city's parks, gardens and golf courses sustain quite large populations, and on any day up to 80 different species can be spotted. One new urban settler is the common mynah, which arrived in the 1970s from India and now exists in large numbers. Species native to Arabia include the crab plover, the Socotra cormorant, the black-crowned finch lark and the purple sunbird.

Artificial nests have been built to encourage flamingos to breed at the Dubai Wildlife & Water-bird Sanctuary (also known as Khor Dubai Wildlife Sanctuary, see p54), at the inland end of Dubai Creek. In addition to flamingos, the sanctuary is also home to ducks, marsh harriers, spotted eagles, broad-billed sandpipers and ospreys.

The waters off Dubai teem with around 300 different types offish. Diners will be most familiar with the hamour, a species of groper, but the Gulf is also home to an extraordinary range of tropical fish and several species of small sharks. Green turtles and hawksbill turtles used to nest in numbers on Dubai's beaches, but today their nesting sites are restricted to islands.

URBAN PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
With one of the fastest growing populations in the world, Dubai has its share of urban planning challenges. To house this growing population Dubai grows steadily upward with huge residential towers, inland with new housing estates and creates a new coastline or two when it runs out of natural coastline. While Dubai has finally approved a light rail system in principle, Dubai's serious traffic problems will plague it for many years to come. Planning in this regard appears to involve the municipality creating new roads between two points while private companies develop projects that span the two. While developers are quick to build malls, other forms of public spaces - such as parks -are neglected, or left to the developers to incorporate into their projects.