 In the desert, the flora is very sparse and consists of grasses and thorn bushes.The indigenous fauna had come close to extinction because of intensive hunting, which has led to a conservation program on Sir Bani Yas Island initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, resulting in the survival of, for example, Arabian Oryx, Arabian camel and leopards.Coastal fish and mammals consist mainly of mackerel, perch, and tuna, as well as sharks and whales.