Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has joined hands with the Jumeirah Group in support of their conservation efforts across the emirate. 

 

In an event that took place on the beach in front of Jumeirah Al Naseem on November 15, Jumeirah conservationists, with the support of Dubai Tourism, released 50 rehabilitated turtles back into the sea.  Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an ongoing initiative by Dubai Tourism to promote a more environmentally-friendly, greener future, supported the event as part of the ongoing Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Programme.

 

Under the programme, more than 50 critically endangered loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles found injured on beaches around the UAE were nurtured back to health in Dubai. This included VIP turtle, ‘Hope’, who weighed over 120kg.  

 

‘Hope’ is a young green turtle that arrived with serious injuries to her carapace (shell) and over the last two years the team of dedicated marine biologists at the Burj Al Arab Aquarium have worked to return her to her natural habitat.  Rehabilitating more than 1,600 turtles to date, the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP) looks after turtles handed in by animal enthusiasts after they are found washed up on the beach, often injured with some facing minimal chances of survival.

 

Speaking at the turtle release day, Ahmad AlFalasi, chief executive officer, corporate services and investment, Dubai Tourism, said: “Working in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a sustainable environmental destination, the Dubai Sustainable Tourism initiative is a key driver for ensuring the continual development of the sector, enabling hotels and hospitality establishments to take stock and evaluate their processes.  An essential aspect of ensuring the realisation of our sustainable tourism strategy is the strength of Dubai’s public-private sector partnerships which have paved the way for successful initiatives, the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project is an example of how Jumeirah Group’s ongoing efforts are feeding into this vision.”

 

Introduced to improve the sustainability of the tourism sector, DST contributes to the broader clean energy and sustainable development targets that Dubai has set out to achieve – also extending its support to conserving the emirate’s wildlife.  This includes the ongoing partnership with Emirates Nature-WWF, the leading non-profit organisation established to conserve the nation’s natural heritage. 

 

Peter Stubbs, Jumeirah group director of health, safety & environment, said: “As we continue with our commitment to the Turtle project, we would like to thank members of the Dubai and wider UAE community for their continued support. We would also like to thank our hotel guests, who show such heartfelt interest in the great collaborative work that is done to support the project and the turtles of the gulf region.”

 

The DTRP is currently the only project of its kind in the Middle East and Red Sea region. Founded by Warren Baverstock, aquarium operations manager at the Burj Al Arab, in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, the DTRP’s aim is to help boost the number of turtles in the wild and research their movements by tagging them with satellite tracking devices. – TradeArabia News Service