United Arab Emirates: 06/03/2006

Nakheel begins monitoring of ecosystem at its projects

Nakheel, a leading property projects developer in Dubai, has started a ecosystem monitoring programme at its marine and inland projects.

The programme aims to advise the management on how to enhance different ecosystems, said Emad Haffar and Shahid Mustafa from the Environment and Landscaping Department of Nakheel Properties.

In a presentation at the UAE University's international conference on the State of the Gulf Ecosystem in Al Ain, the two executives of the company said Nakheel's coastal, offshore and inland projects provide opportunities for the development of both man-made and natural ecosystems.

Ecosystem monitoring should be done through well-established protocols, said the researchers. Such monitoring is the key in driving sustainability of the ecosystem and environmental resource conservation and enhancement, said Haffar and Mustafa in the presentation.

They said studies being done at 14 stations along the Palm Jumeirah indicate high diversity and healthy environmental conditions. Survey dives and assessment carried out along the Waterfront Development Project in Jebel Ali indicate healthy coral communities, they said. Samples collected from 10 monitoring stations of the World Island also showed high diversity of coral communities.

Haffar and Mustafa said more than 1,340 birds of eight species, mainly cormorant and ducks, were counted in December in International City-Al Warsan a man-made freshwater lake.

Jumeirah Island also recently developed a man-made inland water project. "The ecological character of the saline and fresh water lakes indicates a good diversity of fresh and saline water plankton species," said the researchers.