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Dubai’s Department of Tourism and 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 15th November, 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 Project, DTRP.
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 a 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 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 on Thursday, Ahmad AlFalasi, Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Services and Investment at Dubai Tourism said, "Working in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister 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," he added.
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.
Working closely with Dubai Tourism to ensure the environmental conservation of wildlife destinations across Dubai, Emirates Nature-WWF strives to help safeguard habitats, providing different species with environments they can rely on and thrive in. The organisation collects data about the lives, threats and needs of vulnerable species from the coast to mountains, and creates a central database to assist Dubai Tourism in creating Protected Areas Networks.
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