Dubai?EUR??,,????'???s Palm Islands Destroy Marine Life

 

Three of the islands are in the shape of palm trees?EUR??,,????'??+one surrounded by more islands spelling out an Arabic poem?EUR??,,????'??+and a fourth group of 300 private islands is shaped like a map of the world.

Government-owned developer Nakheel is building three islands off the coast of Dubai at a 20-billion-dollar cost. The luxury resorts and homes on the islands have already attracted celebrities like English soccer player David Beckham, who bought a villa in advance.

The map of the world development offers a golf island and an African safari island.

Dubai, one of seven semi-autonomous states of the United Arab Emirates, is the leading commercial center in the Gulf region and has ambitious plans to boost its thriving tourism industry to prepare for when its low oil reserves run out. However, the futuristic island developments have destroyed the only known coral reef off the shores of Dubai during the dredging work. Turtle nesting sites have been destroyed, natural currents rerouted and silt has muddied what were crystal-clear waters.

Frederic Launay, director of the World Wildlife Fund?EUR??,,????'???s office in the United Arab Emirates says there were very good habitats there with possibilities for recovery and protection, but the opportunity has been lost and now they are only talking about remediation and mitigation.

Nakheel disputes the environmentalist?EUR??,,????'???s claims saying the coral reefs were already dead. The firm has dropped seven barges and the remains of two fighter planes on the sea floor to attract marine life and create an underwater theme park.

Source: Reuters