Abu Dhabi’s Desert Islands project

THE UAE’s late president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, had a deep seated concern for the protection of Arabia's unique wildlife. Initially he chose Sir Bani Yas Island in the Arabian Gulf just off the Abu Dhabi emirate’s Western coastline as a place to spend time with his family, following an age old bedouin tradition of taking advantage of the sea breezes that fanned the island during the hot summer months.

He liked the idea of sharing his island with endangered Arabian species, and slowly he developed the island into a special nature reserve where wildlife held pride of place. Large numbers of animals roamed freely including sand gazelle, oryx and the Arabian or mountain gazelle, known locally as dhabi. This animal gave the emirate its name since the island on which the capital city now stands means 'possession of the gazelle'.

Twenty five years later the 87 sq km Sir Bani Yas Island is part of an unique environmental and biological experiment. It is one of eight natural islands that make up Desert Islands, a multi-experience tourism destination which comprises this former royal nature reserve, Dalma Island and the Discovery Islands – six nearby offshore outcrops, all of which will be linked by a ferry and hydrofoil service, water taxis, a private ‘resort’ boat service and regional sea planes.

The overall sustainability strategy of Desert Islands is being developed jointly by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi government’s advanced energy and sustainability initiative.

On Sir Bani Yas Island is the 64 room Desert Islands Resort & Spa, managed by Anantara. The focus of the hotel, tastefully decorated in African-Arabian-Asian style, is on nature and adventure according to Andre Erasmus, general manager of Desert Islands Resort & Spa.

“4x4 game viewing safaris of the former royal nature reserve now known as the Arabian Wildlife Park are most popular with guests,” he said. The park houses more than 23 free roaming species including the threatened Arabian oryx (about 400 are now on the island) and the Beisa oryx from East Africa, as well blackbuck and spotted deer.

“Other activities include hiking, mountain biking, snorkelling and kayaking – the latter takes place in the islands mangrove reserve, home to over 60 species of migratory birds,” he said.
“For all activities, an experienced guide from the hotel accompanies the guest. We want people to learn from their experiences here, it is part and parcel of our preserve and appreciate nature concept,” said Erasmus. “We don’t want guests wandering off and getting lost, nor do we want them to damage any aspects of nature.”

The resort also offers two private royal villas and two beach villas, and the Safaa Spa, also run by Anantara, has a complete range of treatments for guests. The resort was named among the region’s top two hotels in Conde Nast Traveller’s 2009 Hot List. Another feature to be completed here by 2010 is the Anantara Conference Centre, able to accommodate up to 250 people in its major conference hall, along with eight breakaway rooms and a boardroom. 

The Desert Islands Resort & Spa is seeing healthy visitor numbers despite the global downturn. Since it opened in October last year, occupancy rates have been between 80 to 85 per cent on weekends, according to George Chakar, marketing and communications manager of TDIC.

“Weekdays the numbers are less but we will be organising more in the coming months to encourage visitors during the week, such as the introduction of corporate packages which could include team building, corporate incentives and meetings,” said Chakar. “We have the infrastructure to handle any such event.”

The opening of the resort in October 2008 was Phase One of the Desert Islands development, which included the upgrade of the existing regional airport, the inauguration of a dedicated air service to the island from Abu Dhabi International Airport and a new arrivals and departures terminal.

The latest development on the island is the construction of four new luxury lodges, which will offer 190 hotel rooms upon completion in 2011. The 40 unit Al Yamm Lodge on the water’s edge and the 50 unit Al Barari Lodge will be the first to open in 2010. The other two lodges, named Al Bahar and Al Muntaha, are set for completion in 2011. The 50 unit Al Bahar Lodge will be situated on a peninsula in the island’s southern region, and the 50 unit Al Muntaha Lodge sits high on the surrounding rocky salt domes.

TDIC is also introducing a diving and sports centre on the island which will be ready by 2010. Other projects include the launch of an equestrian centre by the end of 2009 and an Outward Bound (a non-profit adventure organisation offering educational and personal growth experiences in the wilderness) camp in 2010.

Sir Bani Yas Island lies alongside Jebel Dhanna in Al Gharbia, a 250 kilometre drive from Abu Dhabi city. Guests then take a 15 minute boat ferry to the secluded island. Visitors can also opt for a 50 minute flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Operated by Empire Aviation, scheduled flights are available on Thursdays and Saturdays, and charter flights as and when arranged.

Most guests are nationals and expatriates from the region, particularly from the UAE and GCC, and internationally mainly from Europe.

“Sir Bani Yas Island has not been accessible to the public for 25 years, so there is a natural curiosity from people regionally,” said Chakar. The target market is initially visitors from the region then the aim is to expand further into Europe and Asia.
“We want to make more locals aware of our holistic sustainable strategy, which includes projects involving water, power, infrastructure, waste management and green building standards, as well as tourism based initiatives,” said Chakar.
On this natural island is the Middle East’s largest wind turbine, which currently produces two per cent of the island’s electricity. “We want to be self sustained eventually - perhaps within the next five to six years,” he said.

The wind turbine, which stands 65 metres high in Sir Bani Yas Bay looking onto Jebel Dhana, has three rotor blades each with a 52 metre wing span and a production capacity of 850 KW per hour. The only one of its kind in the region, the wind turbine was produced by Vestas Denmark, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer.

Alternative energy production is central to the overall sustainability strategy being developed by TDIC and Masdar.
“We plan to utilise solar and wind solutions throughout the Desert Islands as part of a sustainability strategy which will mirror Sheikh Zayed’s eco-philosophy for Sir Bani Yas,” Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and of TDIC said in January last year when the turbine began producing electricity on the island.

“Masdar’s collaboration with TDIC is in line with our strategy to develop Abu Dhabi’s alternative energy sector,” said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO, Masdar. “By drawing on Masdar’s own expertise, as well as our global partners, we can drive efficiencies and reduce costs while meeting Abu Dhabi’s energy needs.”

“Delivering intuitive sustainability is a core value of TDIC and integral to the company’s corporate DNA,” said Lee Tabler, CEO of TDIC. “The Desert Islands will be a case study in world class sustainable development.”

Another part of the Desert Islands project is the smaller 33 square kilometre Dalma Island which is sprinkled with archaeological finds and is where traditional fishing, farming and aquaculture livelihoods continue. In the centre of the new town is the Dalma Archaeological Museum, home to hundreds of artefacts. Expansion and upgrading of the museum and transformation of in-situ archaeological sites into an interactive learning experience will, it is planned, draw parents to bring their children to learn the value of heritage. A Desert Islands Education Centre built on the island by the Abu Dhabi government provides a range of courses for the local community, with a priority on providing students with the key skills of English, computer and vocational courses.

Making up the remainder of the Desert Islands project are the Discovery Islands. The plans are to build this into a world class example of environmental conservation and ecological tourism. Two islands will remain untouched to ensure that the existing breeding grounds for birds and turtles and the thriving marine population remain undisturbed.

Two other islands will be devoted to exclusive resorts offering the highest level of service and accommodation. Visitors will arrive by privately operated ferries and seaplanes. Another two islands will provide a ‘wild camp’ experience delivering the authenticity of untouched, isolated, distant and deserted islands.

Marsa Jebel Dhanna will be the destination's arrivals and departure hub.

Back on Sir Bani Yas Island Arabian oryx, rescued only a few decades ago from the brink of extinction, are protected here, and the free wandering herd is steadily increasing as a result of natural breeding within the enclosure. Also to be found wandering the open countryside, or held within other large enclosures are cheetah, giraffe, eland, Beisa oryx, scimitar horned oryx, addax, defassa, waterbuck, hog deer, dorcas gazelle, Grant's gazelle, barbary sheep and Asiatic mouflon.

Around 170 species of wild birds have made Sir Bani Yas a temporary or permanent home in its shallow inter-tidal lagoons protected by mangrove bushes, or at the artificial bird lake. Species include the greater (or pink) flamingo, African ostrich, rhea, emu, Egyptian goose, grey and black francolin, see see and chukar partridge. Some other free flying species that have begun to breed include the African crowned crane, helmeted guineafowl and the common pheasant.

Sir Bani Yas Island was also used as a testing ground for agricultural projects. One of the first plants that Sheikh Zayed encouraged to grow on the island was the sea water tolerant mangrove tree. These were planted all along the coast of Abu Dhabi some 25 years ago, so forming new stretches of coastal greenery as well as creating habitats for many birds, insects, fish and marine invertebrates. More recently more than 1,500 mangrove seedlings were planted on the island by the TDIC's environmental department in an effort to promote the island's biodiversity.

“Mangroves are a significant element in the marine and birdlife ecosystem of Sir Bani Yas Island as they exist as a habitat for many species of fish, crustaceans and birdlife,” said Nasser Al Shaiba, head of TDIC's Environmental Department. “Leaves that fall from the mangroves are broken down by micro-organisms to become the first link in the food chain for a large segment of the island's aquatic community - so every mangrove counts.”
A noticeable greening of the island has been achieved by the planting of hundreds of rows of trees and shrubs, kept alive by irrigation. While these add an aesthetically pleasing greenness to the landscape and provide shade for wild animals, some are part of food growing experiments testing new ideas and finding species that show the greatest tolerance for Abu Dhabi's hot arid climate.

All going to plan, the Desert Islands project is comfortably in line to becoming Abu Dhabi’s first and prime example of an eco resort, and well able to match some of the growing number of subtle international eco tourism resorts operating in harmony with nature.