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Atlantis, The Palm has announced the selection of nine local conservation and sustainability projects that will receive funding from a $1 donation program launched by the resort in June 2021.
Over the past 12 months, Atlantis, The Palm has raised $1 for every marine animal experience that guests participate in, resulting in a $120,000 investment fund for the project, which aims to support conservation and sustainability in the UAE. Continue to develop projects to help protect the ocean and our environment, Atlantis, Palm said.
Over the past two months, organizations in the UAE have been invited to apply for funding, and proposals were then solicited and evaluated based on their contributions to scientific advancement, conservation and sustainability. The Atlantis Atlas project currently focuses on four key wildlife groups; sharks, rays, dolphins and corals, as well as two major threats to the ocean; unsustainable seafood and plastic pollution. With this in mind, projects were selected based on their support for these conservation goals.
The first project the funds will support is the ‘Save the Butts’ campaign by Goumbook, the UAE’s leading social enterprise. The initiative aims to collect cigarette butts from littering beaches and public areas, and use circular economy principles to recycle waste to create valuable materials from it. The campaign will also actively engage with colleagues at Atlantis in Dubai by volunteering to pick up and collect trash in destinations where Goumbook and its partners can recycle.
The scheme will also provide a year of funding for the UAE-based seafood market, which will support the development of digital platforms to make seafood trade more efficient, sustainable, transparent and traceable. This will involve developing a QR code for diners — piloted on the menu at Michelin-starred Ossiano — to enable diners to pinpoint the origin of the seafood on their plates.
Another year of funding has been launched with Zayed University and UAE lead researcher Dr Ada Natoli to support the Dubai Dolphin Survey, which supports boat-based research on local dolphin populations. Last year, the project carried out a total of 60 vessel surveys spanning 5,444 kilometers of the UAE coastline, consuming more than 270 man-hours, and capturing 11,043 images, including 18 sightings of dolphins. From 2022, the project will expand to survey new areas and introduce acoustic monitoring.
Another year of funding has also been launched with the University of the United Arab Emirates to support their research on local shark and ray populations and their research on critically endangered species in local waters. With the active participation of the Atlantis Aquarium and veterinary team, this additional funding will expand efforts and investigate evolutionary relationships, helping to inform the UAE’s fisheries management and conservation strategy.
For the first time, one-year funding will be awarded to the AZA SAFE Sharks & Rays Working Group, which aims to provide evidence-based support for conservation action around the world. Sharks are a major conservation focus for the Atlantis Atlas Project, which draws on the expertise of associated zoos and aquariums to help save species in the wild.
Atlantis’ own diving team will assist freestyle divers to dive underwater, placing artificial reefs in the shallow coastal areas of Fujairah. This will support the recovery of coral reef ecosystems in the region, protecting the biodiversity of population levels and natural marine life. Funding will also be provided to NYU Abu Dhabi to support their investigation of the impact of climate change on the Gulf coral reef ecosystem.
The Atlantis Atlas Project will also continue to support the Global Project Officer position of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group led by Dr Rima Jabado of the UAE. This important group of experts, the leading authority on the status of sharks, rays and chimeras worldwide, recently completed an assessment of the status of all known species – a key development for the field and for these species.
Kelly Timmins, Director of Conservation, Education and Corporate Social Responsibility at Atlantis Dubai, commented: “We are delighted to be funding this year’s financing with existing and new partners to protect species and their habitats. An organisation accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), we are committed to supporting our partners who are actively working in the field and the local community to make a difference. We are proud to say that every project is actively involved in our presence in Atlan Dubai Colleagues at Tees Hotel; whether it’s our chefs and sourcing team working on sustainable seafood, or our divers and aquarists restoring coral reefs, it’s truly a collaborative approach to conservation and sustainability. , our guests and UAE residents also have the opportunity to get involved and learn more; such as visiting our fish hospital to see our coral projects in action, or joining the Emirates Dolphin Project initiative as a citizen scientist. We look forward to embarking on these projects , and see the results really make a difference.”
Tim Kelly, Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Atlantis Dubai, commented: “We are all very proud to announce the first group of projects supported by our $1 Endowment Fund. The nine projects we have selected are protecting our The work on the environment and oceans showcases significant expertise, ingenuity and innovation, while sharing our conservation goals – and the need to accelerate them. Drive conservation and sustainability initiatives outside resorts and transform resorts Operations within the Atlantis Atlas project are all critical to the long-term strategy of the Atlantis Atlas Project – through which we share the goal of having a positive, measurable impact on our planet and its people.” – arab trade news agency
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