Dubai’s New Digital Platform To Showcase Its 8 Nature Reserves

Dubai Municipality launches a new digital platform that aims to display all the information that the general public needs to know about the 8 nature reserves that are present within the emirate.

The new move aims to increase awareness and educate people within the country about the biodiversity that exists within the emirate of Dubai. The new platform also aims to promote sustainable and eco-friendly tourism within the nature reserve areas of Dubai, by making all the necessary details and related services available within one platform.

the new platform is available on Dubai Municipality’s official website

The new platform is available on Dubai Municipality’s official website and can be accessed at https://www.dm.gov.ae/dubai-protected-areas/, and has information about the eight nature reserves in the emirate, which are: Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, Hatta Mountain Reserve, Ghaf Nazwa Conservation Reserve, Jebel Nazwa Conservation Reserve, Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, and Al Wohoosh Desert Conservation Reserve.

Dubai has a 1,297 sq km total area of land marked as natural reserves which is about 31 percent of the total area of the city. Out of the eight nature reserves, the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, Hatta Mountain Reserve, and the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary are listed as internationally significant wetlands as per the Ramsar Convention.

Throughout all the reserves in Dubai, visitors can sport a wide variety of flora and fauna, including 46 mammal species, 582 invertebrate species, 315 plant species, 342 bird species, 51 reptile species, and 188 fish species.

Below is a look at the features offered by the new portal:

Plan Your Visit:

This section allows residents, companies, and media establishments to book their date and time slot for the bird-watching activity in the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.

This section also gives you a detailed insight into the Do’s and Don’ts to follow while inside the reserves, safety precautions and weather information to be aware of, as well as details on the important regulations inside the sanctuaries to know about and the things to carry for a memorable experience.

The portal also shows the working hours of the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, which opens only during the months of April to September from 06:00 AM till 06:00 PM for the “Summer” session and between the months of October to March from 07:30 AM till 05:30 PM for the “Winter” session.

On the other hand, the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve is open throughout the year.

Dubai Protected Areas

All the information that is needed to be known about the reserves, such as its area, the different wildlife and species that can be found, the legal framework that protects the reserve, surrounding natural habitat, awards received by the reserve, and cultural significance can be found in this section.

Location Map

This section provides a location view of all eight reserves through Google Maps, thus making it easier for anyone planning their journey to know where each reserve is located within Dubai.

Moreover, the is also a 360-degree virtual tour of the Jabal Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Hatta Mountain Reserve that you can view right from within the website itself.

Volunteer with us!

As the name suggests, this section allows individuals to apply to become a volunteer at Dubai’s nature reserves. The volunteering works involve conservation fieldwork as well as the opportunity to become a wildlife photographer inside the sanctuaries.

Moreover, for people interested in donating to the reserves, the same can be done within this section as well.

Education

This section provides some basic general information on the protected reserve areas in Dubai, as well as how you can enjoy these reserves as a visitor.

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Conservation

There are a lot of activities and ongoing tasks behind the operations of the nature reserves that keep it protected and well-functioning to provide a comfortable and reliable living atmosphere for all the species in it, despite having tourists around them almost all times of the year.

The “Conservation” section gives an overview of the different programs and tasks that are carried out within the reserves. Some of the key activities include mangrove management, osprey nest installations, camera traps, water quality monitoring, mangrove density survey, and the seagrass study in the Jabal Ali Wildlife Sanctuary.

As per data available from 2020, there are 49 nature reserves across all the emirates in the United Arab Emirates, including the eight found within Dubai. The initiatives taken to protect the nature reserves aims at protecting the vast variety of biodiversity found in these locations and also to promote the eco-tourism aspects of these reserves.

Visit to the reserves is one big part of the tourism aspects of the emirate of Dubai, with several hundreds of thousands of visitors coming into these nature reserves each year, especially during the holiday and winter seasons in the UAE.