Kabir, they can do it in Dubai: Will this be the world’s largest ocean restoration project? | Science and the planet

Dubai Reeves, the latest proposed project for the UAE city of the same name, isn’t just another megalomaniac Bigger and betterstory. Well, it will be another beautiful architecture tour. naturally. But even more interestingly, marine life will benefit from it.

After all, Dubai Reefs markets itself as the world’s largest ocean restoration project. If you actually get there, we are talking about approximately 200 square kilometers or 20,000 hectares of artificial coral reefs that could become home to over a billion corals and over 100 million mangroves.

Plans for the private project off the coast of Dubai were presented earlier this month by URB, a Dubai-based developer of “Healthy and Sustainable Cities”. For example, the company also wants to set up “The Loop” in Dubai; A huge car-free green corridor through which people can walk and cycle around the city in an air-conditioned environment full of plants and trees.

When you say healthy cities, you also say healthy oceans, emphasizes Bharash Bagherian, CEO of URB. “The health of our cities is intrinsically linked to the health of our oceans.” Unfortunately, things are not going well with our planet’s blue seas, with all the consequences that follow. “Our oceans will look very different by the end of this century if we don’t act now,” Bagryan said. He sees Dubai as an innovative coastal city “in the best position” to lead a major forward-looking transformation.

Of course, the picture about Coral Dubai should be absolutely correct, environmentally and economically. This is why URB has designed floating housing, catering and shopping facilities and several beautiful eco-zones along the artificial reef into its plans, making the site a dream tourist destination.

Everything must be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, using solar and hydropower. Large so-called ‘wave farms’ at sea should generate additional clean energy for Dubai’s growing population. Climate-friendly food production technology ensures food security in the floating island project. At least 30,000 jobs will be created in the green economy.

At the heart of the building will be a dedicated marine research institute, involved in ocean research and committed to better protecting Dubai’s coastal environment. The institute – which should really be the heart of the project – will also offer special study programs on marine protection and conservation.

If construction is allowed to begin, developer URB expects the project to be fully completed by 2040.

The CEO sees it as, yes, a big deal: “Dubai’s reefs must become a real blueprint for ocean protection, ecotourism, and life in and in the ocean,” Bagherian says. “Ultimately, it will become a uniquely resilient destination that draws food security and energy from the ocean while also promoting the green economy itself.”