Green Hope UAE's Marine Conservation Effortby | 30-11-2014 23:59 |
|---|
     Dubai's coastline is rich in marine biodiversity , teeming with coral reefs , hawksbill turtles and a rich variety of birds and fishes. However , recent construction activity combined with beach pollution, have caused irreversible damage to this fragile ecosystem. Green Hope UAE members spent a day at a marine ecoreserve near Jebel Ali . This reserve is managed by marine experts who encourage civil society to work in tandem with their teams to preserve the balance of the marine environment. The day began with an awareness session conducted by the reserve's marine experts. They educated us on the amazing , year round efforts of their field scientists in conserving the marine biodiversity of the region and it was hugely inspiring for all of us. The coastline has a mangrove belt which is under threat from algae. The algae grow very fast under hot and humid conditions and cover the roots of the mangroves, thus choking the plants to death. Our team spent hours in knee deep water , amongst the mangroves , and scoured out the algae . It was taxing work , but thoroughly enjoyable. Thereafter we soured the coastline , collecting the litter, especially plastics. This coastline is a nesting ground for the Hawksbill turtle which feed primarily on jelly fish. They often mistake the plastic floating in water as jelly fish and injest the same and it causes them to choke to death. We collected several bags of trash and left the coastline free of litter. Green Hope UAE believes that we , the youth , are the generations of the future and the onus is upon us to ensure that our ecosystems are preserved in the same pristine condition as we inherited them . This day of environmental action was a step in that direction. We have been organizing field trips to this reserve for the past many years and this was our 6th visit . We would like to thank the reserve for their hospitality and the opportunity that they provide to civil society to contribute to marine conservation.
|
