Dubai Reefs is a floating living lab for marine restoration & ecotourism
Dubai Reefs is a floating living lab for marine restoration & ecotourism. The project aims to generate more than 30,000 jobs in a green economy.
Dubai Reefs consists of a sustainable floating community for marine research, regeneration & ecotourism. The project includes residential, hospitality, retail, educational & research facilities.
The marine institute will be the heart of the project, working towards greater protection of the marine and coastal environment of Dubai. It aims to accelerate the marine science and conservation capacity of Dubai, whilst building the most diverse artificial reef, covering 200 square kilometres. It also aims to create a home to more than 1 billion corals & to more than 100 million mangrove trees.
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The project will also offer unique experiences in marine ecotourism with various floating eco lodges, all of which are powered by 100% renewable energy with various types of solar & hydropower. These include wave farms that will also produce additional clean energy for Dubai’s growing population
Regenerative Ocean Farming is another key feature of the project, which is a climate friendly food production technique.
CEO of URB, Baharash Bagherian, highlights the significance of the project for Dubai as well as coastal cities at risk of sea level rise.
“The health of our cities is intrinsically tied to the health of our oceans. The ocean is the source of life controlling everything. Given that everything on our planet is connected, a healthy ocean is a healthy city. Our ocean will be entirely different by the end of the century if we don’t take action today.
Explore properties in Dubai Maritime City.
Image source: URB
We need an entrepreneurial spirit in the planning of coastal cities & the types of infrastructure as well as developments that are linked to the ocean. As an innovative coastal city, Dubai is best positioned to lead such a transformation. Beyond creating a unique resilient destination for ecotourism & marine research, Dubai Reefs aims to become a blueprint for ocean living, whilst mitigating the impacts of climate change.”
Ultimately, Dubai Reefs will promote social, environmental and economic benefits. It aims to transform Dubai into an eco-destination, where the ocean and the city thrive in balance.
Image Source: URB
MARINE ECOTOURISM
Artificial coral reefs are a major benefit for ecotourism, they are like undersea cities, filled with vibrant fish and sea creatures. Artificial reefs can also be just as beautiful as the natural varieties and help towards tourism.
Dubai Reefs will also provide floating eco resorts and eco lodges as well as a floating marine conversation centre to become a unique destination for ecotourism travelers. It aims to increase employment and provide long-term income-earning opportunities for the community.
The ecotourism hub will also deliver immense emotional and therapeutic benefits for travelers. Eco activities include, underwater ‘forest bathing’ similar to the Japanese practice known as Shinrin Yoku, whereby one is being calm and quiet amongst the trees. In this case, corals are the trees of the ocean.
Ultimately, Dubai Reefs will bring more than ecotourism opportunities; it will strengthen food security at local and global levels. It will also provide social engagement in coral reef restoration and education about marine life.
FLOATING SUSTAINABLE CITY
Dubai Reefs will provide various services and amenities for visitors, local residents as well as a new workforce living on the ocean. It will create green jobs & empower a greener economy from the oceans to the city. It will be the first floating sustainable city of its kind offering a mix-use facility of educational, research, residential, retail, hospitality, entertainment & community facilities.
As a floating self-sufficient hub, Dubai Reefs also aims to reconnect the ocean with the city. It will provide a healthy blue infrastructure that promotes social, environmental and economic benefits.
Local residents will benefit from a reward scheme for the use of services or products connected to Dubai Reef. The project will also offer a carbon offsetting scheme called ‘blue carbon’, whereby organizations are able to offset their carbon by planting mangrove trees along the coast.
Dubai Reefs aims to reinvent the way we plan our cities to consider the opportunities of living in harmony with the ocean and how to nurture a sustainable relationship between land & water.
Given that floating cities could be the future of urban living as sea levels continue to rise rapidly in the next few decades; Dubai Reefs will become more than a model for blue urbanism; it will become an eco-destination for human & ecological wellness.
RESEARCH, EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY
The Marine Institute is designed to provide a collaborative environment for public and private sectors; for working together towards greater protection of the marine and coastal environment of Dubai. It aims to accelerate the marine science and conservation capacity of Dubai. The Marine Institute is designed to provide unique facilities to oceanographers, climate scientists, ocean farmers, marine educators & the next generation of marine biologists.
The Marine Institute aims to lead a global ocean cleanup initiative, to eliminate the 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris that are currently in our ocean. Technology will also play a critical role in the planning, construction, and operation of Dubai Reefs. Artificial intelligence will be used for monitoring, optimization and programming. In addition to the use of innovative technologies such as Biorock, 3D printing will also be used in the construction of Dubai Reefs.
3D printing will offer great benefits for printing different shapes and textures identical to natural underwater landscapes. It will allow artificial reefs to match the ecosystems’ natural environments. Bioprinting will also be a key area of research for the institute. Researchers will develop 3D printed biomaterials that can host living microalgae similar to corals.
The Marine Institute will study the various methodologies to mitigate the multitude of climate change threats to coral reefs & help accelerate their population. Some of the methodologies include the study of “fragmentation”, where pieces of coral are cut with a small electric saw, allowing each coral to regenerate hundreds of times.
The institute will provide educational programs in marine conservation & blue carbon initiatives. The dedicated conservation efforts of the centre will ensure that coastal ecosystems continue to play their role as long-term carbon sinks. It will also identify how coastal marine aquaculture can be sustainably integrated with artificial coral reef ecosystems while minimizing harm to the environment.
The center will look at ways of increasing biodiversity and biomass, fish abundances & human dietary diversity. Ultimately the mission of the institute is to better connect ocean ecosystem health to human health.
Source: URB