batch of hawksbill turtles hatch safely on saadiyat island breeding monitored for future conservation
A batch of 58 Hawksbill turtles has hatched safely on Saadiyat Island, which lies just 500 metres from Abu Dhabi city – under a programme implemented by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and undertaken by the Emirates Heritage Club (EHC).
The findings and recommendations from the monitoring programme form key inputs to the planning process for Saadiyat Island, which is being transformed into an international residential, tourism and cultural hub.
“Our aim is to ensure that development does not disturb the natural habitat or wildlife of the island,” said Nasser Al Shaiba, Environment Affairs Director, TDIC, which is behind Saadiyat’s transformation.
The Hawksbill turtles live in the coastal shallows offshore Saadiyat Island. Named after its conspicuous beaked snout, the Hawksbill lives in warm waters and feeds off sponges and mollusks and rarely strays from shallows.
Monitoring of the breeding programme is part of TDIC’s over-riding commitment to environmental stewardship which is reflected in its stringent design guidelines which, in turn, are rigorously enforced on partner investors and developers.
“Our guidelines have resulted in planned hotel developments being kept a considerable distance from designated nesting grounds with access to open beach areas being via raised walkways which criss-cross the natural dunes and mangroves which flank the shoreline,” explained Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC.
TDIC, which manages the tourism assets of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), has adopted a strict eco-code designed to ensure development respects, and is aligned to, the emirate’s strong culture of protecting its sensitive coastal and desert ecologies.
