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Improved coral reef map to protect the marine life

ABU DHABI — As part of its objective of protecting marine life, Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) has started working on a new coral reef map, expected to be ready by the end of 2007.

According to Razan Al Mubarak, Director of EWS-WWF, the new map comes following the success of the first one. “There was a great demand from property developers to consult our coral reef map. So we decided to improve it by preparing a much more detailed one, concentrating on the biggest and healthiest reefs,” Al Mubarak told Khaleej Times.

Coral reefs, along with sea-grass beds and mangroves, have been under threat because of man-made developments along the coastlines in the region. Construction of some new hotels and tower blocks is reported to have partially or completely destroyed reefs.

Since the completion of the first coral reef map in June this year, which covers the coastline from Abu Dhabi to Qatar, many property developers have consulted this map. “If someone wants to build a hotel, for example, but it happens to be next to a coral reef, the project doesn’t have to be stopped. It only needs to be moved a few metres inland,” explained Al Mubarak.