Desert dreams

Dubai: Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa, along with the surrounding Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, has been voted one of the world's best ecotourism models by the National Geographic Adventure magazine in a recent issue.

Even as Dubai and the areas surrounding it continue getting enveloped in a jungle of concrete, this quiet corner in the emirate has managed to preserve a delicate ecosystem that echoes the silence of Arabia.

The National Geographic citation reads: “[Dubai] boasts one of the world's best ecotourism models: Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa. Its Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is home to the Arabian oryx, one of the rarest animals on the planet.''

Such an honour is reserved only for the best, the most dedicated eco-friendly places on the planet.

“The National Geographic people are dead serious about what they do. They are extremely thorough. They research. They double check and cross-reference you from experts. “For us it is obviously a massive privilege,'' said Tony Williams, Senior Vice-President, Emirates Hotels and Resorts, owners of the resort. Indeed no mean feat as the resort had already won the 2004 World Legacy Award for nature travel given jointly by National Geographic Traveler and Conservation International.

“That is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement award. For National Geographic to come back and put us up again, is something very important to us. We have sustained the conservation work in the intervening years. We maintained very high standards and that was recognised,'' added Williams, an ecologist and game park veteran.

The reserve The 225 sq km of fenced area is aimed at preserving the biodiversity and natural environment of the land that makes up five per cent of the total land mass of Dubai. The park's tawny landscape is protected from unfettered 4WD safaris, and cocoons in its expanse a throbbing wildlife and vegetation.

The initial funding of $3 million (Dh11 million) for the reserve came from Emirates airlines along with another $7 million (Dh25.71 million) from the government. “We work on the principle of zero or minimal human impact on this area,'' said Jacques Van Der Westhuizen, a field guide at the resort.

Guests are driven on designated trails that keep man far away from the animals while still allowing breathtaking views of prancing gazelles and rare Arabian oryx, some resting under leafy ghaf trees, others hunched over purpose-built watering points.

The place is devoid of human intervention – there is even a spot where one can find remains of skeletons left to decompose under the natural rhythm of the desert's shifting sands. Lush patch In the distance lies the Al Maha resort – an oasis-like lush patch marked by the sand-coloured awnings of its 42 suites separated from the park by another fence line.

The conservation initiative involved extensive wildlife reintroduction and a long-term rehabilitation programme to restore the fine balance of the ecosystem.

The resort The 27 sq km of the resort, the raison d'etre behind the preservation plan, partly helps sustain the conservation work. Since its opening in 1999, the resort has been reinvesting five per cent of its turnover into the varied conservation projects, while all the revenue collected from visitors to the reserve is used for conservation and wildlife care.

Far from being something out of Lawrence of Arabia, the resort is steeped in palatial luxury. Whether it is the $8,500 (Dh31,221)-a-night presidential suite or a $1,000 (Dh3,673)-a-night Bedouin suite, each comes with a temperature-controlled private swimming pool, rooms decorated like a Bedouin's abode but kitted with five-star amenities and a wooden viewing deck looking out onto the wilderness dotted with indigenous wildlife.

Protected zones
The reserve has been divided into four zones so as to adhere to international conservation
practices. Each zone has a distinct utilisation plan ranging from a complete exclusion zone, which can only be visited on foot by researchers, to a limited vehicle access zone for safari groups, excursions and dune camps. In a bid to further protect wildlife and control the number of visitors which could impact upon the area, the entire park has been fenced off.

flora & fauna
The first wild animal was released into the reserve in March 2004. There were, along with other indigenous species, 90 Arabian oryx whose ancestors were captured in Dubai in the '60s and moved to a small wildlife reserve in Arizona, USA, to save them from extinction. Today the reserve is home to over 33 mammal and reptile species indigenous to the region, including the endangered Arabian oryx and gazelle-like antelopes. The reserve is breeding and reintroducing them into the wild. The fauna comprises over 60 species of resident and migratory birds, 21 species of reptiles and 12 species of mammals; while its flora boasts 26 species of shrubs, four types of common grass and 10 varieties of common trees.

The top five by National Geographic