Dubai may develop tropical forest

Picture a tropical forest with exotic birds, butterflies and insects in Dubai. And, that is precisely what Dubai Municipality is aiming to develop, with a little help from Malaysian friends.

The design and concept of the forest, which is the brainchild of Dubai Municipality and is set to be the first in the Middle East, was done by Malaysia's Mardi-Tech in collaboration with FMS International.

So far, MardiTech/FMS Inter-national have delivered the proposal for the forest to Dubai Municipality and are now waiting to find out if a feasibility study is to be commissioned.

If Dubai Municipality goes ahead with a feasibility study, then it can be determined how big the forest will be, where it will be, and how much it will cost, said Ungku Mohamad, managing director, FMS International.

"We have submitted our proposal and they (Dubai Munici-pality) are studying it. A feasibility study will take about three months, and if this is done then it will be up to us to give the municipality their options."

The multi-million dollar facility will have to be enclosed to ensure that temperature and humidity are controlled, he explained.

It is possible that the forest, which is aimed at being an educational facility, could be as large as five acres, said Mohamad.

Ambitious plans include exotic birds, butterflies and insects to make themselves at home in Dubai's proposed forest.

"It would be a natural habitat of a tropical forest and it would be suitable for students right up to university level to visit," said Mohamad. "We are also looking at a spice garden so people can see, smell and touch the plants."

If the forest is built, then it is MardiTech/FMS International's aim to ensure that the project will be fully sustained by UAE nationals within a few years, he said.

"We will be emphasising the importance of local input from day one, and it will be up to them to look after the whole thing in a few years - this is the important driving force of the project."

Malaysia's FMS International, which is a marine offshore organisation, has been in Dubai for the past four years.

And MardiTech is the privatised arm of Malaysian government's Malaysian Agriculture Research Development Institute (Mardi). MardiTech was set up to establish research with private companies.

"This is the first time that MardiTech have gone overseas with a private company, which is FMS International," said Mohamad.