EAD Launches International Vote Bu Tinah! Campaign

Close your eyes and imagine a wonder of nature.
Blue skies, clean water, flamingos flying overhead, corals surviving underwater, turtles nesting happily and mangroves growing healthy.
Now open your eyes and vote for Bu Tinah Island as a wonder of nature!

Promoting messages such as the message above, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) today launched an international campaign to encourage people to vote for Bu Tinah Island, as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Bu Tinah Island is shortlisted among 28 finalists from a list of 447 sites in 224 countries. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be declared on 11 November 2011.

The campaign is being launched under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of EAD. Information about Bu Tinah Island will be disseminated through various media including newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, Internet and advertising in malls and other public spaces.

Bu Tinah Island, located around 130 km west of Abu Dhabi, is a core area of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve-the first marine biosphere reserve in the region.  The Island is unique; in spite of the harsh temperatures and salinity, its habitats and species, including coral, dugongs and sea turtles, continue to thrive, making the island an important location for climate change studies.

“Bu Tinah is a unique global natural wonder. Its value to mankind is very clear and we are extremely proud that it belongs to the Arab world. We would like to call upon your national pride and love of nature to vote for Bu Tinah” said H.E Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General, EAD.

“It is very significant that right here in our homeland, we are blessed with thriving habitats that serve as a unique living laboratory, with key significance for climate change research. Bu Tinah Island hosts globally endangered marine life and critically important habitats including seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs, Birds such as the flamingoes ospreys, and Socotra cormorants, several species of dolphins, and sea turtles including hawksbill and green turtles are found in and around Bu Tinah’s waters and shores. The Island’s waters are also home to the world’s second-largest population of dugongs, a large marine mammal that is globally threatened,” said Thabit Zahran Al Abdessalaam, Director of Biodiversity Management Sector, EAD.

7 Reasons to Vote for Bu Tinah Island

• Coral Reefs: Their survival, despite the harsh environment, has given researchers insight into coral reef survival elsewhere in the world in the face of global warming.
• Natural Mangroves: They reach an average height of 5 metres and support wildlife including birds, fish and crustaceans.
• Hawksbill Turtles: Every year, these critically endangered species arrive to Bu Tinah Island to nest.
• Dugongs: These threatened species are often spotted swimming among the Island’s extensive seagrass meadows. They have been able to live without disturbance in a clean natural sanctuary, thanks to EAD’s management of the marine biosphere reserve.
• Dolphins: The Indo-pacific humpback, bottlenose and common dolphins swim around the Island.
• Ospreys: Bu Tinah Island is a major breeding site for this globally important bird.
• Socotra Cormorants: Bu Tinah Island is a roost site for about 20,000-25,000 of these birds.

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