Sir Bani Yas Island masterplan Review

In 2009 WWT Consulting visited Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi to review a masterplan proposal for tourism development. The team  assessed the potential disturbance the developments may have on the island’s existing wetlands and associated wildlife and provided recommendations for reducing these.  WWT Consulting are now working with Tourism Development and Investment Company to develop a wetland management plan for the island.

Once the original home to an Arabian wildlife reserve, established by the late ruler and founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sir Bani Yas Island is to be developed as a tourism destination.  It sits within an important bird migratory flyway and has some of the very best places to witness spectacular assemblages and movements of a wide variety of species.

The wetland management plan for Sir Bani Yas Island will be designed within the Abu Dhabi framework for wildlife management and will build upon the site assessments undertaken in 2009 and April 2010. The primary objective is to ensure that where development and tourism activities are proposed, appropriate measures are implemented to maintain or enhance the ecological value of these wetlands. This will include monitoring programmes, restricted access to certain areas and a range of other management rationales.