This Initiative Brings Sea Turtles Back to Their Habitat

As a leader in sustainability, Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has championed many initiatives, including a rehabilitation project for sea turtles to return the reptiles to their natural habitats.

“Dubai’s incessant efforts to chart a development model where sustainability and ecological responsibility are central themes is admirable and the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP) is glad to lend support to this vision that places equal emphasis on preservation of biodiversity while ensuring renewed participation of stakeholders from various sectors,” states Barbara Lang-Lenton, Director of Aquarium at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, who leads the DTRP.

Since 2004, DTRP, in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, the Dubai Falcon Hospital, and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, has safely returned more than 2,100 turtles to the Arabian Gulf, with annual rescue figures around 100 through the tracking of turtle movements regionally and internationally with satellite technology. As sea turtles are critical to the local marine ecosystem, DTRP’s goal is also to educate the youth, citizens, and international hotel guests about the reptile’s biology and the state of the sea turtle population locally and internationally.