Managing Off-shore Reclamation to Ensure Sustainable Coastal Ecosystems: Focus on Dubai

Hanneke Van Lavieren1, Peter Sale1,3, Andrew Bauman1, John Burt2,3, Paolo Usseglio1 1 United Nations University - International Network on Water, Environment and Health, 2 School of Natural Science and Public Health, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE 3 Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES SOME INITIAL RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

Because of large scale coastal development including ➤ Build an effective and sustainable environmental This is an extreme environment with AND NEXT STEPS near and off-shore land reclamation the Dubai coastline monitoring programme temperatures ranging between 18˚C in the winter and 37˚C in the summer. Coral reef communities ➤ Current scale and rapid pace of coastal development has rapidly changed to what was once 50 km mostly ➤ Research the ecological responses may be acclimatized to extreme conditions found in Dubai is having substantial impacts on coastal untouched beachfront, to at least 1500 km of coastline, ➤ Use research and monitoring data for developing in the gulf environment aimed at increasing the waterfront available for property models and for input management plan A Marine Biology lab Laboratory established in ➤ Some reefs have already been lost, while others suffer development. The creation of islands on a scale similar to ➤ Increase capacity for coastal management in region April 2008 to provide analytical capacity-building Dubai has not previously been attempted and very little is and global level marine monitoring programme and provide from a variety of stresses due to reclamation activities training opportunities. ➤ These stresses are exacerbating the problems arising known about the newly created marine ecosystem and how ➤ Disseminate knowledge it will evolve over time. Forty-six species observed at the Palm Jumeirah from global climate change breakwater, including commercially important ➤ Anticipate signifi cant increase in anthropogenic Preliminary effects of these islands have been changes in SCIENCE AND MONITORING species. threats as humans start inhabiting developments Fish Communities varied signifi cantly between sediment transport and shape of the coastline of Dubai ➤ Current scale and rate of coastal development in Figure 2. Research components of the project. artifi cial and natural reef - varied seasonal (Smit, F et al. 2005). It has been suggested that the effects attributed to a recruitment pulse in summer on Dubai will continue (Figure 5) of these near and off shore reclamation activities are far artifi cial reefs. ➤ Predictions that by 2050, 91 % of our tropical coasts Ecological studies Monitoring Programme reaching and affect reefs in neighboring emirates (Hoegh- 12 coral species have been identifi ed on the rocky worldwide will be impacted by development so Guldberg, O. et al. 2006). On the other hand, many of What? breakwaters so far. important to use what we learn from this project these man- made structures, create new habitats as well Installation of permanent quadrat, - for future to infl uence planning and management of future (Jones, D. A. et al. 2007). 1. Quantitative descriptions of communities monitoring of benthic invertebrates and algal developments in Dubai and worldwide 2. Biomass and reproductive potential of fi sh fauna cover completed. 3. Water fl ow and sediment transport ➤ Our goal is to ensure that the end result will be a Coastal development at this scale creates challenges for 4. Description of ecology Dubai coastal waters post-development phase Preliminary results indicate that sheltered sites are 5. Generate hypotheses and design manipulative studies dominated by turf algae and oysters, although a sustainable coastal environment ecosystem management. The United Nations University Why? small number of coral recruits were also present. International Network International Network on Water, Trainings on monitoring and management tools Literature Cited Smit, F., G. P. Mocke, K.M. Al Zahed (2005). Quantifying and managing the coastal response to major Environment & Health (UNU-INWEH) has initiated a held. offshore developments in Dubai. Proceedings of the 14th Biennial Coastal Zone Conference. project that will study the effects of fi ve of the Nakheel • How each ecological systems is evolving – establish reference sites Hoegh- Guldberg. O. , S. Phinn, J. C. Ortiz, M. Jonker, and S. Hough (2006). Coral reefs of Sharjah, • Importance of islands in structuring marine communities A marine monitoring methods manual is being U.A.E. Challenges and Solutions for the future. The University of Queensland, Centre for Marine Marine Projects (NMPs) in Dubai. The key elements of • Effects developments on water fl ow, Palm Jumeirah as a model of water circulation developed. Studies and Centre for remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science. • Do NMPs import biomass and/or nutrients? Jones, D.a., T. Ealey, B. Baca, S. Livesey, and F. Al-Jamali. 2007. Gulf desert developments encompassing a marine environment, a compensatory solution to the loss of coastal habitats by infi ll and this project are shown in Figure 1. • Importance developments in production of fi sh, coral and planktonic communities reclamation: The case of the Pearl City Al-Khiran, Kuwait. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and • Models that will defi ne trophodynamics, responses to changes in temperature, nutrients management, 10 (3): 268-276, 2007. or other factors, and overall ecosystem dynamics Figure 1. Project Elements • Spatial pattern of sediments, particle size, deposition & erosion established as driver for in-faunal community structure • Is Palm Jumeirah lagoonal system (in it’s present form) an exporting or an importing Figure 4. Initially UNU-INWEH will focus its work on fi ve Nakheel Marine Projects (NMPs): A. Palm Jumeirah (partly inhabited), B. system for plankton fl ux and water volume? Coastal Management Plan Palm Jebel Ali ( fi lling and dredging fi nished, construction ongoing), C. Nakheel Waterfront (dredging and fi lling ongoing) , D. The

Capacity World (dredging and fi lling fi nished), E. Palm Deira (dredging and fi lling ongoing) . Satellite images A, B, D, E from April-May 2008; Monitoring Science Information Sharing Strengthening Integrated Management Plan C. from July 2007. As the construction phase is completed on each of the NMPs, ecological and oceanographic study will be extended

rocky breakwater local in consort with the expansion of the monitoring programme to each NMP. lagoons regional natural reef global Figure 3. Monitoring • Physical, • Quantitative • Graduate students • General outreach sites at Palm Jumeirah: B C D E chemical, descriptions of from UAE involved and media microbiological, communities • Training on • Collaborative includes sites in inner and ecological • Plankton studies monitoring and partnerships in characteristics • Benthic fl ora and management tools region frond lagoons, inner and • Water quality and fauna studies • Laboratory • Interagency outer rocky cresents and circulation • Fish and coral capacity enhanced meetings • Fish and recruitment and • Palm Conference off shore - measurements invertebrate succession – sharing regional communities • Water fl ow and and global science made at the bottom and • Sediment and sediment transport mid water. Hierarchical change • Reference sites sampling program with: a) a broad suite of variables monitored at certain key sites, and fewer variables monitored at auxiliary sites; b) certain variables sampled nearly continuously and others at various frequencies down to annually; and c) sites closely NMP’s and more sparsely in the surrounding waters.

Figure 5. Big plans for the future of Dubai.

For further information The 1,539 room, ocean-themed destination Please contact Hanneke Van Lavieren at [email protected] More information on this and related projects can be obtained at Atlantis is located at the apex of Palm Jumeirah. Beachfront villas across the 17 fronds on Palm Jumeirah www.inweh.unu.edu