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Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort (AWPR) today announced that the construction of its ambitious project development is progressing with the new Main Entry landscape taking shape. During an official ceremony, which was attended by HE Majid Ali Al Mansouri, Managing Director of AWPR, Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Director General of AWPR, and other Senior Executives, the first nine trees were planted at the Main Entry.
The Main Entry is located in a 340,000 square metre landscaped area including oryx and gazelle habitat, and will allow visitors to meander through desert landscapes that signify the character of this unique experience.
Sustainable approaches are being implemented at every step of the Main Entry construction. Sustainable practices include exclusive use of “grey” water for irrigation (Treated Sewage Effluent) and all construction debris will be reduced, reused, and recycled as much as possible.
Most important is the landscaping where plants are chosen to be native and adaptive to the UAE region. Drought and or saline tolerant species will be planted including different types of species that have a proven track record of surviving and thriving in desert environment. In-line with the project’s sustainability approach, 90% of the Main Entry plants are native with low to medium irrigation water requirements.
During design and construction, great attention is given to conserving the site’s native vegetation. Areas are protected during construction to preserve valuable habitat while more than 500 mature trees have been lifted during ‘Operation Green Thumb’, the largest tree salvage operation ever undertaken in the region. Using techniques developed in the US and for the first time applied in the UAE in collaboration with AWPR’s strategic partner ValleyCrest Middle East, to move each tree involved a complex technique of creating a box made of eco-plastic lumber or pine wood for each tree and lifting and moving the tree to a temporary nursery for re-establishment and specialized horticultural care.
The mature trees, some taller than 20 metres (65 feet) and more than 40 years old, are going to be re-introduced over the next coming months – 25 to 30% of those will be planted at the future Main Entry site.
AWPR is a unique combination of zoo & safaris, desert garden, museum and resort. The landscapes designed and planted within the project represent some of the most ambitious arid land planting undertaken in the UAE. A large component of the plant material being installed in the project will be species native to the UAE. AWPR is growing and trialling over 30 species of native plants to be used in the project. AWPR hopes to encourage the use of native plants in landscape projects throughout the region to encourage water conservation, sustainability, urban wildlife and to showcase the unique beauty of UAE native plant material.
Phase 1 of the project development will see the planting of:
• 3,500 trees, of which 600 whips/small trees will be planted by volunteers
• 1,200 palm trees
• 19,000 shrubs (15-25% are eligible for being planted by volunteers)
2011 is the International Year of the Forest, and by planting these native trees AWPR is celebrating the beauty and heritage of the Arabian trees.
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