June 16th marks this year’s World Sea Turtle Day. Sea turtles have existed for over 100 million years but it’s estimated that six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened with extinction due to loss of habitat, poaching and pollution. The hawksbill turtle, native to the Middle East, is listed as critically endangered, following an 87% decline in population over the last three decades, with only an estimated 8,000 nesting females left worldwide.
One eco-conscious hotel group is looking to combat these drastic effects. The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project at Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts in Dubai has rescued almost 2,000 sea turtles since its founding in 2004. This World Sea Turtle Day the group is continuing to honour and highlight these magnificent creatures while also raising awareness of the threats they currently face.
The main aim of the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project is to care for, rehabilitate and release any sea turtles that are found sick or injured throughout the region, back into the wild.
The project also helps to educate local schools, residents and international hotel guests on sea turtle biology and the local and global plight of the sea turtle through dedicated education programmes.
The success of turtle rehabilitation and the research around turtle movements throughout the region and beyond is evaluated via a satellite tracking initiative lead by the project – this not only helps turtle rehabilitation locally, but also globally.
Local residents and international visitors can visit the sanctuary at the Turtle Lagoon, Jumeirah Al Naseem, which is open to the public every day, to learn more about the project and see these amazing creatures first hand.
The team in Abu Dhabi at the group’s first eco-conscious luxury resort are also taking measures to protect turtle nests and help turtles in need on Saadiyat Island’s pristine and protected natural beach. Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort has successfully rescued and assisted in the rehabilitation of 250 juvenile Hawksbill turtles and has helped over 700 hatchlings make their way safely to the sea since its opening in 2018.
Telling us more about the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project this World Sea Turtle Day, Barbara Lang-Lenton, Director of Aquarium at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, and Emily Armstrong, Marine and Environment Manager at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort, will be available for interviews.