Kleindienst Group, the creator of The Heart of Europe project off the Dubai coast, has announced that its new Coral Institute has successfully completed the fragmentation of 20,000 pieces of coral.
The project is aiming to grow 100,000 corals by 2020, which it will plant in reefs around The Heart of Europe and offer a diver’s paradise as another Dubai tourist attraction.
The Coral Institute will also offer coral fragmentation classes, coral reef-scaping classes, diving classes, an Adopt A Reef program and a coral restoration certification program aimed to restore and build reefs in the UAE and around the world.
As part of the Coral Institute, there will be a team of four experts, known as the Coral Squad, dedicated to protecting and enhancing the reefs and looking after the wildlife around The Heart of Europe.
Kleindienst Group said estimates on the economic value of coral reefs range between $100,000 to $600,000 per sq km of coral reef.
The global economic value of coral reefs varies from $29.8 billion to $375 billion, it added.
“By growing a beautiful marine ecosystem with opportunities for diving and sea entertainment, Kleindienst Group is ensuring The Heart of Europe takes advantage of this valuable element of the tourist industry. It will also aid Dubai’s vision to attract new visitor audiences,” it said in a statement.
Josef Kleindienst, founder and chairman of Kleindienst Group said: “Creating new coral reefs makes environmental and economic sense. Diving and marine recreation is an important part of the tourism industry worth billions of dollars. At the moment, it is an under-developed part of the UAE’s tourism mix and we believe it can deliver economic benefits to our project and also to Dubai.
“We aim to support Dubai’s leadership vision to attract new visitors by offering an exciting range of activities. Guests will be able to go pearl diving, swim with turtles and enjoy a spectacular array of marine life that can be found in Dubai’s waters.”
In 2017, during the extremely hot summer, it is estimated that 73 percent of the UAE’s coral was affected by bleaching and 90 percent in Saudi Arabia and also Kuwait.
Fragmentation occurs naturally in the ocean when coral pieces are broken off a colony as a result of wave action, storms or animal activities. Under favourable conditions, these fragments can attach and develop into new colonies.
The Heart of Europe is pioneering the second home market in Dubai. A core part of the development is the ocean that laps at each island and Kleindienst said the man-made coral reefs will be a highlight.
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