Abu Dhabi: Marine divers from across the region rallied their support for Bu Tinah Island at the Dubai International Boat Show. Hundreds of divers, including Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Speaker of the UAE's Federal National Council (FNC) and member of the Emirates Diving Association (EDA), visited the Bu Tinah voting booth to vote for the island to become one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Held alongside the Dubai International Boat Show, the Dive Middle East Exhibition (DMEX), was the Middle East's only diving exhibition. The story of Bu Tinah Island was one of the highlights of the programme, with diving experts and the public alike coming forward to vote for the island. Al Ghurair pledged his support for the campaign and voted as well.

If Bu Tinah Island is recognized as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, it will continue playing a large role in the overall marine environmental conservation in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as the region.

Bu Tinah, located around 130 kilometre west of Abu Dhabi, is a unique island and a core area of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve - the first marine biosphere reserve in the region. Being a protected area, it is not open for public visits which help its inhabitants live and flourish in peace. In spite of the harsh temperatures and salinity, its habitats and species, including mangroves, dolphins and the Socotra Cormorant bird, continue to thrive, making the island an important location and living lab for climate change studies, a success story for divers across the region.

Laila Yousuf Al Hassan, Manager of Communications and Marketing, EAD and a campaign spokesperson, said: "The campaign so far has a large following all over the UAE. The support received from the diving community is something we value; divers spend the majority of their time underwater and so they can appreciate our diverse marine environment and how important it is to protect it."

The Island was shortlisted among 28 finalists from a list of 447 natural sites around the world, and is the only finalist that represents the gulf region.

Help keep Bu Tinah protected by:

• Texting ‘Butinah' to 3888 via SMS. You and your friends can text as many times as they like. In fact, the more you text, the more likely will Bu Tinah's inhabitants stay protected and flourish in peace.

• Logging onto www.butinah.ae  to vote.