Sharjah: The 18th annual Sir Bu Nair Festival kicked off at the nature reserve on Thursday, with a number of activities that attracted crowds of visitors.
Organised under the theme “the Sea is our Life”, the first day of the festival included a number of recreational, sporting, environmental, heritage and awareness activities, such as coral aquaculture and traditional diving in collaboration with the Emirates Marine Environmental Group.
The festival by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah aims to highlight the efforts made by the emirate in conserving the cultural heritage and natural environment for future generations, organisers said.
It is also being held to promote the tourism and environmental importance of Sir Bu Nair Nature Reserve and to raise awareness among visitors of the island about the importance of adhering to conservation regulations and encourages them to contribute to biodiversity conservation activities.
Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, said: “Coral aquaculture helps restore coral reefs and maintain sustainable marine ecosystem.”
She added that the coral reefs on Sir Bu Nair Island are among the most diverse compared with those in other regions in the Arabian Gulf. They are found at depth of over 20 metres. Eight species of coral reefs are included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and seven species in the Near Threatened (NT) List.
Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals. They are built by colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Coral aquaculture helps reduce pollution and encourage ecotourism.
The island is home to resident and migratory birds, which live in colonies, as well as other species like gazelles and lizards. It is one of the key nesting sites for Hawksbill turtles and green turtles. A colony of about 1,000 breeding pairs of sooty gulls and over 20,000 breeding pairs of Caspian terns are nesting on the island.
The Sir Bu Nair Island is located to the South of the Arabian Gulf in a total area of 49.6 square kilometres, with a land area of 13.3 square kilometres. It was announced as a protected area by virtue of the Amiri Decree No. 25 of 2000, issued by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The island is characterised by different geological formations, such as mountains, sand beaches, rock hills and mud surface. Sir Bu Nair was listed in the Unesco World Heritage tentative List in 2012 in recognition of its environmental and cultural importance as the first natural site in the UAE.
