Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi nominated for global award

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has announced that Al Wathba Wetland Reserve has been nominated for a tourism award.

The site, home to flamingos and other wildlife, has been nominated for the Middle East’s Responsible Tourism Award at the World Travel Awards.

Abu Dhabi’s wetland site was selected because of its ‘responsible approach to tourism where visitors can enjoy biodiversity without harming ecosystems and the environment’.

Established in 1998 by Sheikh Zayed and opened to the public in 2014, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is a nature reserve is made-up of natural and man-made bodies of water.

Comprising of 5 square km of wetlands, salt flats and fosilised sand dunes, the site is home to ahost of wildlife including 4,000 flamingos.

“We are so pleased that Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is one of the three finalists in the World Annual Travel Awards, and more so that we were selected for the category of Responsible Tourism,” said Ahmed Al Hashemi, acting executive director, terrestrial and marine biodiversity at EAD.

“We have always strived to ensure that all our environmental work is recognised beyond the borders of the UAE and that we meet global standards in whatever we do.”

“We encourage everyone to vote for Al Wathba Wetland Reserve which is the only site in the Arabian Gulf where the Greater Flamingo breeds regularly since 2011, is recognised as a Ramsar Site and was the first International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) green-listed site in the region in 2018."

To vote for the site visit https://www.worldtravelawards.com before September 10.

Al Wathba Wetland reserve is set to become even more appealing to tourists with plans to build a flamingo observation tower and a new visitors centre in the coming months.