Bu Tinah Island

Bu Tinah Island is one of the 28 official finalists for the “New7Wonders of Nature”. a campaign which will see people worldwide vote to nominate the seven most remarkable, beautiful or otherwise awe-inspiring natural locations and features on our planet. In 2011, the "New7Wonders of Nature" will be selected and announced to the world. Vote now and bring Bu Tinah Island into the final seven. It’s your opportunity to be part of history. And the future!

Off the western shores of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, lies a unique natural treasure, wild and undisturbed by human activity: Bu Tinah Island. Bu Tinah’s thriving ecosystem forms a unique living laboratory with key significance for climate change research. An undisturbed paradise, Bu Tinah has much to teach mankind about environmental protection and survival. This distinctive natural habitat has shallow waters, seagrass beds and tall mangroves, set amid extensive coral reefs. It hosts beautiful and endangered marine life. Seabirds, including flamingos and osprey, various species of dolphins and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle live in Bu Tinah. The island’s waters host the world’s second-largest population of dugong, a large marine mammal that is threatened worldwide. Bu Tinah Island, rich in biodiversity, lies within the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve - the region's largest marine reserve. Its protection and survival must be ensured.

There are seven reasons to vote for Bu Tinah Island:

1. Coral Reefs: Their survival, despite the harsh environment, has given researchers insight into coral reef survival elsewhere in the world in the face of global warming.

2. Natural Mangroves: They reach an average height of 5 meters and support wildlife including birds, fish and crustaceans.

3. Hawksbill Turtles: Every year, these critically endangered species arrive to Bu Tinah Island to nest.

4. Dugongs: These threatened species are often spotted swimming among the Island’s extensive seagrass meadows. They have been able to live without disturbance in a clean natural sanctuary, thanks to EAD’s management of the marine biosphere reserve.

5. Dolphins: The Indo-pacific humpback, bottlenose and common dolphins swim around the Island.

6. Ospreys: Bu Tinah Island is a major breeding site for this globally important bird.

7. Socotra Cormorants: Bu Tinah Island is a roost site for about 20,000-25,000 of these birds.

ISLAND CAMPAIGN: Bu Tinah has been shortlist for the Official New7Wonders of Nature title.