It is known that climate change and environmental problems impacts have affected our natural resources, mainly the marine ecosystem (marine water and habitat qualities) which caused biodiversity and environmental losses. Oyster reefs are very important for marine ecosystem stability.
A collaboration between FRC, Dibba Bay, and Atlantis in the field of rehabilitation of marine ecosystems and achieving sustainable development. The oyster reef creation program initiative started in Dibba-Fujairah by implementing oyster reefs using oyster shells collected from seafood restaurants and oyster farms to recycle them and benefit from them in preserving marine life by spreading them in selected locations, including a robust monitoring program and the comparison of coral and fish communities (species richness and abundance) before and after dropping the oyster reef.
The benefits of oyster reefs are circular economic which means reusing natural waste (shells) to eliminate waste and continuous use of resources. And, enhancing the water quality to maintain a healthy ecosystem by filtering particles and reducing water turbidity. Finally, it provides essential habitats for many fish and corals and preserves economically important biodiversity, which improves commercial and recreational fishing and thus increases commercial harvests and food security.
This project is achieving sustainability as it acts as a carbon absorbance to reduce global climate change and increase biodiversity, following what is stipulated in the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and contributes to enhancing food security for the UAE.