“The Green Planet” .. a trip in the tropical rainforests in the middle of Dubai

In a bio-biological miniature dome inside an origami-style glass building, the huge kapok tree stands four stories high, forming a closed ecosystem that evokes a world of tropical rainforests with more than 3000 species of plants and animals living beneath it largest artificial tree. in the world.

On an exploratory tour of “The Green Planet” project located in “City Walk Dubai”, the experiment began from the fourth floor, down through the vital area in a winding path that provides a unique opportunity to see many exotic and tropical animals.

eco dome

During the tour, the environmental dome, which consists of four floors, was seen: the dome, the middle floor, the forest floor and the rainforest floor. Each floor embodies each part of the role and importance of the forest, which the canopy forms the roof of the tropical forest, absorbs the majority of sunlight and spreads rain.

And there are many types of birds and the famous bat cave, which includes bats «Siba» in their natural comfortable environment. The midstory, where trees usually have large leaves to absorb any sunlight, is filtered through the canopy to provide moisture, tranquility and shade to the forest floor, as sunlight barely reaches the land where many monkeys and reptiles live.

rainforest

The rainforest floor on the second floor is damp, quiet and dark, with barely enough sunlight reaching the ground, unlike the other, lighter and more vibrant layers where the red-footed tortoise lives.

There is plenty of ecological life on the first floor, where the submerged rainforest is complete with a huge aquarium filled with types of fish, such as “arapaima” and “arwana”, and around 1,000 “piranhas” and rays.

nocturnal creatures

On the ground floor, the Australian Night Creatures Trail takes visitors on a unique journey through a multi-species environment, with operators managing the day and night cycles. These species consist of a family of slow lorises and “Les Monitor”, a pair of Burmese pythons ranging between four and five meters in length, in addition to the tokai gecko, sea frogs, wallabies and kookaburras, as well as nine large snakes with more than 72 births .

This unique facility aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining the delicate balance of nature and inspire guests to take an interest in the value of the world’s oldest living ecosystems.

reputable sources

“There are more than 3,000 species of animals and plants, including hundreds of birds, reptiles, fish, mammals and invertebrates,” said Sarah Stevens, operations manager and curator at The Green Planet. We have exact figures for a number of the most prominent animals, including two ring-tailed lemurs (Kendrick Lemar and Roxy), three sloths (dad Liam, mum Lemon and baby Lyme) and a pair of blue and golden macaws (Kurt and Goldie), ” points out that the numbers It changes constantly due to the multiplication of animals and birds.

Regarding their native habitat, she stated that all the animals came from responsible sources and reputable animal care facilities around the world, and all official approvals and necessary permits were obtained through the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

She emphasized that the facility provides a suitable environment that mimics the animals’ original habitat, as it is located in a completely unique building specially designed to house rainforest plants and animals in an environment similar to their native environment. Ideal environmental conditions for plants and animals. animals.

Sustainability initiatives

She emphasized that The Green Planet implements several sustainability initiatives, including recycling water from tropical rainstorms for use in irrigation lines.

future plans

Animal interactions, animal-guest interactions and guest experiences continue to grow and change each year, said Sarah Stevens, director of operations and curator at The Green Planet, adding that there are plenty of future plans, in addition to new animals arriving by the end of 2022.

She explained that the memorandum of understanding recently signed with Dubai Safari Park paves the way for further cooperation to develop animal breeding works, improve their conditions, facilitate their movement between the two places and ensure the opening of communication channels between two of the most prominent. animal facilities in the UAE. She pointed out that The Green Planet is working to strengthen its international relations, in addition to continuing close collaboration with other institutions involved in animal care in the UAE, including Dubai Municipality and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

• The height, the automatic humidity control system and even the UV penetrating glass have been designed after extensive research to provide optimal environmental conditions.

• 1000 piranhas and rays.

• 3000 species of animals and plants.