Is the island of Bu Tinah worthy of being one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature?
Travellers passing through Abu Dhabi International Airport are being urged to vote for the United Arab Emirates' Bu Tinah Island, which is competing to become one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.
The UAE owned Bu Tinah Island, which is home to a huge number of reef species, was short-listed among 28 finalists from a list of 447 global sites.
Bu Tinah Island, which is located around 130 km west of Abu Dhabi, is a unique island and a core area of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve - the first marine biosphere reserve in the region.
In spite of the harsh temperatures and salinity, its habitats and species, including coral, seagrass, dugongs and sea turtles, continue to thrive, making the island an important location and "living laboratory for climate change studies for years to come."
Bu Tinah has globally unique corals. Their survival, despite the harsh environment, has given researchers insight into coral reef survival elsewhere in the world in the face of global warming.
Winners of the New Seven Wonders of Nature will be announced on November 11, 2011.