Leading environmentalists, academics, government officials and eco-tourism experts visited Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, after a three-day conference identified the award-winning property as the region's leading sustainable eco-tourism development.

Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Desert Ecosystems conference in Dubai was arranged to discuss sustainable development, conservation of natural resources and tourism growth.

A benchmark in the conference discussions was the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), the first and largest protected wildlife conservation area in the UAE, formally recognised as a Protected Area by UNEP, and also home to Emirates’ exclusive Al Maha property.

Emirates has invested almost e2 million (10 million dhs) in support of wildlife conservation programmes, scientific research, and protection of this 225 square kilometre area.

Since the opening of Al Maha in 1999, the successful re-introduction of the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Gazelle, Sand Gazelle and large-scale indigenous flora re-seeding programmes are just some of the major projects that have been delicately carried out in the DDCR. It is the only location within the UAE where visitors are able to experience completely free-roaming wildlife within their natural desert and dune surroundings.

The reserve is the most actively researched and carefully managed conservation area in the region. The DDCR has joined some of the world’s most treasured conservation areas, including such reserves as Yellowstone National Park in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

The DDCR is segregated into four utilisation zones. In some areas, only researchers are allowed to enter on foot. In another zone a select number of safari operators – who worked closely with the reserve management to create a foremost example of sustainable desert tourism in the region – can conduct safaris for visitors, providing an experience of the desert and dunes, and its unique fauna and flora, and gaining a better understanding of Dubai’s conservation efforts.

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline operates flights from Malta on a daily schedule to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus.