Al AIN Wildlife Park and Resort
Dr. Mike Maunder and His Excellency Majid al Mansuri
FAIRCHILD SIGNS TRAINING PARTNERSHIP WITH ABU DHABI PROJECT
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has signed a five-year training and research partnership with the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, a new desert biodiversity project in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Fairchild will provide technical support and training to develop the world’s largest and most comprehensive desert botanic garden as a component of a huge wildlife conservation project and resort complex.
The Al Ain Wildlife Park is a new, 900 hectare project that builds on the conservation heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed and reflects the Crown prince’s commitment to species and habitat conservation.
Fairchild will play a number of roles in this spectacular new project. We are serving as a technical advisor to the project management and working with the design team to develop the project’s master plan. In addition, we will help build the botanical programs of the project, including a special focus on staff development and the conservation of arid land plants from Arabia and Africa.
The first phase of the project will open in 2010. It will include a spectacular series of desert biodiversity exhibits showcasing the plants, wildlife and cultures of the world’s deserts and an extensive safari exhibit for the arid land mammals of North East Africa. The key horticultural challenge is to create a world-class botanic garden on a desert site with around 100 mm of rain per year and summer temperatures that exceed 40°C. Fairchild will work with leading master planners EDSA, a landscape architecture company in Fort Lauderdale, zoo and botanic garden planners Jones and Jones from Seattle, and leading edge Miami architects Kobi Karp, among others to create a project that will redefine the modern zoo and botanic garden.
