Dubai: Kleindienst Group, the UAE’s largest European property developer and creator of The Heart of Europe, announced that its newly incorporated Coral Institute has successfully completed the fragmentation of 20,000 pieces of coral. The project is aiming to grow 100,000 corals by 2020, which it will plant in reefs around The Heart of Europe and offer a diver’s paradise as yet another Dubai tourist attraction.

The Coral Institute will offer Coral Fragmentation Classes, Coral Reef-scaping Classes, Diving Classes, an “Adopt A Reef” program and a Coral Restoration Certification Program aimed to restore and build reefs in the UAE and around the world. As part of the Coral Institute, there will be a team of four experts, known as the ‘Coral Squad’, dedicated to protecting and enhancing the reefs and looking after the wildlife around The Heart of Europe.

As well as the obvious environmental benefit of such a pioneering approach to marine management, there is the additional benefit to Kleindienst Group of adding value and being able to drive higher revenues through adding to the natural beauty of the islands and the surrounding sea. The estimates on the exact economic value of coral reefs range between US$100,000 to US $600,000 per sq km of coral reef. The global economic value of coral reefs varies from $29.8 billion1 to $375 billion2. Importantly for Kleindienst Group, the global value of coral-reef based recreation and tourism is estimated at $9.6 billion. By growing a beautiful marine ecosystem with opportunities for diving and sea entertainment, Kleindienst Group is ensuring The Heart of Europe takes advantage of this valuable element of the tourist industry. It will also aid Dubai’s vision to attract new visitor audiences.

Josef Kleindienst, Founder and Chairman of Kleindienst Group said: “Creating new coral reefs makes environmental and economic sense. Diving and marine recreation is an important part of the tourism industry worth billions of dollars. At the moment, it is an under-developed part of the UAE’s tourism mix and we believe it can deliver economic benefits to our project and also to Dubai. We aim to support Dubai’s leadership vision to attract new visitors by offering an exciting range of activities. Guests will be able to go pearl diving, swim with turtles and enjoy a spectacular array of marine life that can be found in Dubai’s waters.”

In 2017, during the extremely hot summer, it is estimated that 73 per cent of the UAE’s coral was affected by bleaching and 90 per cent in Saudi Arabia and also Kuwait[1]. The expertise of the Kleindienst Coral Institute enabled some of the endangered coral to be saved. Fragmentation occurs naturally in the ocean when coral pieces are broken off a colony as a result of wave action, storms or animal activities. Under favourable conditions, these fragments can attach and develop into new colonies. The UAE waters are ideal for coral reefs and to build new ones the team is fragmenting the rescued coral into smaller pieces using state-of-the-art equipment, which are then affixed to a disk and stored in the coral nursery to grow.

The Heart of Europe is pioneering the second home market and is creating an unrivalled, innovative, world-class tourist destination on six islands in The World bringing the best of European culture and experiences to a Maldivian-inspired island setting. A core part of the development is the ocean that laps at each island and Kleindienst is planning to make the underwater seascapes as magnificent as the landscapes. The man-made coral reefs will be the highlight of the underwater world attracting fish such as hamour grouper, Arabian blue-striped dottyback, two-belt Cardinalfish and painted sweetlips as well as seahorses, turtles and other marine life to delight snorkelers and divers. It is estimated that there are 514 species of marine fish in UAE waters.

-Ends-

1 – Value estimated by Cesar Environmental Economics Consulting
2 – Value estimated in Nature – The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital

Coral Bleaching: When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

The coral species grown on The Heart of Europe are:

·       Acropora arabensis
·       Acropora downingi
·       Barabattoia amicorum
·       Coscinarea manile
·       Cyphastrea microphthalma
·       Favia pallida
·       Favia spp
·       Favites pentagona
·       Platygyra daedalea
·       Platygyra lamellina
·       Porites harrisoni
·       Porites lutea
·       Porties lobata
·       Stylophora pistilla
·       Turbinaria reniformis

About Kleindienst Group
Kleindienst Group is committed to pushing the boundaries of achievement, pioneering new concepts in real estate and hospitality to deliver excellence.  Established over 30 years ago in Austria and Hungary and present in Dubai since 2003, Kleindienst Group is the largest European real estate company in Dubai with more than 1,500 employees over its diverse portfolio of businesses which include property development, construction, hospitality, property brokerage, and corporate business centres. Kleindienst pushes the boundaries of innovation, creating new concepts such as Dubai’s second-home real estate market in a touristic destination, as well as exceptional hospitality attractions and world firsts. Kleindienst Group offers unique investment opportunities, attracting local and global wealth to support the UAE National Agenda 2021 and bolster the country’s economic, commercial and touristic aims. Kleindienst Group is committed to supporting Dubai’s inspirational goals and assisting in helping the DTCM meet its target of adding 40,000 new hotel rooms by 2020. Kleindienst Group is also in line with The World’s vision to bring the best of European experiences to Dubai.

About The Heart of Europe
The Heart of Europe, part of the Kleindienst Group, is a celebration of the best European experiences in an unrivalled holiday home destination comprising six islands – Germany, Sweden, St Petersburg, Switzerland, The Floating Venice and Main Europe - with 13 hotels and resorts including Portofino Hotel, Ikaria Hotel, Ibiza Hotel, St Petersburg Resort, Côte d’Azur, The Floating Venice, London Hotel, Scandinavian Hotel, Amsterdam Hotel, Munich Hotel, Empress Elizabeth Hotel, Marbella Hotel and Tsar Hotel. The Heart of Europe is committed to delivering the best of European culture, heritage and lifestyle through traditional architecture, authentic experiences and innovative technology.  The development is located in a cluster of six islands nestled in The World archipelago, 4km from the Dubai coastline. The Heart of Europe brings never-seen-before experiences, including the world’s first floating and underwater living experience, the first dedicated wedding hotel, and the world’s first artificially engineered, climate controlled raining streets.

For more information:
Bahaa Fatairy / Rachel Mansour
Email: bahaa@tohpr.com / rachel@tohpr.com
Tel: +971 (0)4 382 8900

© Press Release 2019

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.