Many a life lesson has been taught to me by the animals that I have been fortunate enough to work with in my 23- year career as a Marine Biologist.

Nowhere has this been more apparent than here in the U.A.E, where Jumeirah Group proudly supports and provides resources for the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project’s work with critically endangered stranded sea-turtles, requiring human intervention.  As an indicator species, their abundance, distribution, and health in the ecosystem are reflective of local environmental conditions. 

Every year we are in awe of the resilience of these amazing reptiles, that have been around for eons, for despite all that is being thrown at them, in the face of adversity, they continue to adapt to the increasing anthropogenic pressures cast upon them.  We also witness more and more youth partaking in and being vociferous in the need for all to subscribe to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and in our case, particularly SDG-14-Life below water. 

Now, more than ever, we need the Voice of Future Generations to be heard, as we grapple with important issues affecting not only the future of the turtles, but also our very own. 

As one of the cornerstones of our mission is to educate the youth about the plight of sea-turtles globally, we are fortunate to be in a position to regularly engage meaningfully with them here at the project. We eagerly look forward to reading inspiring stories of these magnificent, ancient, ocean-dwelling mariners and their fight for survival, as seen through the eyes of the next generation of ocean ambassadors!

Favourite childhood book? Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe. 

Favourite book right now? Voyage of the Turtle, Carl Safina.

Favourite lesson at school? Biology.

Favourite animal/lifeform? Too close to call between turtles and penguins.

Favourite hero/heroine? Ocean Elder, Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Gerhard Beukes, self-confessed Thalassophile, is the late director of the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, based at Jumeirah’s Burj Al Arab hotel, in Dubai, where his team has successfully rehabilitated and released 1856 sea turtles since project inception.

Our world today is a tapestry woven of threads of history, culture and ideas that stretch back to dawn of humankind. 

I live in England, and sometimes try to imagine what people who lived here thousands of years ago would have thought and believed. I wonder if they might have been like some of the people I have met on my travels in the tropical rainforests, living in tribal groups, hunting game and collecting wild fruits and vegetables. Those people today still depend directly on the natural world, and that is why they treat the forest with reverence. Their Gods often take the form of animals.

In the modern world, where the vast majority of us do not regard ourselves as ‘indigenous’ and mostly live in towns and cities, peoples nonetheless still rely on Nature for their wellbeing. For our food, water, air and spiritual renewal, we depend on the cycles and processes of the Biosphere, just as much as Indians who dwell in the depths of the Amazon rainforests. 

As we face the twin threats of climate change and ecosystem collapse, we might do well to seek inspiration from the peoples who once lived in lands now transformed by modern humans. What was their culture, who were their Gods, what was the land like thousands of years ago, when they lived where we live today? What would their leaders have said about pollution and the destruction of Nature? 

Might their views be relevant today, and if so, perhaps we should listen more to the remaining indigenous peoples. Their message might tell us something profoundly important, including the fact that even those of us living in the highest skycrapers are still children of Nature.

Favourite childhood book? Observers Book of Birds’ Eggs

Favourite book right now? The Great Fen by Alan Bowley

Favourite lesson at school? Biology

Favourite animal/lifeform? Common Swift

Favourite hero/heroine? Chico Mendes

Tony Juniper CBE is Chair of the official Nature conservation agency Natural England. He is the author of many books, including What has Nature ever done for us? (2013) and Rainforest (2018). He has worked with many conservation organisations, including as the Director of Friends of the Earth, President of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and Executive Director at WWF. He is a former sustainability advisor to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

Hi, I am Wezi and here is my rule book on fairness and justice for children, please enjoy!

One of my favourite answers when I am asked to do something is that “It’s not fair”! Sometimes I do not even understand what it means to be fair, but I just feel that children should always be allowed to do what they want! I have realised that as children we just think about the nice playful things we are doing at the moment and not necessarily about our future! It is important to have rules that promote fairness and justice for children, so I had a go at making some! 

1. Parents, adults and teachers should be open-minded by allowing discussions and listening to children’s views and not shout at them for no reason.

2. Children should be obedient and respectful to elders and their fellow children. 

3. Playing time is important but should be balanced with other activities. 

4. Children must think about and respect what is best for everyone instead of just thinking about themselves all the time. This will help future generations to appreciate nature.

5. Children should take care of their environment because, as the age-old adage goes, ‘charity begins at home’! This means that children should look after vegetation like fruit trees, flowers and all growing plants in order to avoid effects of climate change.

6. Children should be protected from gender-based violence at home and everywhere. 

7. Parents should teach children how to uphold good family values and principles so that children can live in a society where they are well-cultured. 

Wezi Emmanuel Chilubanama is 10 years old and is in sixth grade. Wezi is passionate about the environment and nature. He loves gardening and keeping clean and tidy surroundings. As the UN Child Ambassador for the SDGs (Africa), Wezi is focusing on ways to eradicate poverty and embrace equality between girls and boys. 

The reason I wrote my book was because I like stories; I love a good story, and I enjoy sharing them. Although there is nothing wrong with make-believe ones, mine were real experiences that I loved to share with others.

The second reason was because I wanted to record my experiences. Horses have always been an essential part of my life, and growing up around them has shaped the way I am today, which inspired me to write and share those valuable experiences with other people. People around me would always recall the little moments that they remember with my horses and it made me realize how sad it made me feel to lose those memories for myself, so I decided to write them down.

Horses were my teachers, and I believe they have shaped me to be a better human. Children who grow up with pets learn simple things that may not be taught to them without experience. First and foremost, they learn to listen; animals can’t speak our language, but we may learn to read their body language and facial expressions to better understand them. They also learn to think of others before themselves: children who are responsible for their pet’s well-being learn how to care for their pet’s basic needs and learn patience along the way. My horses were and still are my teachers, and I can’t imagine how I would have grown up without those few hours a week I spent at the stables.

Being outside in nature and around animals was a positive influence throughout my childhood, and I’m very blessed to have grown up in a household that appreciates nature and wildlife. One of my favorite memories during my childhood was having breakfast before school with my family, while watching wildlife documentaries before we went to school. Later on, during the day we sat down and talked about different types of birds, mammals or fish that live in the Arabian region or around the world.

I learnt about the wildlife in our region from the few moments every day I spent with my family, whether indoors or at the farm, and that helped me understand my heritage as well: I learnt about the different type of gazelles, birds and fish in our region, and how they are named both in Arabic and English and even why they are named that way.

As a grown-up, I now realize that this information was a big part of my education at home. It helped me appreciate the wonders of nature, and enjoy family time because it was always educational. I never thought that animals would end up being endangered, or our Earth would go through climate changes like global warming. It does make me sad that some other child might not experience what was a big part of my growing up. That’s why I feel so strongly about animals and saving their homes.

One of my favorite books that I loved reading throughout my childhood was Matilda by Roald Dahl. I loved Roald Dahl’s style of telling stories and enjoyed the little bits of humor he added to his stories. Matilda was one of my favorite characters in a children’s story: she was in many ways relatable and I admired her intelligence as well as her determination.

Another series I thoroughly enjoyed when I was much younger were the Little Princess books by Tony Ross. A very different character from Matilda; so much so that you might argue that the Little Princess and Matilda stand on different sides of the character spectrum, with one being much more mature and self-disciplined while the other was loud, childlike and demanding. Now I see why I loved both of them so much: they were strong characters who weren’t shy of showing who they were, no matter how little everyone thought they looked, and that in my opinion is a good role model to any young girl or child who reads these books.

Another good influence I can proudly recall happened in our local community. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact date, but the reaction of our community is something I would not forget. There was a parade of some sort a few years back, I believe people were celebrating the UAE’s National Day; with all the celebrations and crowds of people and cars, the streets were unfortunately littered with confetti, empty bottles of water and lots of trash. Local youth clubs and groups went on social media and asked people to come and help clean the streets of Dubai, and that resulted in a lot of people going out and helping the cleaners. That was a favorite memory of mine where I saw a positive impact on our local community, and I hope to see more people take action in helping to keep our environment clean.

Selfless good deeds are motivating to see, and so are stories: creating a character from our region in a story helps people from our community relate to the character, and the problems he or she faces. A relatable character encourages others to read more about them, step inside their shoes and understand how they would overcome their problems. Who better to represent our local community than the locals from our region? This is how we can overcome misconceptions and assumptions that only hinder our growth as a society.

Voice of HH Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Sheikha Hissa, a passionate horsewoman and writer, is the author of Tajaarub: From a Horsewoman’s Journey, which explores the powerful connection between humans and horses. She has led her teams of horses in practices and trainings in both England and Dubai. In her position as Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East Region she is committed to making a real difference in the lives of young people.

Earth Day

I believe that all 17 of the SDGs are extremely important and it is exceptionally difficult to say which one is closest to my heart. They are all of critical priority. However, I do believe there are some SDGs which we can take some immediate direct responsibility for as individuals such as  number thirteen, Climate Action. In the UAE, like many rich nations, we generally have a convenience culture and throwaway lifestyle which means it can be easy to overlook the impact many of our every-day choices are having on the environment. By raising awareness of the causes of climate change and by talking, reading, writing, drawing about it we can all start to make more informed decisions about how we live our lives. We can make more conscious choices every day as individuals and really make a positive impact on our planet by taking action. That’s how The Eco-heroes were born.

Voice of Colette Barr, founder of Save Our World and author of The Eco-heroes book series