A batch of 58 Hawksbill turtles has hatched safely on Saadiyat Island, which lies just 500 metres from Abu Dhabi city � under a programme implemented by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and undertaken by the Emirates Heritage Club (EHC).

The findings and recommendations from the monitoring programme form key inputs to the planning process for Saadiyat Island, which is being transformed into an international residential, tourism and cultural hub.

�Our aim is to ensure that development does not disturb the natural habitat or wildlife of the island,� said Nasser Al Shaiba, Environment Affairs Director, TDIC, which is behind Saadiyat�s transformation.

The Hawksbill turtles live in the coastal shallows offshore Saadiyat Island. Named after its conspicuous beaked snout, the Hawksbill lives in warm waters and feeds off sponges and mollusks and rarely strays from shallows.

Monitoring of the breeding programme is part of TDIC�s over-riding commitment to environmental stewardship which is reflected in its stringent design guidelines which, in turn, are rigorously enforced on partner investors and developers.

�Our guidelines have resulted in planned hotel developments being kept a considerable distance from designated nesting grounds with access to open beach areas being via raised walkways which criss-cross the natural dunes and mangroves which flank the shoreline,� explained Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC.

TDIC, which manages the tourism assets of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), has adopted a strict eco-code designed to ensure development respects, and is aligned to, the emirate�s strong culture of protecting its sensitive coastal and desert ecologies.

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About Saadiyat Island: Saadiyat Island - which translates from Arabic as Island of Happiness - is the largest single mixed-use development in the Arabian Gulf. The 27 square kilometre natural island - half the size of Bermuda - lies only 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi island - the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Saadiyat Island is being developed into a complete visitor and residential destination.

Saadiyat Island represents one of the most important development opportunities in Abu Dhabi's history. The island, which has 30kms of water frontage and boasts many natural eco-features including mangrove forests, is being developed as a strategic international tourism destination and marks a new era in the rapid evolution of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates which form the UAE Federation

Saadiyat Island will be developed in three phases with total completion scheduled for 2018. The masterplan envisages seven highly individual districts and includes 29 hotels, including an iconic 7-star property, three marinas with combined berths for around 1,000 boats, museums and cultural centres, two golf courses � one the UAE�s first Gary Player Signature course and the first in the Arabian Gulf with beach-front holes - civic and leisure facilities, sea-view apartments and elite villas.

Saadiyat Island is expected to be home to a community of more than 150,000 people - the same population size as Chang Mai in Thailand, Oxford in the UK or Hollywood in the USA.

Saadiyat Island will be linked to the main Abu Dhabi island and the Abu Dhabi mainland via two, 10-lane freeways making the destination easily accessible to Abu Dhabi International Airport, which will be just a 25 kilometre drive away.

Saadiyat Island is being developed by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), an independent public joint stock company of which Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the sole shareholder. TDIC's strategy is to dispose of development land on the island to private investors who will each develop their sites in accordance with the masterplan and supporting planning regulations and design guidelines.

About Tourism Development & Investment Company: Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is a public joint stock company established under Law No: 12 of 2005 as decreed by the Abu Dhabi Ruler and UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. TDIC is an independent organisation empowered to manage the tourism investment zones of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which directs and implements strategy for the expansion of the emirate's tourism sector. TDIC will develop the real estate assets that support ADTA's mission of assisting UAE economic diversification through tourism development.

TDIC, launched with an initial paid-up capital of AED100 million (US $27.5 million) with its shareholding fully owned by ADTA, operates along strictly commercial lines with its projects being self-sustaining and economically feasible. Its activities include creating development and tourism related concepts for specific sites and locations, disposing of, or repositioning, government-owned tourism related assets, entering into joint ventures with investment partners for assets such as hotels or residential products, as well as serving as the master developer for large scale projects.

For further information: Bassem Terkawi. PR & Communications Manager, TDIC Tel: +9712 4443000; fax: +9712 4443111. e-mail: bterkawi@tdic.ae Or

Barbara Saunders, MCS/Action. Tel: +9714 390 2960; fax: +9714 390 8161