Bu Tinah is a tiny archipelago amid extensive coral formations and seagrass beds some 25 km south of Zirku and 35 north of Marawah in the United Arab Emirates.[1] Found in the waters of Abu Dhabi, it is protected as a private nature reserve. Bu Tinah Island, rich in biodiversity, lies within the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve with a territory of more than 4,000 sq km. The Biosphere reserve is the region's first and largest UNESCO-designated marine biosphere reserve. It has been a recognised UNESCO site since 2001. Closed to visitors, fishing and the collection of turtle eggs are prohibited on Bu Tinah Island, the ban being enforced by patrols. Bu Tinah is actually a cluster of islands and shoals, joined or almost so at low water, with nowhere greater than two or three metres above sea level. The main island has a sheltered lagoon opening to the south with the low energy environment permitting stands of mature mangrove to flourish.Even birds like Socotra Cormorant are found here.
There are also healthy coral reef habitats with as many as 16 species of coral recorded in the area. And the reefs survive in conditions that would kill coral species in other parts of the world. The Gulf's waters are among the most saline in the world, as well as among the warmest. Corals live in water that is between 23°C and 28°C but in the UAE water temperatures go as high as 35°C in summer.
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