A new boardwalk on Al Jubail Island opened on Jan. 30, allowing visitors to have an immersive experience of the mangroves of Abu Dhabi. The park, open every day from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., is free for the public, and only an eight-kilometer drive from campus. The park is in line with the UAE’s initiatives to promote eco-tourism and sustainability, while raising awareness among residents about their local environment.

Lucas Davidenco, Class of 2021, reflected on his experience in the park, “It’s a really nice walk, the sights are beautiful. I think it's really well done in [that] it doesn't modify the nature of the landscape, but rather gives you a trail for you to go and see [for] yourself, and it seems pretty natural and well preserved, which is nice.”

The opening of the boardwalk was well received by the community on its opening weekend. “When we went, it was the second day after it opened, so it was pretty crowded. Actually, if I went again, I'd try to go during a weekday rather than a weekend, and it was a lot of people, and it wasn't as much of a calm, nature-y experience that you could probably get on a weekday,” said Davidenco.

Alexis Mountcastle, Class of 2020, emphasized the importance of being outdoors for locals, saying “I think the mangrove walk is such an amazing opportunity to actually get out and see the UAE and interact with the UAE in a way that's more than just going to a mall.” She continued, “I think the UAE realized that people do want to go outside, you know. It doesn't matter how hot the weather is, we want to be outside, we want to interact with the nature [we have] here, have moments to be in the sunshine, and I think the mangrove walk is a manifestation of that realization.”

When asked about other ways NYU Abu Dhabi students could meaningfully connect with nature in the UAE, Mountcastle encouraged her fellow students to “make an effort to get out to the other Emirates, because it's really not that hard to go to other Emirates. It's super cheap and not that difficult, and there are a lot of really cool natural spaces in the UAE, like the mountains in Ras Al Khaimah or the shore in Fujairah.”

One thing for students to keep in mind when visiting is the availability of transportation back to campus. “Taxis don't really know about the existence of this place yet. Getting there is fine... but trying to get from there to campus is going to be an issue if you don't have a car, because there is no wifi,” said Davidenco of his experience with the boardwalk. “It took about an hour to do the whole thing, and then another hour to find a way to get back, which was very cumbersome.”

In addition, Mountcastle advised students to not bring anything to the mangroves and to be cautious of accidental littering. “Already we saw a lot of accidental littering, even in just a week of it being open … and it’s really sad to see this place be polluted, and I don't think any of it was on purpose, … but in order to avoid contributing to that pollution, I would say try not to bring anything to the mangroves.”

The opening of the Mangrove walk is part of an exciting change focusing on raising environmental awareness in the UAE and is a great opportunity for NYUAD students to interact with nature close to campus.