Description:
Bubiyan Island is located in Kuwait, in the northwestern corner of the ROPME
Sea Area. A unique network of tidal channels in the northern part of the 888 square km island encompasses regionally important salt marsh wetlands. In 2003, the
Kuwait government decided to develop an environmentally driven master plan for
the island. The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) conducted a comprehensive
baseline environmental field inventory of the island's ecosystems.
Over 75 interpretive thematic and constraint maps were created and considered
by the planning team and decision makers. The study demonstrated that Bubiyan
Island has a unique significance for terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
The
sustainable development plan for the island by HOK is unique to the region because
it uses a comprehensive environmental baseline study as the basis for master
planning and long-term national policies. It incorporates contributions of many
stakeholders in government and nongovernmental organizations. KISR is also involved
in the follow-up development of comprehensive resource conservation and management
plans.
Pat Morello worked with HOK to design communities within
the overall master plan of the island.
