Artificial islands spur eco-concerns

Jun. 6 - Environmentalists fear man-made islands off the coast of Dubai may be posing a danger to the ecological balance of the area.

Scientists have claimed that the United Arab Emirates' most famous land reclamation projects may be a threat to marine life biodiversity in the Gulf.

The World islands is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands mimicking the shape of the globe's landmass located four kilometres (2.5 miles) off the coast of Dubai.

Built using 320 million cubic metres of sand dredged from the sea over an area of just over eight square kilometres (5 miles by 5 miles). It has no land connection and is protected by a 27-kilometre rock breakwater constructed with 34 million tonnes of rock.

According to environment specialists at the Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wildlife Foundation (EWS-WWF), land reclamation projects are disturbing the country's fragile coral reefs.

Matt Cowan reports.