In the mountainous enclave of Hatta, a new partnership between honeybee research centre Hatta Honey and a property firm aims to get landscapes buzzing.
The initiative, called Yalla Beena! Preserving the Pollinators of the UAE, brings together Amwaj Development, Green Gardenia Landscaping and the One Hive Group. They have launched a project to reintroduce native bee species, cultivate pollinator-friendly plants and place biodiversity at the core of new developments.
“This isn’t about branding,” says Meriem Hammal, a beekeeper and business development manager at One Hive. “It’s about rebuilding ecosystems that urbanisation has pushed to the brink. Pollinators aren’t optional. They’re essential to life.”
Globally, pollinator numbers have plummeted, with climate change, pesticide use and habitat loss driving colony collapses at unprecedented rates. In the UAE, which has recently seen record-breaking temperatures, the impact is particularly stark.
“Last April was one of the wettest on record. This year, it’s the hottest. Bees can’t adapt that quickly,” says Hammal. “They get disoriented. Colonies collapse. One day they’re thriving, the next, the hive is empty.”
Integrating bee-friendly flora
The Yalla Beena! project – its name a playful twist on the Arabic for “Let’s go!” and “bee” – began this year when Green Gardenia adopted three hives of native Apis mellifera bees rescued by One Hive from urban gardens and roadside nests. The hives, each home to about 60,000 bees, were relocated to the Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre, where they now support local flora and form the backbone of a wider ecological education programme.
What sets this project apart is its integration into the development process. Green Gardenia is redesigning urban landscapes using melliferous plants – which are rich in nectar and pollen – tailored to native pollinators. Amwaj’s next residential launch in Dubai will incorporate these bee-friendly plants, alongside monitoring programmes and, potentially, hives placed on site.
“Too often, developers choose landscaping for aesthetic value only,” says Hammal. “But not all flowers feed bees. We’re designing spaces that look beautiful and function ecologically.”
Aida Al Shehabi, chief operating officer at Amwaj Development, says the move reflects the firm’s broader vision to create communities that are not only intelligently designed, but also environmentally friendly. “Through strategic collaborations like this one, we are proving that real estate development and ecological stewardship can – and must – go hand in hand.”
Bees thrive with the right resources
The project reflects a growing shift in the property sector’s approach to sustainability. Long criticised for greenwashing and monoculture planting, some developers are beginning to reframe biodiversity as not just a branding tool, but a business imperative.
“There’s definitely a trend,” says Hammal. “We’ve had interest from hotels, schools and now real estate. But we’re selective. We don’t want to be a tick box. This has to be real.”
One Hive’s work spans field research, queen bee breeding, swarm rescue and mentorship programmes. The group also runs school visits and public training, and is launching 100 Hives, 100 Schools – a campaign to embed beekeeping and pollinator education in UAE classrooms.
Hammal, a trained vet from Algeria, came to bees by accident. She found herself lost and disillusioned in her third year of studies. Then she met a beekeeper.
“He never went to school. But he was calm, confident, intuitive with the bees. That changed everything for me,” she says. “I realised these creatures organise themselves better than most human institutions. They sacrifice for the collective. They’re endlessly resilient.”
That resilience is being tested. As climate change is causing more extreme weather events globally, bees – and the crops they support – face mounting stress. “They’re foraging earlier or later than expected, flowers are blooming at the wrong times, and rain now damages more than it helps,” says Hammal. “If we don’t act, we’ll lose them. And if we lose them, we lose our food.”
The stakes, she says, are existential. “Bees pollinate 75 to 80 per cent of our fruit and vegetables. It’s not about honey. It’s about food security. It’s about survival.”
UAE developers balancing nature with design
Elsewhere in the UAE, developers are starting to respond to the issue.
The Sustainable City in Dubai was an early adopter of integrating pollinators into community plans. In 2018, 250 beehives were bought under the My Hive programme to provide residents with organic honey and raise awareness of bees’ important ecological role.
This year, renowned conservationist Jane Goodall opened a bee sanctuary named after her in Expo City Dubai. It is a haven to more than 30,000 of the insects.
Arada’s Masaar community in Sharjah is planting 50,000 trees. Aldar’s The Wilds project promotes rewilding principles in suburban Dubai.
But for Hammal, the benchmark remains integrity. “The bees can tell if you’re faking it,” she laughs. “They either thrive or they leave.”
In Hatta, the hives hum with quiet urgency. Summer is coming and with it, a harsh test of survival. But for now, the bees are working – pollinating the mountain blooms, educating visiting schoolchildren and, perhaps, rewriting the blueprint for sustainable development in the desert.
As Hammal puts it: “We’re not here to save the bees. We’re here to let the bees save us.”
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
LILO & STITCH
Starring:Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib – WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter – Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini – WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz – IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
