Rotana Corporate Sustainability Report 2014

78 The web of species and ecosystems that makes up our planet – provides us with the vital services our lives depend on. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at an alarming rate, due largely to unsustainable human activities. The Living Planet Report from WWF (the world’s leading, science-based analysis on the health of our only planet and the impact of human activity) was published in October 2014 and the report reveals some hard facts: • The world has lost more than half its wildlife over the last four decades • The dramatic decline in animal species could cost the world billions in economic losses • Population is growing at a fast rate and a majority will live in cities: from current 7.2 billion (3.6 live in cities) to 9.6 billion (6.3 will be in cities) in 2050 We do have some of our hotels built in areas of high biodiversity value, the Grand Rotana Resort & Spa in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, built adjacent to the coastal corals. However we believe that tourism can be instrumental in safeguarding biodiversity and we ensure a direct cooperation with the tourism authority in Sharm el Sheikh two safeguard corals area while continuing to attract large numbers of visitors. Over the years Rotana has taken up various actions within the framework of global sustainability for biodiversity and we are now shaping a global strategy to protect the lands ecosystem and safeguard biodiversity in the areas where Rotana hotels are built by: • Assessing the natural system of the project site before the start of the design process and site clearance • Protecting the natural system assess and mitigating the impact on the natural system by a good design and management systems Biodiversity