An origami-style glass building houses a miniature bio-biological dome in which a gigantic kapok tree stands four stories high, forming a closed ecosystem that resembles tropical rainforests with over 3,000 species of plants and animals living under the largest artificial tree on earth. Located in City Walk Dubai, the Green Planet project began on the fourth floor and winds its way down through the vital area. This provides a unique opportunity to see many exotic and tropical animals.
A bio-dome consists of four levels, a canopy, a midstory, a forest floor, and a swamped forest. At each level, every part of the rainforest is discussed, along with its role and importance. A canopy forms the roof of a tropical forest, absorbs most of the sun’s rays, and disperses rain. Rain birds abound and a famous bat cave houses Seba bats in their natural habitat.
It is through the canopy that sunlight reaches the midstory. Here, trees usually have large leaves that absorb any sun light. This gives a moist, calm, and shady atmosphere on the forest floor that is home to many monkeys and reptiles. There is little sunlight reaching the ground on the second floor of the rainforest because it is damp, quiet, and dark, unlike the other layers, where the red-footed tortoise lives.
In the submerged rainforest on the first floor, you will find a giant aquarium full of fish, such as Arapaima and Arowana. In addition, you will find about 1,000 piranhas and stingrays. Its visitors are invited to experience how tropical animals live their day-to-day lives in the dark by visiting Creatures of the Night on the ground floor. Day and night cycles are fully controlled by The Green Planet’s operators underground. Natural sunlight can be filtered into the main 7-story tropical biodome, which makes up the majority of The Green Planet.
There are many nocturnal species to admire along with the Slow Loris. These include the Lace Monitor, Burmese Pythons pair, Tokay gecko, Marine toads, Parma Wallabies, The Laughing Kookaburra, and Carpet Pythons with over 72 babies! As a one-of-a-kind facility, this facility aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining the delicate balance of nature and inspire visitors to take an interest in the world’s oldest ecosystem.