Despite shopping malls and skyscrapers having overshadowed the endless Arabian Desert from which the city of Dubai grows, the desert will always be written on the soul of the Emirates. Dubai has come of age in the time of environmental conservation, and the recent conservation movement, led by the ruling sheikh, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has been focused on the development of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the country's first national park, founded in 1977, a fragile ecosystem every bit as awe-inspiring as the towering metropolis. The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is located an hour's drive east from Dubai, and what was once a vast, 88 square miles, camel farm, now protects the indigenous species. In addition to the national park’s austere beauty of rocky plains in stark contrast to the signature shifting sand dunes with their ever-changing forms, there are more than 6000 recently planted trees, as well as the vital ecosystem of grasses and shrubs. While it may not look like it at first glance, the desert, invigorated by new growth, is teeming with life.