Opened in 2016, the Conservation Centre is a 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) wildlife sanctuary and visitor centre, with some 30 animals preserved at the centre, including Arabian leopards,[1] which are thought to now be extinct in the wild in the United Arab Emirates.[2] It has been hailed as a major step forward in the conservation of endangered mountain species in the UAE,[1] and in 2016, won the Middle East Architect educational project of the year award.[3]