In a fast-moving world, Terra Gardens offers something increasingly rare: the chance to pause. As Expo City Dubai works to create the UAE's first BGCI-certified botanic garden, Phil Dunn draws on more than 20 years as a landscape architect to reveal how this living landscape brings together biodiversity, wellness and human connection – creating space for reflection, restoration and the simple, transformative act of stopping to smell the desert roses.

Terra Gardens go beyond greenery – what deeper purpose are they designed to serve? It starts with connection: if people aren't connected to nature, they won't want to save it. The gardens – full of native plants and supported by rewilding and pollinator programmes – are designed as much for people as they are for the ecosystem. Terra is a living laboratory with the freedom to experiment, running initiatives in nature therapy, pollinator conservation and biodiversity education under the Terra Impact Programmes. The aim isn't simply to cultivate plants, but to cultivate change.

How does Terra help people see the beauty – and therapeutic value – of the UAE's desert environment differently? Did you know the UAE has 598 (and counting) species of native plants? A lot of people think the desert is empty, but when you spend time in it, you realise how alive and detailed it really is – the textures, resilience, wildlife, colours and quietness that make desert nature so special.

Why do so many people today feel disconnected from the natural world – and why does slowing down matter? Life has become very fast, very digital and very indoor. People move between cars, offices, malls and screens without noticing the natural world around them. We do an exercise where we ask people to name 20 brand logos – most score full marks. We do the same for 20 plants and animals and most can name two or three. And yet even a small moment in nature – sitting under a tree, hearing water, feeling shade – can reset your mind and nervous system.

How can reconnecting with nature support everyday wellbeing?

Nature slows us down in a good way. It helps people feel calmer, more grounded and more present. Sometimes you don't realise how stressed you are until you spend time somewhere green and feel your whole body soften. We've only lived out of sync with nature for a few generations – and the body still remembers what connection feels like. Those small sensory moments matter more than people think: the smell of plants, the sound of bees, moving from heat into shade. We are nature; not separate from it.

How does Terra create space for reflection and community connection? Terra gives people permission to slow down – sitting by the wadi pond, walking through the gardens, watching bees, noticing small details of life. Nature also brings people together very naturally. Families explore together, kids become curious, strangers start conversations. Shared experiences outdoors create a sense of belonging that people are craving more and more. What can families and young people gain from engaging with native biodiversity – and why does protecting it matter?

Curiosity, wonder and a stronger sense of connection to where they live. Once kids start recognising plants, insects and birds, they begin to feel part of the environment rather than separate from it – and that's where the wish to protect it begins. Because once native landscapes disappear, we lose more than plants: we lose identity, culture, wildlife and resilience. Native species tell the story of where we are, and they're best adapted to survive here long term. If nature thrives, humanity thrives.

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