Ambassador Andrea Matteo Fontana leads EU delegation in support of UAE’s mission to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030
The stunning mangroves of Abu Dhabi recently welcomed a distinguished group of visitors in a show of solidarity with an ambitious initiative by the UAE.
The EU Ambassador to the UAE Andrea Matteo Fontana and a delegation of Ambassadors and representatives from 16 EU member states visited Jubail Mangrove Park in Abu Dhabi on Monday to plant mangroves and extend their support to an ongoing awareness campaign about the importance of these ecosystems.
The activity served as a powerful statement about the crucial role of mangroves in mitigating climate change, and a show of support for the UAE’s mission to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030.
Why mangroves?
“Mangroves have a carbon-storing superpower,” explains Ambassador Fontana. “They absorb up to 10 times more carbon than a tropical rainforest. Mangroves are vital for our planet, and we are proud to support the UAE’s efforts to protect and restore these crucial ecosystems.”
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The EU delegation was welcomed by Ahmed Al Hashmi, Executive Director of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), along with representatives from Jubail Island.
The delegation was given a guided tour of Jubail Mangrove Park and was joined by members of the Arab Youth Center and the UAE Youth Climate Delegates in planting the mangrove trees.
The high-profile tree-planting session was organised in line with the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative that was launched in February 2022 during a meeting between Abu Dhabi’s newly appointed Crowned Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi and Head of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, and Britain’s Prince William at Jubail Island.
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The Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative seeks to develop innovative mangrove planting solutions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The EU is equally committed to finding sustainable solutions to climate change, having committed to planting at least 3 billion trees in the EU by 2030. The European Green Deal, meanwhile, has an ambitious goal to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, while the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 aims to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.
“Working together with international partners and youth is essential if we are to emerge from this climate crisis stronger,” said Ambassador Fontana.
As COP28 approaches, the EU likewise underlined its commitment to work with the Emirati COP Presidency, the Youth Climate Champion, and global partners to find sustainable solutions to climate change.
The diplomats who attended the tree-planting session included Etienne Berchtold, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria; Jaan Reinhold, Ambassador of Estonia; Nicolas Niemtchinow, Ambassador of France; Osama Ibrahim Naffa, Ambassador of Hungary; Alison Milton, Ambassador of Ireland; Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy; Atis Sjantis, Ambassador of Latvia; Robert Lauer, Ambassador of Luxembourg; Maria Camilleri Calleja, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta; Jakub Slawek, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland; Bogdan Octavian Badica, Ambassador of Romania; Natalia Al Mansour, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia; Liselott Andersson, Ambassador of Sweden; Douwe Buzeman, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Netherlands; Katja Decker, Head of Press and Economic Affairs, Embassy of Germany; and Michal Florus, Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of the Czech Republic.
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Image source EAD Abu Dhabi
