The EAD’s initiative will have more mangroves planted than ever
For every person attending the COP28, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) will be planting not one, but 10 mangrove trees!
From declaring 2023 as the Year of Sustainability to banning single-use plastics, installing RVMs and more, the UAE has been taking going green extremely seriously. All of which, of course, will culminate in hosting the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
Running from 30 November to 12 December in Expo City, Dubai, the event has everyone highly anticipating major climate oriented decisions.
And now, the EAD has announced the launch of ‘Ghars Al Emarat’ (UAE Planting Initiative), basically the planting of more mangrove trees for every conference visitor.
Through the initiative, mangroves will be planted using innovative methods such as drone dispersal. The trees will be planted during the last quarter of this year, which is the best time for planting this species, within the most suitable coastal environments for growth, such as the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, Al Mirfa City and Jubail Island where natural mangroves already exist.
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This initiative also supports the goals of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, which was launched in February 2022 during the meeting that brought together HH Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council, and His Royal Highness William, Prince of Wales, at Jubail Mangrove Park in Abu Dhabi.
It further provides a platform for the development of innovative solutions for conserving and restoring mangroves, helps mitigate the effects of climate change, and raises awareness of their importance and the need to restore them, while strengthening the emirate’s position as a leading global research and innovation centre in mangrove conservation.
Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, says: “This initiative aims to support Goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to ‘climate action’, which calls for urgent measures to be taken to address climate change and its impacts. It also supports national initiatives including the UAE Net Zero by 2050 climate neutrality strategic initiative, which aligns with the UAE’s goal of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.”
“This initiative also highlights the UAE’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality and promoting nature-based solutions to reduce the effects and adapt to climate change and reduce the environmental footprint of conference visitors, at the rate of absorbing one tonne of carbon for every 5,000 mangrove trees,” Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha adds.
Currently, the UAE capital hosts 85 per cent of the country’s mangroves. As part of its strategy, the Agency is working to study and preserve these important coastal habitats.
Thanks to mangrove rehabilitation projects, Abu Dhabi has witnessed an increase in the size of its mangrove areas. Efforts to restore mangroves in the UAE date back to the 1970s, when the late Sheikh Zayed launched extensive afforestation programmes to plant mangroves on the country’s beaches.
For more information, visit ead.gov.ae
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