UAE to plant 10 mangrove trees for every COP28 visitor

Image credit: Abu Dhabi Media Office

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), announced the launch of “Ghars Al Emarat” (UAE Planting Initiative) that will see 10 mangrove trees planted for each visitor that attends the UN Framework Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), as per Abu Dhabi Media Office. The UAE is the host country for COP28 which be held at Expo City, Dubai, from November 30 to December 12.

The initiative was announced under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of the Board of Directors of EAD to “offset their carbon footprint”.

These trees will be planted during the last quarter of this year and will be carried out using innovative methods such as drone dispersal. The planting will be done in existing forests such as the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, Al Mirfa City, and Jubail Island.

This programme also supports the goals of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, launched in February 2022. It provides a platform for the development of innovative solutions for conserving and restoring mangroves, helps mitigate the effects of climate change, while strengthening the emirate’s position as a global research and innovation centre in its conservation.

Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary-general of EAD, said, “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,” Dr Shaikha added.

Under the patronage of Hamdan bin Zayed, the Ghars Al Emarat Initiative, launched by @EADTweets as part of the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy, will plant 10 mangrove trees for each COP28 UAE participant to offset their carbon footprint and achieve climate neutrality. pic.twitter.com/TE5mu4Az9S

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) September 5, 2023

The critical role of mangroves in fighting climate change

Mangroves are among the most resilient flora networks found in coastal ecosystems. They play an extremely important role in preserving the balance of coastal environments and help mitigate the effects of climate change by storing and sequestering carbon, and reducing water salinity. They additionally, act as a habitat for coastal biospheres, protecting neighbouring habitats such as seagrass beds, coral reefs from sedimentation, as well as helping to improve water quality.

Abu Dhabi hosts 85 per cent of the country’s mangroves, and as part of its strategy, the EAD is working to study and preserve these critical coastal habitats. Efforts to restore their networks 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. Mangrove rehabilitation projects have led to a increase in the size of its mangrove areas.

Since its inception, EAD has continued Sheikh Zayed’s efforts via a range of afforestation programs in cooperation with its concerned partners, which include the planting of 40 million mangroves since restoration efforts began, on islands and in various regions, including Saadiyat, Jubail, Yas, Hudayriat, Abu Al-Abyad and Al Dhanna.

These programmes have helped increase forested areas by 64 square kilometres. In line with the application of strict protection laws, the amount of Abu Dhabi’s mangroves has increased by more than 35 per cent, and, today, the emirate’s total area is 176 square kilometres, including natural and cultivated trees.

Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, said, “Building a resilient, net-zero future depends on halting nature loss and restoring our natural ecosystems. Nature-based solutions, including those involving mangroves, have the potential to supply over a third of our climate mitigation needs and build resilience to the effects of climate change. I welcome this EAD-led initiative which both raises awareness and takes action to restore and protect mangroves in the UAE.”

The EAD launched the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project, which studied the importance of mangroves and their role in combating climate change, through carbon sequestration, and the importance of blue carbon habitats and ecosystems. The results revealed that mangrove ecosystems in Abu Dhabi contain 98 tonnes of carbon per hectare. This is equivalent to 1.7 million tonnes for a mangrove area of 17,500 hectares in Abu Dhabi.