UAE, Indonesia announce Mangrove Alliance for Climate at COP27

The UAE and Indonesia have unveiled the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC), at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and the Environment launched the alliance, which seeks to scale up and accelerate the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems for the benefit of communities worldwide.

India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain have joined the alliance, reported state news agency, WAM.

Mariam Almheiri said, “Increasing reliance on nature-based solutions is an integral element of the UAE’s climate action on the domestic as well as international level, therefore we seek to expand our mangrove cover. At COP26, we presented our ambitious target of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.

“We are pleased to launch MAC jointly with Indonesia, and believe it will go a long way in driving collective climate action and rehabilitating blue carbon ecosystems,” she added.

The minister said that the UAE intends to plant three million mangroves within the next two months, WAM reported.

Mangrove forests store carbon up to 400 percent faster than land-based tropical rainforests, protect coasts from rising sea levels, erosion, and storm surges, and provide breeding grounds for marine biodiversity. Around 80 percent of the global fish population depend on healthy mangrove ecosystems.

The alliance will follow a voluntary approach. Members can determine their own commitments towards planting and restoring mangrove forests, promoting multilateral cooperation, and sharing knowledge, while the alliance will support their projects in the areas of mangrove research, management and protection of coastal areas, and educating the public about climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Collectively, members will carry out mangrove planting and conservation campaigns, enhance mangroves’ climate change mitigation capabilities through research and innovation, contribute to mangrove conservation worldwide through scientific and socio-economic studies, engage the community and the private sector in mangrove planting to expand blue carbon ecosystems, and step up concerted efforts to advance the global climate agenda.

The alliance will feature multiple interactive platforms, including annual meetings to track progress in implementing its goals, drive cooperation between members, and approve annual reports.