United Arab Emirates plants 10 mangroves for every COP28 visitor – News

The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency has planted 850,000 mangrove trees along the coastal areas of the emirate of Abu Dhabi as part of the ‘Ghars Al Emarat’ (UAE Planting) initiative to plant 10 mangrove trees for every visitor to COP28 at Expo City Dubai.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai hosted some 85,000 participants last year. Using innovative methods such as drone planting, mangroves were planted in locations that offered the most suitable environments for growth, such as the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, Al Mirfa City and Jubail Island. The rate of carbon absorption by trees is estimated at one ton per 5,000 mangroves. The initiative will help absorb 170 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year.

This initiative reinforces the UAE’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality and promoting the adoption of nature-based solutions to reduce the effects of climate change. It has been implemented under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler’s representative in the Al Dhafra region and chairman of the board of directors of EAD.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp channels.

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of EAD, said: “This initiative comes as a continuation of the efforts initiated by the emirate of Abu Dhabi to restore mangroves in the 1970s, under the leadership of the late Sheikh Zayed, “which was an expression of his deep knowledge of the local environment and his vision for the future.”

Dr Shaikha noted that mangroves are a vital coastal habitat for blue carbon, whose role in supporting biodiversity and mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change is extremely important.

“Mangroves are among the most productive coastal ecosystems in the world and are therefore very important because they provide a variety of environmental and economic services.”

EAD is researching and studying mangroves, and as Abu Dhabi is home to the largest mangrove areas in the UAE, science-based mangrove restoration efforts continue across the emirate.

“Mangroves help mitigate the effects of climate change, absorbing greenhouse gases, thanks to their ability to store and sequester carbon. “Mangroves can absorb up to four times more carbon than trees in the Amazon rainforest.”

He noted that studies carried out by EAD revealed the capacity of Abu Dhabi mangroves to store carbon at a rate of 0.5 tonnes per hectare per year, which is equivalent to 8,750 tonnes at the emirate level, and the energy consumption of 1,000 homes per year. . year.

The Ghars Al Emarat Initiative, created under the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy, supports the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, launched in February 2022, during the meeting between Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prince Abu Dhabi Heir, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Prince William, Prince of Wales, at Jubail Mangrove Park.

Ghars Al Emarat supports the 13th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related to ‘Climate Action’, which calls for urgent measures to address climate change and adapt to its effects, as well as national initiatives, including the strategic initiative UAE Net Zero by 2050, which is in line with the UAE’s goal of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.

Mangroves cover about 176 square kilometers across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, equivalent to 17,600 hectares, with 2,441,600 tons of carbon stored by natural mangroves and 676,480 tons by planted trees. This means that Abu Dhabi’s mangroves currently store more than 3 million tonnes of carbon.

READ ALSO