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International impact of Blue Carbon in Abu Dhabi

by Alicia Medina Villanueva, Steven Lutz and Tiina Kurvits

By Blue Forests Project

October 13^th, 2017

One success that the Blue Forests Project is particularly proud of comes through co-finance from the United Arab Emirates and the Abu Dhabi Global Data Initiative (AGEDI).

In November 2012, the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project was initiated by the AGEDI and supported by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD). The project`s aim was to improve understanding of the valuable ecosystem services that coastal blue carbon ecosystems provide, and explore policy avenues for applying these values to support goals in conservation and climate change.

In September 2014, AGEDI launched the second phase of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration project spreading the science to other parts of the Emirate and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, and providing further knowledge about the value of coastal blue carbon ecosystems and its potential contribution to climate change mitigation efforts.

The Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project has been a great success and had a significant impact both nationally and internationally. Within the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the value of blue carbon has been successfully incorporated into policy at the municipal, Emirate and national levels. Additionally, the UAE’s international commitment on climate change features the value of blue carbon. The experience and knowledge attained from it continues to serve as a guide for other blue carbon projects, including through the networks of the Blue Forests Project and the International Partnership on Blue Carbon.

We are happy to share some of the pictures that were taken during a fieldwork in Abu Dhabi and around the beautiful mangroves of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah.

Scientists in the coast of Abu Dhabi, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Scientists taking sediment samples of mangrove forests, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Abu Dhabi`s mangroves and its aerial roots, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI.

Mangroves ready to be planted, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Flamingos in the mangroves of Dubai, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Field work in the mangrove forest, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Jane Glavan and Boone Kauffmann happy in the mangroves, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

A mangrove in the UAE half submerged, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Sunset in Abu Dhabi, UAE, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Scientist conducting a topographic survey in mangrove are in Abu Dhabi, UAE, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Mangrove ready to be planted, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Collecting soil samples in Dubai, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Project team member taking measurements of mangroves, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Mangrove soil samples, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Mangroves in Dubai under the Burj Khalifa, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

Mangroves of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

View over the mangrove forest of Ras Al Khaymah, UAE, photo by Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDI

More pictures of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project fieldwork can be found in our Flickr album.

We would also like to share with you a 360 virtual educational tour that our partner AGEDI created with the help of Distant Imagery Solutions of one of its project sites.