The Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative, AGEDI, supported by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, EAD, has launched Phase II of its ‘Blue Carbon’ Project, expanding the project to a national level in an effort to link local natural coastal ecosystem management with climate change mitigation.
The commencement of Phase II of the project will result in a baseline carbon assessment of Blue Carbon ecosystems in the Northern and Eastern regions of the UAE that will help guide local policy with timely, actionable information about the environment.
"This project has evolved from its first phase, the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project, which was completed in 2013 and which not only enhanced local capacity to better manage Blue Carbon ecosystems, but also provided exemplary lessons learned for regional and international replication and up-scaling," according to EAD.
Blue Carbon ecosystems in Abu Dhabi Emirate include mangroves, salt marsh, seagrass and potentially algal mats. Coastal sabkha (salt flat) was also explored and is considered an associated Blue Carbon ecosystem, storing, albeit not sequestering, carbon. Research on algal mats and coastal sabkha has discovered unexpected results, emphasising the need for cautious action in light of science gaps, and the need to further increase knowledge on Blue Carbon ecosystems.
"The Blue Carbon ecosystems are an extremely important part and parcel of the cultural identity of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and indeed the UAE. The Blue Carbon project demonstrated the power of data collaboration in the field of the environment, and its use in decision-making and policy making, as well as urban planning. It is extremely critical to understand what and where our natural capital is, and to ensure that not only do we protect it, but that we also capitalise on it," said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General, EAD.
The expansion of the project to the North and East of the UAE follows the key stakeholder endorsement of these results as being the first step in overall ecosystem based management in Abu Dhabi.
"GEF is honoured and pleased to collaborate with UAE/AGEDI in the global Blue Forests project. Indeed, AGEDI is a crucial partner and is already providing cross support and knowledge management to developing countries that are benefitting from the project, such as Indonesia and Madagascar," said Nicole Glineur, Project Manager for the GEF Blue Forests Project.
The Project is being managed in collaboration with EAD’s Terrestrial Marine and Biodiversity Sector, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water and the relevant authorities of each Emirate. AGEDI has appointed members of the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group, Steve Crook and Boone Kauffman, who are both leading experts in their fields, as principal investigators for the fieldwork and analysis of the results. The results of the national level project are expected early in the first quarter of 2015.
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