The Khalifa Empowerment Programme (Aqdar) has partnered with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and Blue Forest on the UAE’s largest employee-led mangrove restoration project to date.

 

Entitled ‘Tree for 50’, the campaign will feature 500 Taqa employees planting 50,000 mangrove trees in honour of the UAE’s Year of the 50th. 

 

The 50,000 mangroves will be planted on Al Jubail island and will occupy a space equivalent to 21 football pitches. Together, they will offset as much as 615 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually once the trees reach maturity, directly contributing to the UAE’s climate change objectives. 

 

Additional mangroves will be planted in Kenya by Blue Forest as part of its goal of planting 100 million mangroves in the next five years.

 

Dr Ibrahim Aldabal, CEO of Aqdar, part of the UAE Ministry of Interior, commented: “We are proud of our partnership with Taqa and Blue Forest to implement this vital project, through which we write a new chapter in our journey towards placing global positive citizenship and sustainability at the core of our activities.” 

 

Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO and Managing Director of Taqa, said: “As a company dedicated to being Abu Dhabi’s low carbon power and water champion, building a more sustainable future is in our DNA. Sustainability and ESG are at the centre of Taqa’s strategy and are critical to protecting our local ecosystems for future generations. Our partnership with Aqdar and Impact Adventures is one of many ways we seek to support the UAE’s sustainability ambitions.”

 

Vahid Fotuhi, Founder of Blue Forest, added: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our communities today. This three-way partnership will see us enhance climate resilience not just locally but also globally. We couldn’t be happier.”

 

The mangrove ecosystems provide home and shelter to many fisheries and juveniles, as well as food sources for various animals. They support a rich biodiversity and provide a valuable nursery habitat for fish and crustaceans. Mangroves also act as a form of natural coastal defence against storm surges, tsunamis, rising sea levels and erosion. Their soils are highly effective carbon sinks, sequestering vast amounts of carbon. 

 

Yet mangroves are disappearing three to five times faster than overall global forest losses, with serious ecological and socio-economic impacts. More than 35% of all mangroves in the world are already destroyed. Their numbers have been cut by half in the past 40 years. As mangroves die off, more carbon is released which increases effects of climate change. 

 

This ‘Tree for 50’ campaign aims to turn the tide on mangrove erosion and to help strengthen the UAE’s climate and coastal systems, one tree at a time.-- TradeArabia News Service