Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

Preface

Marine and coastal ecosystems and mangroves in particular, are an important heritage for Abu Dhabi and continue to be of high intrinsic value to the people of the Emirate. These environments represent the legacy of the late HH Sheikh Zayed, who prioritized conservation and harnessed the cultural value of mangroves as a driver for conservation. Today, we also value them for the broad range of services these ecosystems provide, such as stabilizing ŽƵƌ ĐŽĂƐƚůŝŶĞƐ͕ ĮůƚĞƌŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ ǁĂƚĞƌ͕ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ŚĂďŝƚĂƚ ƚŽ ĮƐŚ ĂŶĚ ŝĐŽŶŝĐ ƐƉĞĐŝĞƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƵŐŽŶŐ͘ Most importantly perhaps, we simply enjoy their presence, and so do the visitors to the Emirate. At a time where anthropogenic climate change is starting to impact lives around the globe, and will increase doing so, it is ever more important to ensure that these ecosystems continue to sequester and store atmospheric carbon. As an intervention of the Global Environment Facility’s Blue Forests Project, Abu Dhabi is an essential partner in one of the largest Blue Carbon undertakings to date. At the same time, the Demonstration Project is a cornerstone of the Eye on Earth’s Special Initiative on Oceans, which is aimed at capturing and applying data to enhance local capacity for conserving marine environments. Abu Dhabi has undergone unprecedented economic development and is today very different from how it used to look just half a century ago. Yet, we take pride in conserving our natural coastlines at the same time, ensuring our children and grandchildren will benefit from them in the same way our fathers have and we do. As countries migrate towards greener economies, Abu Dhabi is becoming a global leader in understanding and facilitating the linkages between coastal management and climate change mitigation. We understand that mangroves and the full coastal ecosystem are critical to maintaining and improving the sustainability of our Emirate and beyond.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak Secretary General Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD)