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