On Abu Dhabi’s Jubail Island, there are more than 17,500 hectares of mangroves, a verdant canopy that draws kayakers, paddleboarders and other tourists from all over the world. The mangrove forest also acts as one of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) main carbon sinks: Jubail Mangrove Park forms 75% of all the UAE’s forests of the crop, which can sequester as much as 10 times more carbon dioxide than mature tropical forests.
The Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) in September announced the Ghars Al Emarat initiative to plant 10 mangrove trees for each visitor to the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai at the end of November.
Some 50,000 to 100,000 visitors are expected at the COP28, including representatives of more than 190 countries, according to the EAD’s executive director of the terrestrial & marine biodiversity sector, Ahmed Esmaeil Alsayed Alhashmi.
Blue carbon sinks
