The announcement was made on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15), which started on 13th December 2022 and runs until 17th December 2022 in Montreal, Canada….reports Asian Lite News
The coastal and marine ecosystem preservation and rehabilitation programmes of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) have been named among the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) top 10 global initiatives for restoring and rehabilitating coastal marine ecosystems.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15), which started on 13th December 2022 and runs until 17th December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EAD, praised the emirate’s achievements, led by EAD, to protect the biodiversity of Abu Dhabi’s coastal and marine environments.
Sheikh Hamdan said, “Abu Dhabi has confirmed its leadership and succeeded in strengthening its global position in the field of preserving the environment and protecting species, as well as implementing plans and programmes to restore and rehabilitate them.
“We have worked in several directions to sustain our marine environments and have succeeded in restoring our fish stocks, strengthened our plans to plant and rehabilitate mangroves, and launched the region’s largest coral reef rehabilitation project – all of which further emphasises the emirate’s important role at both a local and global level in the conservation of species and their ecosystems. Efforts and resources are being directed to serve the goals of sustainable development and to preserve natural resources and ensure their sustainability for future generations.”
EAD’s programmes to preserve and rehabilitate coastal and marine ecosystems were selected following evaluations conducted in line with UNEP’s standards and requirements, and proved to be some of the most promising and ambitious projects of their kind and viewed as pioneering models at the global level. The selection was made from more than 150 nominations from different countries, and approved by 70 government agencies worldwide as a result of EAD’s outstanding efforts in rehabilitating the habitats of Abu Dhabi’s coastal and marine areas for endangered marine species and local communities.
These efforts have strengthened the emirate’s leadership in preserving marine biodiversity in line with Abu Dhabi’s strategic environmental goals, inspired by the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as well as the wise directives laid down by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The initiatives are also aligned with the environmental conservation trajectory set by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
EAD participated in UNEP’s inaugural session to select the 10 best leading initiatives to prevent and reverse the degradation of environmental ecosystems around the world by reviewing the distinguished efforts of the programmes it implements at the local and international levels in promoting and protecting environmental systems. EAD also assists in international efforts and fulfils its obligations stipulated in international environmental conventions and treaties. All these initiatives are among the priorities set forth in EAD’s strategic plans to support objectives derived from the leadership’s wise vision that aspires to make Abu Dhabi a world leader in preserving the environment.
The coastal and marine areas of Abu Dhabi, located on the southern border of the Arabian Gulf, are considered a hotspot for biodiversity, housing various habitats that support a wide range of marine species and large fish. EAD has worked to improve the condition of deteriorating fish stocks that had been depleted by up to 85 percent according to its studies and surveys.
