MANGROVES IN THE UAE.

• Mangroves in the UAE have grown to become the largest in the Arabian Gulf coast

• Mangrove forests cover thousands of hectares along the UAE coastline and form an important and integral part of the coastal eco system in this country.

• The most common species in the UAE is the avicennia commonly called the grey or white mangrove. Within the UAE there are approximately 4,000 hectares of mangrove forest (of which a large part, around 2,500 hectares, are found in Abu Dhabi).

• The trees grow to a height of 3-10 meters and have bark that can appear gray or white.

• There are 13 important mangrove sites in the UAE
  

  Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

  Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi

  Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve (which includes the Bu Tinah Island), Abu Dhabi

  Bu Syayeef Protected Area, Abu Dhabi

  Ras Gharab, Abu Dhabi

  Mangrove National Park, Abu Dhabi

  Ras Ghanada, Abu Dhabi

  Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

  Ras Al Khor, Dubai*

  Mangrove and Al Hafiya Protected Area in Khor Kalba, Sharjah*

  Sir Bu Nair, Sharjah*

  Al Zora Wetland, Ajman

  Khor Al Beidah Wetlands, Umm Al Quwain

  * indicates a Ramsar site or Wetland of International Importance
  

Once upon a time…

Mangrove forests were once generally dismissed as swampy wastelands. However, we have now come to value them as remarkably diverse and providing important ecosystems. Mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs work as a single system that keep coastal zones healthy.

Mangroves are a coastal defense.

• Mangroves are the first line of defense for coastal communities. They provide natural barriers and stabilize shorelines, preventing erosion and protecting coastal communities from increased storm surge, flooding, and hurricanes. Learning from the 2005 tsunami in Asia, there were no deaths in the areas that had mangrove forests, compared to those areas without, which suffered massive causalities.

• In 2003, it was estimated that a quarter of the world’s population lived within 100 kilometers of the coast and at 100 meters of sea level. Robust mangrove forests provide natural protection for communities vulnerable both to sea level rise and intense and frequent weather events caused by climate change.

Mangroves serve as valuable nursery areas.

Mangroves are nursery areas for crustaceans, mollusks and fish.These habitats provide a rich source food while also offering refuge from larger predators. Without mangroves, the fishing industries globally would suffer a dramatic decline. An estimated 80% of the global fish catch relies on mangrove forests either directly or indirectly, providing livelihoods to rural communities.

Mangroves support a range of species including those threatened or endangered.

• Threatened or endangered species such as sea turtles and a variety of birds utilise mangrove systems during some portion of their life spans, feeding and nesting within the mangroves.

• The tonnes of leaves that fall from each acre of mangrove forest every year are the basis of an incredibly productive food web. As the leaves decay, they provide nutrients for invertebrates and algae. These in turn feed many small organisms, such as birds, sponges, worms, anemones, jellyfish, shrimp, and young fishes.

Mangroves can boost local economies.

• In a study from 2014, mangrove forests were found to provide ecosystem services (benefits to humans) valued at $194,000 per hectare annually.*

• Mangroves are essential to maintaining water quality. With their dense network of roots and surrounding vegetation, they filter and trap sediments, heavy metals, and other pollutants.

• The ability to retain sediments flowing from upstream prevents contamination of downstream waterways and protects sensitive habitat like coral reefs and seagrass beds below.

Mangroves are a renewable resource.

• Mangroves can be harvested for durable, water-resistance wood used in housing, boats and furniture.

• The wood of the black mangrove has been used in the production of charcoal.

• The red mangrove can be used for fuel wood

• Tannins and other dyes can be extracted from mangrove bark, which can be used in the leather industry

• Leaves from mangroves have been used in tea, medicine, livestock feed and as a substitute for tobacco.

• Beekeepers have been known to set up their hives close to mangroves to utilise the nectar in honey production.

Mangroves provide an opportunity for sustainable development/tourism.

• Intact and healthy mangrove forests can provide sustainable revenue-generating initiatives including ecotourism and other recreational activities. Of course, it is important to maintain a balance between visitor numbers and protecting the forests’ delicate ecosystem.

• Ecotourism could provide the perfect motivation to protect mangroves, instead of clearing them for mass tourism developments.

Mangroves provide carbon storage.

Mangroves sequester carbon at a rate two to four times greater than mature tropical forests and store three to five times more carbon per equivalent area than tropical forests like the Amazon rainforest. This means that conserving and restoring mangroves is essential to fighting climate change, the warming of the global climate fueled by increased carbon emissions, that is already having disastrous effects on communities worldwide.

Mangroves protect ecosystems.

• Mangroves acts as a natural windbreak, protecting against tidal surges and purifying the surrounding water.

• Mangroves protect both the saltwater and the freshwater ecosystems they straddle. The mangroves' complex root systems filter nitrates and phosphates that rivers and streams carry to the sea. They also keep seawater from encroaching on inland waterways.

But mangroves are in trouble…

• Mangroves represent less than 0.4% of the the world’s forest, but they’re disappearing three to five times faster than forests as a whole.

• Development threatens mangroves – like mega tourism projects, coastal development, polluting industries and large-scale shrimp aquaculture.

What can we do?

• Increase the awareness of the importance of mangrove trees

• Mangrove tree planting! :)

To get involved with mangrove tree planting either as an individual or as a team building activity, head to our Get Involved page.