On the occasion of the World Wetlands Day which is celebrated on February 2 every year, the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water issued a press statement emphasizing the event’s importance. The latest edition was globally commemorated under the theme ‘Wetlands for Our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods.’ The statement said that the day reinforces the importance of the sustainable management of wetlands in upholding economic, social and environmental values for the benefit of future generations.
The press statement elaborated that the UAE has acceded to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance – also referred to as the Ramsar Convention – in 2007. In the last eight years, five sites from the country have been designated as Wetlands of International Importance, making the UAE the first GCC country to have over 20,000 hectares of wetlands, ranging from marshes to tidal flats and vast islands. The national wetlands include Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai – a natural habitat for migratory birds; Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah known for its fresh water aquifers; the Mangrove and Alhafeya Protected Area in Khor Kalba in Sharjah; Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba Wetland Reserve – a protected area with natural and artificial water bodies; and coral reefs and Sir Bu Nair Island. The Ministry, in coordination with the competent authorities and the Secretariat of the Convention, is working towards the inclusion of some other important areas in the near future.
The Ministry of Environment and Water, in cooperation and coordination with the competent environmental authorities and other stakeholders in the UAE, has developed the National Biodiversity Strategy and the National Strategy for Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Environment in line with its efforts to maintain wetlands as an integral part of national biodiversity. The two strategies will play a vital role in preserving these environments by enhancing their ability to adapt and cope with human and natural challenges by 2021.
In line with the two strategies, plans are underway to increase the level of awareness on the concepts of biodiversity among various sectors of society and integrate them in the planning and decision-making processes. They will also pay attention to the traditional practices and knowledge relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in developing domestic and national policies as well as legislations. In addition, plans will work to improve the status of biodiversity by protecting species and their habitats and genetic diversity. Lastly, there is a need to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems; increase the proportion of terrestrial areas, inland water protected areas, and coastal and marine areas; and create a network of ecological systems to manage them effectively.
The UAE will host the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 13) which will be held in Dubai in 2018 in coordination with the Dubai Municipality. This conference will throw the spotlight on the region, highlighting the UAE’s efforts in enhancing its role in the field of wetlands sustainability and their habitats at the international level.
The Ministry of Environment and Water, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (ADGEDI), launched the ‘National Blue Carbon Project’ with an objective to expand the cognitive scale of the blue carbon and the related ecosystems services. The initiative will also highlight the importance of assessing its stock in environment, especially in coastal areas. In line with this, final stages of field surveys of the mangrove areas of various regions in the UAE have been conducted with the aim of improving and increasing the contribution of ecosystems in carbon stock and mitigating the effects of climate change and desertification. This initiative was presented by the UAE during its participation in the United Nations Frame Work Convention on Climate Change’s Paris Climate Change Conference held in Paris in November 2014.