An eco-friendly army of volunteers planted 5,000 mangroves in under an hour in Dubai in support of the UAE's ambitious drive to breathe new life into the "green lung" of the planet.
More than 100 members of New York University Abu Dhabi's community outreach programme came together at a beauty spot near Jebel Ali to play their part in the country's bid to plant a further 100 million mangroves by 2030.
That key pledge was made at last year's Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow as part of the Emirates' ongoing efforts to support the global green agenda.
Dubai's mangrove coverage was bolstered under a partnership between NYUAD Community Outreach and the Emirates Marine Environmental Group.
“Our goal through the volunteering and community-based learning opportunities we offer to our students is to promote meaningful community involvement, embrace the rich diversity of the UAE, and cultivate ethical and inclusive leadership," said Esraa Bani, head of community outreach at the university.
"This specific initiative is very close to our hearts not only because it contributes to NYUAD’s commitment to a sustainable future and NYU’s Carbon Neutrality 2040 goal but also because we are actively engaging UAE’s youth in protecting one of the country’s unique ecosystems, a 'green lung' for the big cities and an irreplaceable wildlife habitat.”
Mangroves help to reduce carbon emissions and provide critical natural habitats for baby fish and other sea creatures.
The trees also protect the UAE’s coasts from rising sea levels and storms.
The Emirates is already home to 60 million mangroves that form forests spanning 183 square kilometres and capture 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Planting 100 million mangroves will increase the coverage to 483 square kilometres, with the forests able to capture about 115,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
Mangroves are estimated to cover more than 150 square kilometres of the UAE's coastline, acting as a “green lung” for big cities such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while also providing habitats for wildlife and recreation areas for humans.
UAE aims to be mangrove conservation centre
Abu Dhabi in February set out ambitious plans to establish the emirate as a global hub for research and innovation in support of the conservation of mangroves during Prince William's milestone visit to the UAE.
The key project was announced when Britain's Prince William met Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, at Jubail Mangrove Park.
The Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative is being carried out by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. The eco drive will provide a platform for innovation in mangrove research and support efforts to combat climate change.
A state-of-the-art mangrove nursery will also be established to act as a centre of research and learning.
The scheme aims to enable mangrove recovery to address the climate crisis and safeguard precious biodiversity.
The partners will develop a joint programme of research support on the assessment of blue carbon storage in different regional ecosystems and help to develop standardised assessment methods across habitats, such as mangroves and reefs, that allow for the comparison of data sets.
Under the project, cutting-edge genetic and planting methods will be used to breed resilient mangrove strains.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
