In the early 90s, there was a saying among environmental researchers and contract engineers in Abu Dhabi that destroying even one mangrove leaf could land them in jail.
It was a joke, but one that summed up the emirate's deep commitment to mangrove conservation long before climate change and global warming were buzz words.
Australian researcher Ronald Loughland, who moved to Abu Dhabi in 1993 as a 29-year-old PhD student, went on to study the mangroves along the Arabian coast and was astonished by the rulers' passion for protecting the tropical wetland plants amid a time when they were being destroyed globally.
I observed Sheikh Zayed and his sons in the field, and they had a contagious enthusiasm for the environment
Ronald Loughland,
environmental consultant for the UAE
“Abu Dhabi was one of the few places in the world, where the area of mangroves was actually increasing,” Mr Loughland, now 60, told The National.
“That's pretty important and that was because of the plantation programmes.”
He said between 1990 and 2021, the area of mangrove forests in Abu Dhabi increased by around 50 per cent.
Dr Loughland, who has worked as an environmental consultant for the last 30 years, claims to have planted millions of mangroves in Abu Dhabi in the 90s and said environmental conservation was in the DNA of Abu Dhabi rulers.
Sheikh Zayed's legacy
The UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his sons – including the late President, Sheikh Khalifa, and President Sheikh Mohamed – planted the early seeds of Abu Dhabi's ambitious mangrove conservation project.
Dr Loughland says he has seen first-hand the keen interest Sheikh Zayed took in ecological conservation.
“I observed Sheikh Zayed and his sons in the field, and they had a contagious enthusiasm for the environment.
“With his sandals off, camel stick in hand, Sheikh Zayed would walk around and give personal instructions to plantation workers with comments such as they were not planting the seeds deep enough,” said Mr Loughland, who is currently consulting for the UAE, splitting his time between Abu Dhabi and Australia.
“His sons would also be with him, listening and following their father's every word. They loved to get the mud between their toes. They really enjoyed it.”
He said Sheikh Zayed valued mangroves as he was a “Bedouin at heart” and a real “man of the earth”.
“He knew the value of trees for shade and for food,” he said.
“And in the old days, when people used to travel on camel, they used [to] go along the coast, and they used to use mangroves for fodder. It is also wood for their cooking fires.”
Lack of climate literacy
Climate change in those days was an unknown concept and little was known about its impact.
“It was considered a future concern. There was also a lot of confusion about what people understood as climate change impacts and mitigation,” said Dr Loughland.
He first came across the impact on climate change when undertaking marine studies that revealed the massive coral bleaching that occurred on the Gulf coast in 1993 due to the rising temperature in seawater.
“That's when I really became a believer in climate change, because I saw it,” he said.
Over 90 per cent of coral reefs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were lost in the severe coral bleaching reported in 1996 and 1998, according to the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Dr Loughland was one of a handful of start-up staff at the EAD in 1993 – which was back then based in Sweihan and called the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency – who conducted the initial surveys on the flora and fauna of Abu Dhabi.
Part of his research also involved looking at satellite imagery and understanding changes in mangrove vegetation.
“This data enabled me to look at all the different pockets where mangroves were growing from 1972 and then every year after that up until the 90s and early 2000s,” he said.
“What occurred was that there was an ongoing increase in mangroves in Abu Dhabi compared to the 1970s. The increase was happening as a result of protection and plantations.
“The irony is that mangroves were actually in serious decline worldwide during this same period, so Abu Dhabi was a real anomaly,” he added.
Travelling with Thesiger
Dr Loughland said he also had the privilege of accompanying legendary British explorer and travel writer, Wilfred Thesiger (also known by his Arabic name, Mubarak Bin London), when he used to visit Abu Dhabi in the 90s on Sheikh Zayed's invitation.
“He used to come as an old man every year to spend the winter in Abu Dhabi because it was too cold in England.
“I spent considerable time with him and would accompany him to banquet dinners and camel races. I used to pick his brains about the environment. What was it like before when he was here in the 1940s? Were there mangroves and where were they? And he would say, 'No, I don't remember seeing very many'.”
Mr Thesiger was known for his extensive trips to the Arabian Peninsula and Africa during the 1940s.
His classic works, such as Arabian Sands and The Marsh Arabs document his experiences and deep understanding of the cultures and landscapes he visited.
He often accompanied Sheikh Zayed on trips and they shared a mutual appreciation for the desert's beauty and the importance of environmental conservation.
Emiratis' love for environment
Dr Loughland said he discovered intriguing differences in behaviour, genetics and species while studying Abu Dhabi's mangroves.
Protecting mangrove genetic diversity is vital for future challenges, as certain genes may offer resistance to climate change, he said.
During his time in the emirate, he said he had helped plant millions of mangroves.
He also established scientific approaches to planting, including using optical hydrological zones on mudflats with the optimal heights determined for best growth.
Seedlings, known locally as “Shitla” in Arabic, were grown extensively in nurseries and later planted in designated coastal areas.
Another part of his contribution included developing new plantation techniques that enabled the conversion of low value saline coastal “Sabkha” into thriving new productive mangrove forests.
Having spent years in the GCC with a hands-on approach to mangrove planting – and developing local talent – Dr Loughland said Abu Dhabi is on the right track with its ambitious plan to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030.
The goal was set to help the emirate to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Forty-four million of the trees have been planted since 2020, 23 million of them over the last two years covering 9,200 hectares.
It is the Emiratis’ deep love for the environment, that makes all the difference, said Dr Loughland.
“And the most wonderful thing is they have kept it going, this passion. The young Sheikhs, the third-generation rulers have also nurtured this love for nature. They are switched on when it comes to environment.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
UAE's final round of matches
- Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
- Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
- Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
- Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
- Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
- Mar 23, 2017 Lost to Japan 2-0 (home)
- Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
- June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
- Aug 29, 2017 v Saudi Arabia (home)
- Sep 5, 2017 v Iraq (away)
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Full list of brands available for Instagram Checkout
Adidas @adidaswomen
Anastasia Beverly Hills @anastasiabeverlyhills
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Burberry @burberry
ColourPop @colourpopcosmetics
Dior @dior
H&M @hm
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Revolve @revolve
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Warby Parker @warbyparker
Zara @zara
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
Sonchiriya
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Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
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India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
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6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
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HIJRA
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
