80% mangroves in Abu Dhabi in ‘good health’

abu dhabi — Over 80 per cent of mangroves in Abu Dhabi are healthy, while about 15 per cent are in ‘moderate health’, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced on Wednesday. About five per cent are in deteriorating health due to the recent developmental activities around Abu Dhabi island, the agency said.

The emirate is home to over 150km of natural and planted mangroves — small trees that grow in saline or brackish waters. They protect the coastlines from erosion, provide a breeding ground for various fish species, and sequester atmospheric carbon.

The EAD also mapped the changes in areas covered by mangroves from satellite images collected over three decades. It was found that while there was a 26 per cent decrease in extent from 1987 to 2001, recent successful regeneration efforts have reversed this decline, and resulted in a 61 per cent increase from 2001 to 2017.

Mangroves are susceptible to damage from offshore dredging, increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, escalating global surface temperature, rising sea levels and human development in coastal areas. Changes in salinity, pollutants, and sedimentation also have detrimental effects on the mangrove ecosystems. This is why the EAD constantly monitors the health and extent of mangroves.

As part of its assessment, the EAD was able to precisely identify areas of mangroves that are being exposed to higher stress due to human intervention.