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UAE to host the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) in 2018

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Punta del Este, Uruguay – The UAE Ministry of Environment & Water (MoEW) recently hosted a side event in the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP12) – a successful side event that was attended by 120 delegates from different countries and international organisations, and saw the UAE being accepted to host the next edition, COP 13, in Dubai in 2018.  AGEDI’s work on the Blue Carbon Project in partnership with MoEW was highlighted at the dedicated side event, as well as key UAE sustainable projects and events, including the upcoming Eye on Earth Summit and Ecocity World Summit, to be held in October this year in Abu Dhabi. AGEDI’s blue carbon and ecosystem services outcomes support the UAE’s position to the Ramsar Convention; the country has been a party to the Convention since 2007, and has designated five wetland sites onto the List of Wetlands of International Importance (‘Ramsar Sites’), considered to be of high value to the country and the world because of the ecosystem services they provide. The nation’s wetland ecosystem is one of the most unique and diverse in the Arabian Peninsula, and includes marshes, vast tidal flats, fresh water aquifers, mangroves and coral reefs.

Five UAE sites identified as areas of global ecological importance during EBSA workshop

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Abu Dhabi, UAE – The UAE has identified five sites as areas of global biological and ecological importance during a recent regional workshop on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the North-Western Indian Ocean and the neighbouring Gulf region. The workshop was hosted by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water with AGEDI as a collaborator, in addition to representatives from the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Eritrea, Pakistan, India and various international and regional organisations. The identified sites – the Southwest Waters of Abu Dhabi and the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali in Dubai and Sir Bu Na’air Island, and Khor Kalba in Sharjah – were evaluated based on the criteria established during the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

AGEDI research presented at the Third International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans

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Santos City, Brazil – AGEDI’s regional ocean model on large-scale climate change projections on the Arabian Gulf was presented at the Third International Symposium on Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Ocean in Santos City, Brazil. The Symposium provided an opportunity for the international scientific community to share the latest information, understanding and assessments of the impacts of climate change on oceans worldwide. The event saw 12 sessions covering different but interconnected themes, from physical processes and their interaction with ecosystem dynamics, to resource provision and ocean governance. The regional ocean modelling under climate change is part of AGEDI’s four-year Climate Change Programme.

AGEDI presents Blue Carbon work at Natural Capital Symposium

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Stanford, CA, USA – AGEDI presented its Blue Carbon work at the 2015 Natural Capital Symposium – held at Stanford University – which gathers people from around the world that are working to factor the true value of nature into decision-making. AGEDI participated in the Symposium’s Lightning Talks session,  highlighting its Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project and how the project findings have been used in Abu Dhabi’s coastal ecosystem management and climate change mitigation and development plans.

The EcoCity World Summit

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The EcoCity World Summit – a biennial cross-disciplinary gathering of all involved in building sustainable cities – is to come to Abu Dhabi city, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in 2015. The Summit organisers, the Ecocity Conference Series Relay Committee, awarded the host status to the UAE capital after what it called a ‘clearly outstanding proposal’ submitted by Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau – a dedicated entity of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority – in conjunction with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, AGEDI, and with the support of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company and Etihad Airways.

 

SOER Live is Now The National Reporting Toolkit (NRT)

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In 2006, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with AGEDI, issued the first State of the Environment Report (SOER), and it was immediately hailed as an advancement in data sharing.

Now, working closely with EISOM, AGEDI will launch an online version of the SOER, called the National Reporting Toolkit. 

 

New infographic released to explain Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Abu Dhabi

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A new infographic was released in Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project, to explain the Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Abu Dhabi and their potential value.

Download the PDF Here:  InfoGraphic explaining Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Abu Dhabi and their potential value (5460 downloads )

 

New video tells the story of Blue Carbon in Abu Dhabi

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A new video released today tells the story of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project, which aims to improve our understanding of the other ecosystem services that coastal Blue Carbon ecosystems provide in Abu Dhabi. “Blue Carbon” refers to the ability of coastal vegetation, including mangrove forests, saltmarshes, seagrass beds, sabkhas and cyanobacterial mats, to sequester and store atmospheric carbon in biomass and sediments. The project is facilitated by AGEDI and supported by an expert team led by GRID-Arendal, including UNEP, UNEP-WCMC, Forest Trends, and a group of world-class coastal carbon scientists.

The Blue Carbon Project

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AGEDI, supported by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, recently launched a pioneering ‘Blue Carbon’ project that connects the local natural coastal ecosystem management with climate change mitigation.

 

EAD and UNEP sign Eye on Earth Secretariat Agreement

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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), through AGEDI, took forward their cooperation by signing a landmark agreement to establish the joint ‘Eye on Earth’ Secretariat. The Secretariat will oversee the implementation of the eight Special Initiatives and commitments of the Eye on Earth Summit held in Abu Dhabi last December.

Portfolio Items

AGEDI Climate Change Programme Brochure

AGEDI Corporate Brochure

Physical Geography Sector Paper