Partners working collaboratively on this project are:
AGEDI
Under the guidance and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) was formed in 2002 to address the local, regional and global responses to the critical need for readily accessible, accurate environmental data and information for all those who need it.
The Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project is led by AGEDI, AGEDI’s projects are determined through a process of discussion and discovery. Through this approach AGEDI aims to define the necessary elements critical to project success. Whether project management, domain expertise, technical capacity, IT infrastructure or financial constraint AGEDI works to provide the necessary collaborative input to achieve the project aims.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)
EAD is a governmental agency that was established in 1996. EAD is committed to protecting and managing biodiversity, providing a clean environment and promoting Sustainable Development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
EAD are also committed to giving environmental protection, regulation and natural resources conservation a high priority on the national agenda. They provide a direction for Government, business and the community to build environmental considerations into the way they plan and live without compromising Abu Dhabi development.
EAD are providing specialist support to the project team in all components
GRID-Arendal
GRID-Arendal is the Project Coordinator and leading the communications and outreach component. GRID-Arendal is a centre collaborating with UNEP, located in Southern Norway. Established by the Norwegian Ministry of Environment, its mission is to provide environmental information, communications and capacity building services for information management and assessment.
Baseline Carbon Scientists
Scientists solicited from the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group (IBCSWG) comprise members of the science team. The IBCSWG is managing an international program to coordinate and guide the establishment of coastal Blue Carbon as a conservation and management tool contributing to climate change mitigation and the development of associated conservation financing mechanisms.
These scientists are leading the Data Collection & Analysis Component.
Forest Trends
Forest Trends is an international non-profit organisation based in Washington D.C. Its mission is four-fold: to expand the value of forests to society; to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing market values for ecosystem services; to support innovative projects and companies that are developing these markets; and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around those forests. It conducts a Marine Ecosystem Services (MARES) Program to protect crucial marine ecosystem services.
Forest Trends is leading the Ecosystem Services Component and the Carbon Finance Feasibility Component.
UNEP-WCMC
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is a collaboration of the United Nations Environment Programme and WCMC(UK), a UK-based charity. UNEP-WCMC is UNEP’s specialist biodiversity assessment arm. It has collated several global datasets on coastal ecosystems, compiled and contributed to by many partners, and continues to host and maintain those datasets, particularly for the blue carbon systems of mangroves, seagrasses, and saltmarshes.
UNEP-WCMC is leading the Geographic Component.
UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Marine Ecosystem Unit undertakes marine environmental and resource management related work through the development and provision of tools, guidelines and implementation of demonstration projects, for example through ecosystem-based adaption, climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptive marine spatial planning projects. It houses UNEP’s Blue Carbon Initiative.
UNEP’s Marine Ecosystem Unit is leading the Policy Component.