We are very pleased to share with you the final findings of the policy assessment towards oceanic blue carbon marine vertebrate storage. This is a partnership project between AGEDI and GRID-Arendal.
This study has proved its relevance to the sustainable management of coastal and marine environmental resources and actions to address the global climate change challenge. Even though this assessment is a first-order approximation, it is a āworldās firstā in terms of understanding how the ocean can be harnessed to achieve meaningful action to address the global climate change challenge. The results of this study are relevant to the implementation of the concept of blue carbon as well as the management of marine fauna.
We are very pleased to release our latest findings of our partnership project between AGEDI and GRID-Arendal assessing Oceanic Carbon storage.
The UAE Oceanic Blue Carbon project aims to provide an assessment of oceanic blue carbon ecosystems within the UAE. The authors have utilised existing datasets and methods to quantify and assess the capacity for fish, cetaceans, dugongs, sea turtles and seabirds inhabiting UAEās marine environment to store and sequester carbon. The analysis represents the worldās first oceanic blue carbon audit and policy assessment at the national level and will allow relevant policy and management entities in the UAE to evaluate options for the potential implementation of oceanic blue carbon policies at the local and national level.
Our Secretariat is very please to share with you our new #ABFWG website! Lots of information on the group itself as well as #bluecarbon systems and #ecosystemservices in the #ArabianPeninsula! http://www.abfwg.com Stay tuned for the community area also to be launched!
https://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-09-at-3.47.59-PM.png25524182Bill Doughertyhttps://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.pngBill Dougherty2019-07-09 15:45:012019-07-09 15:52:21Arabian Blue Forests Working Group now live!
A prior study, the Abu Dhabi Contingent Valuation study estimated that the amenity supplied by the coastal and marine resources in Abu Dhabi was worth some US $141million to only 15 Abu Dhabi hotels/year equaling a Net Present Value (NPV) of between US $1.3 and US $2.1billion over 13 years, the average period before major refurbishment is expected. In addition, the coastal and marine resources supplied a value of US $683 million to beach users/year.
To estimate the economic value of Dubaiās coastal amenities we will consider both the Willingness To Accept Compensation (WTAC) for a deterioration in quality of the coastal amenity values, and the Willingness To Pay (WTP) and/or contribute to a hypothetical restoration fund to avoid a loss in the value of these amenities.
The priorities for valuation will be towards the increasing incidence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), otherwise known as red tides, as a useful proxy for the declining water quality. This can therefore be a means to quantify the value of a pristine coastal water quality environment to key stakeholder groups that utilise the coast both commercially and for leisure purposes.
The project was carried out in partnership between Dubai Municipality (DM) and the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) with Dr. James Blignaut as the Principle Investigator.
The surveys found that the value of Dubaiās coastal and marine ecosystem services ranges between AED6 billion and AED 21 billion per year in the case of total algal bloom; the touristsā value comprises 85% thereof.
In case an offset is available, then the value ranges between AED 4 billion and AED 14 billion with the residentsā portion being 66% thereof.
These values are much higher than that of Abu Dhabi which ranges between AED 1,8 billion and AED 3,1 billion for total algal bloom and between AED 348 million and AED 578 million when an offset is possible.
Given the fact that Dubaiās coastline is 18,7 km long and assuming a coastal zone of 1 km wide, the coastal and marine area of Dubai is 1 870 ha. That implies that the plausible range of the unit value of the resource is between AED 3,2 million/ha and AED 11,3 million/ha, or US$0,87 million/ha and US$3 million/ha.
This is among the highest and most valued ecosystems in the world (Blignaut et al. 2016 & 2017).
Derek Gliddon recapped on Sustainable Development requiring information on not only environmental conditions but on the drivers and implications of change in the environment;Ā Derek identified the great magnitude of data and systems knowledge required to support integrated, informed decision making but also that much of theĀ data and knowledge already exist.Ā What is needed is an organizing framework by which users and providers of information, knowledge, analysis and visualization services can āplug inā.Ā Ā Gliddon stated the world looks to UN Environment as the UN entity charged withĀ Keeping The Environment Under ReviewĀ to take the lead in establishing and maintaining the necessary organizing framework.Ā Ā Gliddon recognised the UNEP Discussion Paper āThe Case for a Digital Ecosystem for the Environmentā, the Citizen Science Global Partnership, the Global Environmental Education Partnership, the Sustainable Development Goals Interface Ontology, the GPSDD API Highway, the UN Global Platform and the Eye on Earth Alliance as key elements in the necessary Digital EcosystemĀ Ā Speakers
Panelists
Category
Affiliation
Name of Person (s)
Satellite Imagery
Google Earth
Brian Sullivan, Deputy Director
Mobile network operators
KT Corporation
Dr. Dongmyun Lee, President of Future platform Business Group
Government
Environment Agency Abu-Dhabi
Derek Gliddon, Acting Director for Research and Innovation, Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)
UN Environment 2018 Champions of the Earth
Evocco
Hugh Weldon, Co-founder of Evocco.
Satellite Imagery and Remote Sensing
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
Margaret Nthuli, Digital Transformation, ESRI Eastern Africa
Faith and the Environment
iUmrah.world
Ahmed Al Haddad, Founder & CEO
Research Organization
Estonian Environment Research Centre
Mr. Margus Kƶrt, CEO
Moderator: Prof. Alex Caldas: Chief of COTI Branch, Science Division
https://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.png00Bill Doughertyhttps://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.pngBill Dougherty2019-04-22 15:09:042019-04-22 15:10:18Harnessing Big Data on the Environment for Sustainable Development
Derek Gliddon recapped on Sustainable Development requiring information on not only environmental conditions but on the drivers and implications of change in the environment; Derek identified the great magnitude of data and systems knowledge required to support integrated, informed decision making but also that much of the data and knowledge already exist. What is needed is an organizing framework by which users and providers of information, knowledge, analysis and visualization services can āplug inā. Gliddon stated the world looks to UN Environment as the UN entity charged with Keeping The Environment Under Review to take the lead in establishing and maintaining the necessary organizing framework. Gliddon recognised the UNEP Discussion Paper āThe Case for a Digital Ecosystem for the Environmentā, the Citizen Science Global Partnership, the Global Environmental Education Partnership, the Sustainable Development Goals Interface Ontology, the GPSDD API Highway, the UN Global Platform and the Eye on Earth Alliance as key elements in the necessary Digital Ecosystem Speakers
Panelists
Category
Affiliation
Name of Person (s)
Satellite Imagery
Google Earth
Brian Sullivan, Deputy Director
Mobile network operators
KT Corporation
Dr. Dongmyun Lee, President of Future platform Business Group
Government
Environment Agency Abu-Dhabi
Derek Gliddon, Acting Director for Research and Innovation, Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD)
UN Environment 2018 Champions of the Earth
Evocco
Hugh Weldon, Co-founder of Evocco.
Satellite Imagery and Remote Sensing
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
Margaret Nthuli, Digital Transformation, ESRI Eastern Africa
Faith and the Environment
iUmrah.world
Ahmed Al Haddad, Founder & CEO
Research Organization
Estonian Environment Research Centre
Mr. Margus Kƶrt, CEO
Moderator: Prof. Alex Caldas: Chief of COTI Branch, Science Division
https://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-31-at-9.46.08-AM.jpg9181384Bill Doughertyhttps://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.pngBill Dougherty2019-03-31 09:38:462019-03-31 09:48:38AGEDI presented Harnessing Big Data on the Environment for Sustainable Development
The newly formed Arabian Peninsula Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Services Technical Working Group held their initiation meeting on March 20th, hosted by the current Chair AGEDI. Working Group Secretariat members came from across the region to decide multiple key decisions for the way forward of the group.
The Scope of the Group is to provide the following:
1.Act as facilitator between BC and marine/coastal ES practitioners within the region, and provide a platform for communication with the wider international community
2.Within region coordination role would be
ā¢To share best practices, methodologies and data between regional practitioners ā¢Help facilitate research in the region (e.g. collaboration) and capitalize on potential synergies between activities ā¢Produce integrated papers/reviews for use in at national, regional and international levels ā¢Prepare expert opinion towards regional and international dialogue and intergovernmental processes ā¢Identification of experts within the region to support governments in their own reporting ā¢Facilitate capacity building for regional experts for in-house analysis and implementation ā¢Enhance regional awareness of blue carbon and ecosystem services of our region
The workshop came to group decisions regarding the Secretariat and its membership, working group governance structure, outcomes and way forward.
https://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Capture.jpg612925Bill Doughertyhttps://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.pngBill Dougherty2019-03-28 16:37:082019-03-28 16:48:13Arabian Peninsula Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Services Technical Working Group Meet
AGEDI Presentation Title:Ā Ā āForesight: Local to Globalā
Derek
described how the Indicator Reporting Information System (IRIS) system
(developed by the AGEDI implementation parters EAD and UNEP) enables flow of
data from sub-national entities to global assessment process. Gliddon
explained how enironemntal organisations are required to report to
environmental conditions and environmental management performance; how IRIS
reduces the reporting burden through partial automation and how IRIS reports
can be used by entities higher in the reporting hirachy as data inputs for
national, regional and global assessment. Derek also explained how IRIS
ensures indicators are provided along with assessment narrative by experts who
understand the local context, and thus overcomes a widespread barrier to data
sharing.
Session Theme(s): Foundation for a Global
Digital Platform for our Planet
Session Global context:
There is a need to highlight
hotspot(s) of environmental change(s), feature emerging science topic(s), or
discuss contemporary environmental issue(s). An opportunity is then created
that enables policy makers to find out what is happening to the changing
environment and the consequences of everyday choices, and to think about future
directions for policy and action.
Moderator: Prof. Alexandre Caldas ā Chief of Country
Outreach, Technology and Innovation Branch , United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) ;
Speakers:
Affiliation
Name of Person (s)
CITES (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) / MIKE
(Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants)
Ms. Thea Carroll, CITES MIKE Coordinator.
Regional Office for Africa, UN
Environment,
Mr. Charles Sebukeera Program Officer
Environmental Systems Research
Institute (ESRI)
Mr. Laban Ndungo, Solutions Engineer, ESRI Eastern Africa
Environmental Agency of Abu
Dhabi (EAD)
Mr. Derek Gliddon Acting Director for Research and Innovation
https://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IMG-20190314-WA0004-1.jpg7801040Bill Doughertyhttps://agedi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AGEDI-Logo86.pngBill Dougherty2019-03-25 14:44:092019-03-25 14:44:11AGEDI Presents at the UN Environment Science Business Policy Forum session entitled: Foresight and Early Warning for Decision Making
