AGEDI presents research findings to support Ecosystem Based Management Strategy workshop

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Dubai, UAE – The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), together with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and the United Nations Environment Programme ā€“ Regional Office in West Asia (UNEP-ROWA) organised a four-day workshop in Dubai to work towards the development of a regional Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) Strategy in the ROPME Sea Area. AGEDI gave an insightful presentation about bridging the data gap to support ecosystems services. The workshop welcomed country representatives from across the region, as well as academic institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

During the workshop, a set of recommendations were adopted to facilitate the development of the EBM Strategy; Ā these include the establishment of a working group to develop the strategy, the need to recognise the current level of understanding of the marine and coastal ecosystems in the ROPME Sea Area as a key part of the strategy as well as the utilisation of an inventory of policies, legislation, organisations, projects and initiatives at the national and regional level.

Local, National and Regional Biodiversity Report set as basis for UNEP-WCMC Aichi Targets

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As part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centreā€™s (UNEP-WCMC) efforts to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, recent revisions have taken place on the existing system of terrestrial ecoregions of the world. To capture a more relevant and updated outlook on the ecoregions of the Arabian Peninsula, UNEP-WCMC collaborated with AGEDI to incorporate the latest Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data on hand. As a result, AGEDIā€™s Local, National and Regional Biodiversity Rapid Assessment data has been set as a standard tool for the region to monitor the progress towards achieving the Aichi Targets.

AGEDI highlights Blue Carbon at COP 21

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The AGEDI team leveraged its Blue Carbon knowledge to contribute to climate change discussions at the Conference of Parties (COP), COP 21, in Paris, France.

The team highlighted Blue Carbon in panel discussions in theĀ IUCNĀ Pavilion,Ā Taking Implementation of Policy, Programmes and Projects of Blue Carbon Ecosystems to Scale: Identifying the Priority Next StepsĀ and during a speaking opportunity at the GCC Pavilion onĀ GCC regional efforts in their adaptation actions through: water conservation, marine protection, urban planning and desertification; including theirĀ mitigation co-benefits.

The GCC Blue Carbon workshop was also discussed at theĀ UNFCCCĀ andĀ UNEPĀ Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative (LAKI) session, and the team also ensured a Blue Carbon contribution to a side event showcasing the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea regionsā€™ efforts in their adaptation actions through water conservation, marine protection, urban planning and desertification, including their mitigation co-benefits. Learn more about AGEDIā€™s Blue Carbon workĀ here.

Here’s a video from the conference.

Happy in the Mangroves

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Following the Internet phenomenon of the “Be Happy” Videos, it was decided at the inception workshop for the GEF Blue Forest project, hosted in Abu Dhabi in partnership with AGEDI, that all the Blue Carbon projects within Ā the programme would create their own “Be Happy” Videos.

Filmed during theĀ National Blue Carbon ProjectĀ Field Work, the video was launched at the Eye on Earth Summit 2015, creating an exciting buzz around alternative outreach methods inspiring all to create their own “Be Happy” videos.

Thanks to all the fieldwork volunteers who appear in the video and the scientists who took time out from their data collection to dance and Be Happy…

Launch of the National Blue Carbon Project Report

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The Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) today launched the National Blue Carbon Project report, marking the first national quantification of the UAEā€™s Blue Carbon stocks, which will help guide decision-making in coastal ecosystem preservation and climate change mitigation. The Project was a collaborative initiative managed and facilitated by a partnership between MOEW and the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), and implemented in collaboration with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) alongside the local authorities of the other emirates.

National Blue Carbon Project ā€“ Decision-maker Summary

National Blue Carbon Project ā€“ Executive Summary

Healthy oceans critical to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals

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Abu Dhabi, [7 October 2015]Ā 

At Eye on Earth Summit 2015 today members of the Oceans and Blue Carbon Special Initiative launched ā€œThe Oceans and Usā€, a new publication that highlights the critical role healthy oceans play in achieving the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Co-written by the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), GRID-Arendal, the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), The Nature Conservancy, the University of Western Brittany Brest (UBO), and the Marine Ecosystem Services Partnership, the publication outlines the essential nature of conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, and the related needs for data and policy actions. According to the entities, the role of healthy marine and coastal ecosystems for sustainable development is neither fully understood, nor fully integrated, into decision-making and planning.

ā€œWe found that healthy corals, mangroves and other marine and coastal ecosystems provide a myriad of benefits to sustainable development,ā€ said Jane Glavan, AGEDI Partnerships Manager. ā€œFor Abu Dhabi this includes coastline stabilization, water purification, tourism value and, importantly, the sequestration and storage of carbon dioxide. A better understanding of marine ecosystem services is important to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as it enables informed policy choices on conserving and restoring valuable natural assets.ā€

Christian Neumann, Marine Ecosystem Services Project Manager at GRID-Arendal, stated: ā€œWith 200 million people on the planet employed directly or indirectly through marine fisheries alone, we simply cannot afford the continued decline of ocean health. Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems are indispensable in our fight against poverty, to provide adequate nutrition, health and employment to the people on the planet, and to mitigate and adapt to climate change.ā€

The analysis undertaken by the partnership showed that the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources, an SDG in itself, supports an additional nine out of the 17 goals. Capturing the value of marine and coastal ecosystem servicesā€”the benefits people obtain from the oceanā€”is facilitated by strong communication between science and policy-making, ensuring reliable, objective and widely available data is provided to support informed decisions.

ā€œThere is growing global recognition among world and local leaders that healthy marine and coastal ecosystems have an essential role in our efforts to achieving a more sustainable future. This understanding has the power to bring together conservation and development communities. Only then can we harness this powerful, sustainable and global natural factory to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals we have set for the people of this planet,ā€ said Corinne Martin, Programme Officer Marine, UNEP-WCMC.

The full report is available to download hereĀ 

More information about the Eye on Earth Summit, speakers and new project proposals can be found at www.eoesummit.org.

 

 

 

 

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 ā€“ 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) ā€“ 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. Ā AGEDIā€™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. AGEDIā€™s blue carbon and ecosystem services outcomes support the UAEā€™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 (ā€˜Ramsar Sitesā€™), considered to be of high value to the country and the world because of the ecosystem services they provide. The nationā€™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 –Ā 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 ā€“ the Southwest Waters of Abu Dhabi and the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali in Dubai and Sir Bu Naā€™air Island, and Khor Kalba in Sharjah ā€“ were evaluated based on the criteria established during the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

AGEDI’s Eye on Earth Global Network of Networks (GNON) work highlighted at GIS conferenceĀ 

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Geneva, Switzerland ā€“ As facilitator of the Eye on Earth Summitā€™s GNON Special Initiative, and specialist in the field, AGEDI attended the annual GIS (Geographic Information Systems) for the United Nations and the International Community conference in May 2015. The premier invitation only event for GIS practitioners and information managers focused on technological advancement, the application of GIS to support sustainable development and humanitarian missions, and collaboration within the community. In addition to presenting an overview of progress in the Summit in the Global Initiatives session, AGEDI also co-chaired a break-out session on open data.Ā  The GNON Special Initiative aims to join existing and emerging environmental information networks to facilitate systematic and inclusive access to, and reporting on, global environmental data, information and knowledge.

Contribute to a global snapshot of biodiversity with National Geographic’s Great Nature Project

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From 15-25 May 2015, people all over the world are documenting biodiversity as part of a global snapshot for NationalĀ Geographicā€™s Great Nature Project. Grab a camera or phone and take photos of wildĀ plants and animals, then upload and share them on greatnatureproject.org. The goal of the global snapshot, which is repeated annually, is to documentĀ biodiversity all over the world during a specific window of time. Over time, this will provide data that can be used to answer scientific questions or provide useful information to decision-makers. Use the initiative to help keepĀ track of whatĀ wasĀ documented, see what amazing biodiversity other people observe, and even get help identifying different species.