NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE, BIODIVERSITY, AND PEOPLE

FEATURE LAILA MOSTAFA ABDULLATIF, DIRECTOR GENERAL – EMIRATES NATURE-WWF

Nature can become our biggest ally in restoring the health of the planet while also contributing to job creation, sustainable economic growth, food and water security, and climate resilience of vulnerable areas. A recent WWF report, Our Climate’s Secret Ally, revealed that nature has absorbed 54% of humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions over the past 10 years, slowing global warming.

We can unlock the regenerative potential of nature in two ways. First, by continuing and expanding upon efforts to reduce our collective negative impact on the planet. As a civil society organisation, we work with all facets of society –government agencies, businesses, organisations and individuals – and support them in reducing their environmental footprint.

Second, by advocating, designing and implementing projects that place nature at the front and centre of economic development. Our Nature-based Solutions (NbS) project with our partners, restores coastal ecosystems in the UAE and enhances natural barriers to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Through this flagship NbS project, we aspire to demonstrate the real, measurable and lasting gains that science-based solutions can offer for climate, biodiversity and people.

Globally, it is estimated that NbS can provided one-third of the climate mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement – they make up an integral component of national and global responses to climate change.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN THE UAE

Emirates Nature-WWF’s NbS project focuses on the protection, restoration, and management of priority coastal ecosystems. Instead of looking at one particular ecosystem, the project adopts what we call a “Seascape approach” which recognises that the value and provisioning of ecosystem services is influenced by connectivity across multiple habitat types. It is particularly relevant for the UAE where mangroves, seagrass, saltmarshes and coral communities co-occur in coastal lagoons.

The project is funded by HSBC through the global philanthropic fund. It is led by Emirates Nature-WWF and implemented together with the Environment Agency –Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the Minister of Economy (MoE), the Government of Umm Al Quwain, and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture.

It aims to bring measurable outcomes, serving to strengthen climate change mitigation, enhance biodiversity, and open up benefits for people and the economy alike through sustainable blue economy business opportunities and more specifically by:

1. Demonstrating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoidance and additional carbon sequestration achieved linked with ecosystem protection

2. Opening up new benefits for people through opportunities that unlock blended finance towards ecosystem protection, Blue Carbon, ecotourism, and food security

3. Creating a pipeline of commercially viable projects focusing on ecotourism and food security to promote business innovation related NbS.

A SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH FOR LONGTERM SUCCESS

Nature-based Solutions are already at play at two initial demonstration sites: at Abu Dhabi’s large coastal lagoon Khor Farida, and Umm Al Quwain's Khor Beidah.

In collaboration with project partners, collaborators and students from local universities, our team has collected valuable baseline data from both sites to enable robust decision making and better inform the longterm protection and restoration actions at these coastal lagoons. Nearly 200 Baited Remote Underwater Video Surveys (BRUVs) have been deployed in 7 habitats to observe marine megafauna and 250+ samples of soil have been analysed.Through additional climate vulnerability assessments and vegetation surveys, we aim to better understand the potential of harvesting halophytes – plants that are adapted to growing in saline conditions like salt marshes.

ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Sustainable farming is a key aspect of our NbS project with our partners, with the potential to build sustainable and resilient communities. Through the integration of agroecological principles, NbS can serve as climate adaptation measures while also reducing climate associated risks on food systems, thereby strengthening food and water in local rural communities across the Emirates.

We are currently working closely with traditional rural farmers to develop model farms across villages in the UAE that encourage sustainable agriculture and support farms in staying competitive. The long-term vision for this project is to create nature-positive labels and commercial mechanisms for farm products that have incorporated NbS.

This work around NbS will provide lessons and viable pathways that will be important in the lead up to COP28 to be able to share with the world our local and regional insights into how these projects can deliver strong outcomes for nature and people. Simultaneously, this opens up opportunities to garner increased support and funding to scale up nature-positive projects and impacts in the region.

Emirates Nature-WWF is delighted to be speaking at the inaugural MENA Oceans Summit at Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeriah on 8th9th June 2023. The summit is bringing together global leaders, policy makers, researchers and the private sector to drive discussions on comprehensive ocean action to conserve and restore ocean ecosystems, tackle climate change and ensure development of blue economies within sustainable frameworks.

REGISTER FOR THE EVENT HERE: https://goumbook.com/mena-oceanssummit/register-to-attend/