Holiday Homework Subject: English Essay Writing Protecting Mangroves in the UAE What are Mangroves?

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics mainly between latitudes 25 N and 25 S (in asia). The mangrove forests that cover thousands of hectares of land along the UAE shoreline form an integral part of the coastal ecosystem in the UAE. Advantages of Mangroves: Diverse Ecology

Under the stilt roots of mangrove trees, a diverse array of plants and animals live. The distinctive structure of the mangrove tree roots provides a safe place for birds and fish to construct nests and breeding areas protected from predators. 69 different species of animals can only be found in the mangrove forest.

Shoreline Control

The deep-reaching roots of the mangrove trees help to keep the soil of the coastline in place, preventing erosion. This preserves the natural shoreline without the need for artificial barriers such as seawalls. The structure of the roots helps to soften the blow of the waves, which protects any man-made or natural structures on the opposite side of the mangrove.

Invasive Species

Planting mangrove species into another region where they do not grow natively can produce trouble for the native species. The imported, exotic mangrove becomes an invasive species and takes over the nutrients of the natural plants. This disrupts the local ecology. Such a problem occurred in Nigeria when a mangrove species, the nipa palm, was imported from Singapore to Nigeria in 1906 to control coastal erosion. The nipa palm took over and eventually replaced the native species of trees in the Nigerian mangrove swamp.

Human Resources

Mangrove trees are also used for house building, furniture transmission as well as telephone poles and certain household items. When these activities are managed appropriately it is possible to derive timber products from mangrove forests without significant environmental degradation, and while maintaining their value as a nursery and a source of food for commercial capture fisheries.

Importance of Mangroves a. Buffer Zone between the land and sea. b. Protect the land from erosion. c. Play an invaluable role as nature's shield against cyclones, ecological disasters and as protector of shorelines. d. Breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of marine animals. e. Harbor a variety of life forms like invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and even mammals like tigers.

f.

Good source of timber, fuel and fodder.

g. Main source of income generation for shoreline communities like fisher folk. h. Save the marine diversity, which is fast diminishing. i. Purify the water by absorbing impurities and harmful heavy metals and help us to breathe a clean air by absorbing pollutants in the air. j. Potential source for recreation and tourism.

Why should we protect mangroves? Mangroves, admittedly, are not only important but crucial for the coastal areas. Since estuarine areas are highly populated areas, the slightest ecological imbalance will take a heavy toll. They play a vital role in stabilizing these areas. No engineering and technological solutions can be sought for stabilizing these areas. Even if we negate all benefits of mangroves as forests, their value as "protector of shore-line" is enough to convince us for conserving them. Main Reasons for Depletion of Mangroves: Destruction of coral reefs: Coral reefs provide the first barrier against currents and strong waves. When they are destroyed, the stronger-than-normal waves and currents reaching the coast can undermine the fine sediment in which the mangroves grow. This can prevent seedlings from taking root and wash away nutrients essential for mangrove ecosystems.

Pollution: Fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic man-made chemicals carried by river systems from sources upstream can kill animals living in mangrove forests, while oil pollution can smother mangrove roots and suffocate the trees.

Climate change: Mangrove forests require stable sea levels for long-term survival. They are therefore extremely sensitive to current rising sea levels caused by global warming and climate change.

Mangrove forests cover more than thousands of hectares of land along the UAE shoreline to form an integral part of the coastal ecosystem in the UAE. They provide natural breeding grounds for a variety of species. Sea Snakes, turtles, and a variety of fishes live and breed here. Some examples are snapper, sea bream, grunt fish etc. are found here. In fact, mangrove forests are natural habitats for more than 75% of tropical fish species in the world. Sea birds are also found here laying eggs and safe nesting. In the past, mangroves were the main source for food and fuel, and were also used for building houses and ships because of their hardness and high resistance against rotting and termites. Mangroves grow in temperatures not more than 35C but the temperature of the UAE is more than 35C. Massive forestation programmes initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan improved the growth of mangrove forests over the past decades. Nowadays mangrove forests in Abu Dhabi cover more than 75% of UAEs mangrove forests in the UAE. There are some locations where excessive human activities have adversely affected the mangrove ecosystem, thus prompting the government of the UAE to restore the affected areas through large-scale cultivation programmes. Located along the eastern ring road, the Eastern Mangrove Lagoon is the closest mangrove forest to the Abu Dhabi City. This unique ecological hotspot is being rebranded as the Eastern Mangrove Lagoon National Park as part of the first of five national parks identified in Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.In Saadiyat Island, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) had initiated to plant more than 750,000 in 25% of this island which is currently being developed as the cultural hub of the UAE. "Avicennia Marina" or grey mangrove is the only mangrove species that grows widely in the UAE. However, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) recently succeeded in reintroducing the mangrove species "rhizophora mucronata" which once lived in the UAE and became extinct due to overexploitation. The agency, through the Mangrove Ecosystem Research and

Development Project, was able to cultivate a large number of the seedlings of "rhizophora mucronata" in the waters of Ras Ghanada Island after 100 years of it extinction. Despite the fact that the size of mangrove forests in the Emirate is steadily increasing, there are some locations where excessive human activities have adversely affected the mangrove ecosystem, thus prompting EAD to urge developers to rehabilitate the affected areas through large-scale cultivation programmes. A case in point is Saadiyat Island where the agency partnered with the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) to plant 750,000 saplings of mangroves on 25% of the island which is currently being developed as a cultural hub of Abu Dhabi. The move is aimed at mitigating the environmental damages caused by the massive development on the island which has large areas of mangroves. Although mangroves can grow as high as 14 meters tall, the average height of the trees found in Abu Dhabi is only three to five meters, and can reach up to a maximum of eight metres in some areas. The International Mangrove Action Day on July 26 is also marked by the Environment AgencyAbu Dhabi (EAD). On this occasion, the EAD urges the people to not litter around mangroves as they can release pollutants and can also be harmful for their health. The Agency is currently working on rehabilitation, conservation and protection of mangrove forests in seven key sites in Abu Dhabi including: Saadiyat Island, Jubail Island, Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve (which also comprises famous Bu Tinah Island), Bu Syayeef Protected Area, Ras Gharab, the Eastern Corniche and Ras Ghanada.