2022年にカナダで開催された国連環境計画（UNEP）の国連生物多様性会議（BCD COP15）において、アブダビ環境庁（EAD）の主導するプロジェクトが沿岸海洋生態系の回復・再生保全活動のトップテンに選ばれました。

アブダビは1970年代にマングローブ植林やジュゴンとカメの食用禁止を行うなど、首長国発展のカギとして「持続可能性」を据えてきた歴史があります。UAEを建国した故シェイク・ザイード・ビン・スルタン・アル・ナヒヤーンが始めたこういった取り組みは、環境調査や生物種のリハビリテーション・プロジェクトとして1990年代後半へと引き継がれていきました。UAE政府は、この国の文化と遺産に不可欠な海洋生物を回復させ、再生させるための新たな方法を今も模索し続けています。

アブダビの沿岸地域は生物多様性の宝庫であり、さまざまな海洋種や魚類を支える複数の生息地を擁しています。地球上で最大の生態系を抱える海は、動植物の生態系、気候の調整（地球温暖化によって増加する熱の90％を蓄える）、食料供給に大きく貢献しており、魚はおよそ30億人の動物性タンパク源の20％を占めています。国連食糧農業機関（FAO）によれば、世界人口の40％以上が海岸から100km以内に住んでおり、5,600万人が養殖業に従事しています。

海流は、地球の気温の安定、ひいては海洋生物と人間の生命にも大きな影響を及ぼします。 我々がアブダビの海洋生態系の回復の支援に取り組んでいるのは、こうした理由からです。昨年、国連環境計画で評価されたアブダビ海洋再生プログラムは、地域のジュゴン、 イルカ、ウミガメの個体数の保護とマングローブ、海草、サンゴ礁の生息域拡大を成し遂げたものです。

アブダビは過去10年間で1,500万本のマングローブを植樹し、密度を35％増加しました。現在、マングローブの総面積は、自然林と耕作地の合計で176キロメートルを超えています。UAEは、マングローブの面積を増やすことに成功した世界でも数少ない国のひとつです。地球上で最も効率的な天然の炭素回収・貯留システムとして、アブダビのマングローブ林は1ヘクタールあたり年間0.5トンの炭素を貯留しており、これは首長国レベルで8,750トン、1,000世帯の年間エネルギー消費量に相当します。私たちの継続的な植林活動は、2030年までに1億本のマングローブを植林するというUAEの包括的な目標に沿ったもので、地域初の2050年ネット・ゼロ目標を宣言した同国の目標達成に貢献するものです。

海洋再生プログラムでは、漁業を行う上での新たな対策と手順の導入によって「持続可能な開発指数」が2018年の8.9％から2022年末には69％以上にまで上昇しました。

マングローブの植林や魚類資源の取り組みと並行して、同庁はジュゴンやウミガメを含む地元の沿岸に生息する生物を支援するための専用プログラムを実施しています。水温や塩分濃度の上昇といった厳しい気候要因にもかかわらず、EADの取り組みは効果的であることが証明されています。7,300頭のジュゴンを擁するアブダビは、現在オーストラリアに次いで世界第2位のジュゴンの生息数を誇り、その海域には絶滅の危機に瀕しているタイマイやアオウミガメが5,000頭以上、また約100頭のヒレナガイルカが生息しています。さらに広い湾内海域には500種を超える魚類が生息しており、私たちが保護すべき生物多様性の宝庫となっています。

海洋再生プログラムの評価は、雇用創出、エコツーリズムの促進、革新的な研究手法の開発など、地元や地域での成功によって支えられています。また、我々はUAE気候変動・環境省（MOCCAE）、国連環境計画（UNEP）、国連食糧農業機関（FAO）と重要な関係を築きながら、業界をリードするパートナーとも緊密に協力してきました。こうした協力関係を通じて、アブダビの沿岸約7,500ヘクタールの修復が完了しており、更に4,500ヘクタールを2030年までに修復する計画です。 

また将来を見据えたDNAフィンガープリンティング、e-DNA、航空調査、ドローン映像、衛星タグ、調査ツールキットなどテクノロジー主導の調査方法によるデータ収集やソリューションを活用し、生息地の温度変化、種の行動、季節的な移動パターンについての理解を更に深めていきます。EADによるこれらのデータに基づいたタイムリーな緩和策を含む海洋保護区の管理は、継続的な修復努力や国際的なパートナーシップの育成とともに、アブダビの生態系が今後も繁栄し続けるための基盤となっています。

UAEは2023年を「サステナビリティの年」と宣言しており、11月にはCOP28の開催を控えています。EADは、すべての意思決定の最前線に将来の世代の生活を据えながら、人間と野生生物が共に繁栄できる共生環境の育成に努め、未来の世代が持続的に繁栄するための足がかりとなることを目指しています。

※以上、抄訳。以下、原文（英語）。

by　Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri　
Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

In late 2022, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) was internationally recognised by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for its ongoing conservation efforts. The organisation named EAD-led programmes in the emirate among its top ten list of global initiatives to restore and rehabilitate coastal marine ecosystems, in line with the UN Biodiversity Conference (BCD COP15) held in Montreal, Canada.

The Agency’s leading Abu Dhabi Marine Restoration Programme was selected following an in-depth review of a compelling submission, which detailed the local and international initiatives that support the UAE Government’s large-scale, long-term vision for a green future.

Abu Dhabi’s wise leaders have a history of bringing sustainability to the forefront of the emirate’s development, with early mangrove planting and the elimination of dugong and turtle meat dating back to1970. Implemented by the Founding Father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, those first steps were followed by additional environmental research efforts and species’ rehabilitation projects in the late 1990s.

In honour of Sheikh Zayed’s legacy – and his passion for preserving the UAE’s natural environment – the Agency has sought, and continues to seek, new ways to restore and rehabilitate the marine life that is so intrinsic to the country’s culture and heritage.

The coastal areas of Abu Dhabi are biodiversity havens, housing multiple different habitats that support a variety of marine species and fish. As the largest ecosystem on earth, the ocean is a significant contributor to animal and plant life, climate regulation – storing 90 per cent of the additional heat caused by global warming – and food supplies, with fish comprising 20 per cent of animal proteins to approximately three billion people. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, over 40 per cent of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometres of the coast – with 56 million people working in the aquaculture sector – making enhanced management of coastal and marine resources vital to global food security.

The ocean’s currents play a role in regulating the stability of the planet’s temperatures, and in turn, the longevity of both marina and human life.

It is for these reasons, and more, that EAD has committed to furthering the late Sheikh Zayed’s mission to support the rehabilitation of the country’s marine ecosystems. The Agency’s ongoing Marine Restoration Programme, as recognised by the UN, has seen the conservation of Abu Dhabi’s dugong, dolphin, and turtle populations, as well as the growth of mangrove, sea grass, and coral reef habitats.

The programme’s mangrove restoration effort, over the last 10 years, has seen 15 million mangrove trees planted across Abu Dhabi – a 35 per cent increase from the initial density. Today, the total mangrove area exceeds 176 kilometres of natural and cultivated trees. The initiative is the first of its kind in the region to see such growth, marking the UAE as one of only a few countries globally to have successfully increased the expanse of its mangrove population.

As the most efficient natural carbon capture and storage systems on the planet, the Agency has calculated that the mangroves in Abu Dhabi store carbon at a rate of 0.5 tonnes per hectare annually – equivalent to 8,750 tonnes at the emirate level and to the energy consumption of 1,000 homes per year. Our ongoing planting efforts are underpinned by the UAE’s overarching goal to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030, and which will contribute to the achievement of Net Zero by 2050. Moreover, the UAE was the first in the region to declare this ambitious goal of Net Zero by 2050 climate neutrality strategic initiative.

Our Marine Restoration Programme has also positively impacted the reversal of fish stock depletion, demonstrated by a four-year improvement in the ‘Sustainable Exploitation Index’. The implementation of an emirate-wide fishing-related policy that introduced new measures and procedures served as a fillip to the index, resulting in an increase from 8.9 per cent in 2018 to over 69 per cent by the end of 2022.

Running parallel to its mangrove planting and fish stock initatives, the Agency has dedicated programmes to support the local coastal megafauna – including dugongs and sea turtles. Despite challenging climate factors, like high temperatures and increased salinity in the water, EAD’s efforts have proven effective. Boasting 7,300 dugongs, Abu Dhabi currently accounts for the world’s second-largest dugong population after Australia, and its waters are home to over 5,000 of the critically endangered Hawksbill and Green Turtle species, as well as approximately 100 finless porpoises. The wider Gulf waters are home to over 500 fish species – an astonishing array of biodiversity that we need to safeguard.

The Marine Restoration Programme’s international acclaim is supported by its local and regional success, including its impact on job creation, the promotion of the UAE’s eco-tourism, and the development of innovative research methods. The Agency also worked closely with leading industry partners, building key relationships with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the United National Environment Program (UNEP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Through these collaborations, some 7,500 hectares of Abu Dhabi’s coastal areas have undergone widespread restoration – and EAD plans to restore another 4,500 hectares by 2030. As we look ahead, we are taking additional steps to improve our knowledge base, using technology-driven research methods to ensure a holistic approach to data collection. Leveraging solutions like DNA fingerprinting, e-DNA, aerial surveys, drone footage, satellite tagging, and research toolkits, we will enhance our understanding of habitat temperature changes, species behaviour, and seasonal migration patterns.

The capture of comprehensive and accurate data trends is critical in the identification of early warning signs, allowing EAD to employ timely and appropriate mitigation measures. The Agency’s continued management of marine protected areas, along with ongoing restoration efforts and the fostering of international partnerships, will serve as the foundations from which Abu Dhabi’s ecosystem will continue to flourish.

With the UAE declaring 2023 as the ‘Year of Sustainability’ – and as the UAE prepares to host COP28 in November – the Agency remains more committed than ever to the vision of the UAE’s leadership – especially due to our leadership role in sustainability. We will be cooperating with public and private sector organisations across all key sectors to achieve the delicate balance between the development of Abu Dhabi and the conservation of its environment.

Keeping the livelihoods of future generations at the forefront of all its decision making, EAD strives to cultivate a symbiotic environment where humans and wildlife can thrive together. The Agency’s targeted programmes and forward-thinking strategies serve as springboards that will enable future generations to sustainably prosper – all while using proven methods and historical data to advance modern conservation efforts.