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On Monday, Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) and Procter & Gamble inaugurated what is soon to be a lush green haven along the desert coastline of Dubai.
Dubai Mangrove Forest is located at the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary. According to an official statement, the location is a United Nations protected reserve that is being managed by EMEG and has been included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
The initiative is in line with Dubai s plan for more than half the city to be transformed into natural reserves by 2040. It has also been developed in collaboration with The Storey Group and EcoMatcher which launched the One Billion Trees Initiative this year.
Photos: Dubai gets a stunning new mangrove forest
Nandini Sircar/Dubai
The Mangroves Forest will comprise coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds and a natural beach.
Dubai has now officially got a mangrove forest in the heart of the city in line with plans to have 60 per cent of Dubai’s land under forest cover over the next decades.
The Mangroves Forest located at the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary will comprise coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds and a natural beach. Environmental experts will be using this specially designated land (protected area) next to the sea to develop it into a full-fledged forest. They intend to plant new mangroves and also adopt mangroves that are older (4 or 5 years old) to maximize the future carbon sequestration and offsetting potential. Mangroves also self-filtrate, removing irrigation from the equation making them ideal for water conservation.