Dubai's Ambitious Coastal Project Planting 100-Million Mangrove Trees

Dubai's 'Mangroves' Project: 100-Million Trees to Fortify Coastline and Create Thriving Ecosystem

Plans unveiled this week reveal an ambitious project, 'Dubai Mangroves,' aiming to carpet the beach sands of Dubai with lush greenery. The project proposes planting more than 100 million mangrove trees along 72km of the Emirate's coastline, with a vision to create a thriving habitat for flora and fauna while fortifying coastal defences against sea encroachment.

Developed by Dubai-based sustainable cities developer URB, the project is currently in the research and development stage. The Plan is proposed to be realised by 2040 in six phases. 

Renders released by URB depict boardwalks over mangrove forests, biospheres, pocket beach parks, and social spaces. It also included edutainment assets like a visitor hub, botanical museum, and nature reserve conservation centre.

The project will offer guided nature walks, educational programs, and conservation activities, potentially creating 10,000 green job opportunities. URB has selected six pilot locations for the project, including Jebel Ali Beach, Dubai Marina Beach, Jumeirah Public Beach, Umm Suqeim Beach, Mercato Beach, and Dubai Islands Beach, to test various coastal regeneration methods.

Baharash Bagherian, CEO of URB, highlighted the project's focus on conducting design studies to assess feasibility and effectiveness before seeking government approvals and partnerships. He also said, "Each site offers distinct conditions essential for testing different innovative coastal regeneration methods and ensuring the project adapts to varying local needs."

This mangrove network forest will "fortify" or strengthen Dubai's coastal defences against the advancing sea and provide a flourishing habitat for numerous species of plants and animals.

About the Funding

The project aims to explore a mix of funding sources, including sponsorship, investment in carbon credits, and participation in environmental education and conservation efforts.

He said, "There are opportunities for businesses and private entities to contribute to or collaborate on the Dubai Mangroves project through sponsorship, investment in carbon credits, or participation in environmental education and conservation efforts. However, at this stage, the key collaboration opportunities are at the research level only."

To enhance mangrove restoration, the project plans to use drones and artificial intelligence-powered technology to plant mangrove seeds and track expansion efforts. "With mangroves capable of sequestering approximately 12.3kg of CO2 annually per tree, the entire project could sequester 1.23 million tonnes of CO2 each year. This is also equivalent to removing the CO2 emitted by more than 260,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the roads yearly," the company said.

URB's 'Dubai Mangroves' project aligns with its previous sustainability efforts, including plans for a sustainable floating community called Dubai Reefs and 'The Loop,' a climate-controlled cycle highway around Dubai.

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