Abu Dhabi leads revival of underwater ecosystem

Off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), dozens of corals cling to sections of dining-table-sized metal mesh anchored to the ocean floor.

As they swayed slightly with the current, Hamad Al Jailani, a marine scientist with the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, in diving gear, grabbed one of the corals and examined it. He showed a photographer how corals—a group of tiny, heat-sensitive animals—survive in the warm waters of bathtubs in the bay.

Al Jailani’s diving is part of an effort with potentially far-reaching implications for the future of the world’s oceans and the health of their interconnected blue ecosystems. The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency is studying the heat tolerance of local corals, some of which survived two major marine heat waves in recent years. The agency is pursuing a hopeful hypothesis: If fragile corals can thrive in the bay, the world’s hottest ocean, they might survive climate change in other parts of the world.

The research comes as climate change overheats oceans, endangering corals. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that global warming of 1.5°C could threaten the extinction of 70-90% of corals. 99% of these undersea cities could disappear if temperatures rise by 2°C.as support for coral reefs a quarter As with all marine life, this poses a serious threat to communities that depend on the ocean for their livelihoods and food security.

“As the climate warms further, what corals can cope here may be what corals around the world will have to cope with,” Al Jailani said. “It’s important to understand how these corals are able to withstand these conditions and try to apply that to other parts of the world.”

The Coral Restoration Project, launched in 2021, is part of Abu Dhabi Environment Agency’s multifaceted restoration effort, which also includes steps to rebuild fish stocks and the coastal ecosystems that sustain them.

The initiative is considered groundbreaking world recovery flagship under United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restorationa global drive to halt and reverse environmental degradation and encourage human activities that nurture and enhance nature.

“Restoring habitats gives nature a chance to adapt and hopefully recover from the impacts of climate change that we can no longer avoid,” said Leticia Carvalho, head of the UNEP’s Oceans and Freshwater Branch Come here.” “Understanding the resilience of Gulf corals and other heat-tolerant reefs may unlock the secrets and help us better protect and restore ecosystems of all kinds, with enormous benefits for people and the planet. However, we must not Ignoring the need to urgently implement the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework, and address local stressors to ensure nature can continue to do its job.”

Restoring fish stocks

In Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, that means dealing with the effects of rapid urbanization and economic development, including massive land reclamation and dredging operations. Overfishing also affects coastal ecosystems.

UNEP has been monitoring fish stocks for more than 20 years. The crew, including scientist Noora Albalooshi, are frequent visitors to the fish landing site, where they assess the composition of the catch, collect samples for laboratory analysis, and interview those on the cutting edge.

“In recent years, we’ve noticed a dramatic decline in average fish populations, and it’s not just based on scientific evidence and research. We’ve also checked this information with fishermen,” Albalooshi said.