UAE to harness AI to help protect crucial mangroves as global efforts falter

Four fifths of mangrove plantations fail due to lack of analysis, Abu Dhabi event is told

Planting mangroves on Sir Bani Yas Island in Al Gharbia. Photo: The National

A new UAE-based technology has been launched to tackle sustainable issues such as mangrove restoration. Nabat.ai, an initiative by the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to boost mangrove regeneration – with an estimated seed success rate of about 30 per cent.

The technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) and drones developed and built in the UAE to map potential sites. Once a suitable area is located, seeds are sporadically spread to mimic natural mangrove habitats.

Reda Nidhakou, acting chief executive of VentureOne, the commercial arm of ATRC, told The National that after the seeding, drones continue to monitor progress and a team of scientists will be on the ground to "check whenever we don't understand why there wasn't success" and provide further analysis.

Mr Nidhakou said the estimated success rate of the project was conservative as it is still in its pilot phase – but it aims to plug the gap when it comes to mangrove restoration by combining science, AI and technology.

Nabat was launched on the sidelines of the first International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference organised by Abu Dhabi Environment Agency on Tuesday.

Mr Nidhakou told The National that Nabat is expected to announce a major programme with the agency in the coming days.

"Mangrove restoration is very close to their heart, and we will enable them [the agency] and work with them to achieve their objectives on that front," he said. "But we are also engaging with many other entities who also want to contribute to mangrove restoration."

The team at Nabat are exploring how the technology can be used in areas such as smart farming and forest conservation, adopting the same mechanics of monitoring and mapping.

Experts speaking at the mangrove conference say methodical, science-based planning is important for viable restoration. Such approaches can help to push up the success rate of mangrove projects – according to Wetlands International, 80 per cent of all mangrove projects fail worldwide.

The Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference event heard half of the world's mangrove forests are at risk of being wiped out by 2050. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, told more than 500 people attending the conference that 50 per cent of mangrove forests are at risk of collapse by 2050. "Mangroves, with their unmatched ability to store carbon, shield coastlines and sustain biodiversity, are critical in addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change," she said.

But experts say the issue of mangrove loss cannot be solved by planting seeds and saplings without proper analysis first.

Jennifer Howard, vice president of the Blue Carbon Programme at Conservation International, said mangrove planting needs to move away from number-based targets. "When we focus on planting, or the number of seeds or the number of saplings going into the ground, you're missing about 90 per cent of the actual effort that needs to happen when you do restoration," she said.

Prof Daniel Friess of Tulane University in New Orleans emphasised that restoration based on scientific data is key for global mangrove projects. "All science-based restoration means is that you are being purposeful," he said. "You're being methodical. You're not just going to a site, throwing a bunch of propagules in there to see what happens."

Experts at the international conference said understanding the various species of mangrove was key to where it should be planted and understanding the habitat, as well as ensuring other ecosystems do not pay a price for overplanting of mangroves. "If we have beautiful mangroves everywhere at the expense of beautiful sabkhas or beautiful tidal flats, then we haven't solved the problem," said Prof Friess.

Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, credits the success of mangrove projects in the emirate with a "commitment to deploying science-based and innovative approaches to restoration”.

Abu Dhabi's mangrove cover nearly doubled between 1987 to 2020.