Dubai Municipality is to plant 20,000 trees in parks, residential areas and the grounds of educational institutions, it was announced on Tuesday.
The move is to mark the 20th anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, assuming leadership of the emirate.
It is hoped the trees will reflect his vision of sustainability as a core element of Dubai’s development, aiming to create a lasting environmental and social impact.
Dubai Municipality has designated several parks for planting, such as Al Barsha South, Al Barsha Pond Park, Nakheel Park in Al Aweer, the Quranic Garden in Al Khawaneej, Al Mizhar Second, Blossoms Park at Nad Al Sheba, Al Safa Park in Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al Quoz Pond Park, and Al Warqa’a 3.
Participating schools and universities will be invited by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority to register the number of trees they plan to plant and the species. The KHDA will then co-ordinate with Dubai Municipality to deliver the saplings.
History in the making
Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, director general of Dubai Municipality, said the planting project highlights how Sheikh Mohammed serves as a model for transforming national milestones into sustainable projects that create a lasting legacy for future generations.
The drive supports the Dubai Green Project, which aims to expand landscaped and green areas across the emirate in line with the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040.
In November, a Dubai initiative highlighted the crucial cooling properties of trees in major cities and underlined the need to integrate greenery into urban development plans.
The Re-Leaf project used advanced computer vision and AI analysis of satellite pictures, street-level views and thermal imaging of more than 2,000 trees, to create a data set of urban greenery across Dubai, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Rome.
It found that trees can be up to 15°C cooler than surrounding surfaces, with native drought-resistant species, such as neem, significantly outperforming more widely planted species.
