Abu Dhabi: The UAE is to set up a gene bank for all plant species native to the country, a senior government official said Sunday.
The Dh23-million gene bank will hold details of the 629 known plant species in the UAE.
The move comes as plant species in the UAE are threatened by habitat loss from development activities, overgrazing and desertification, Majid Al Mansouri, secretary-general of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), the organisation spearheading the project, told Gulf News.
"Threats to our botanical resources could lead to the disappearance of these vital resources and thus presents a major challenge to the community," he said.
Various plant species are an integral component of the nation's heritage and identity, and form a vital foundation for sustainability. Hence, preserving plant diversity is essential to meeting the present and future needs of humankind, Al Mansouri explained.
"Creation of such an exclusive centre for the conservation of plant resources is the need of the hour," he said.
Heritage
The gene bank will explore, record, conserve, utilise and restore the botanical heritage of the country and help re-acquaint people with the beauty of plants that are natural to arid climates and their habitats.
The centre will also document plant varieties and their threat status. It will serve as the focal point for the integrated conservation of terrestrial and coastal plant resources, while functioning as a research and development centre for the restoration of degraded arid ecosystems. The identification of areas where individual species are commonly found will contribute significantly to conservation efforts, he said.
The centre will make changes in landscaping and horticulture practices by emphasising the use of more native plants which, Al Mansouri said, will help achieve quantifiable reduction in the water required for irrigation. According to a report produced by EAD in 2006, more than 65 per cent of water in Abu Dhabi is consumed by the agriculture and forestry sectors alone; in comparison the domestic sector consumes 23 per cent.
"The centre will study and record our ethno-botanical heritage, which is the relationship between our culture and use of plants," he added.
The centre will also research the possibilities of deriving economic benefits from the available plant diversity, such as in the field of medicine.
The main threats to the UAE's plants are:
- Overgrazing
- Habitat loss from development activities
- Desertification
- 65% water used by agriculture, forestry sectors in Abu Dhabi
Facilities
The gene bank will include:
- Plant Ecology unit
- Herbarium
- Ethno-botanical unit
- Conservation unit
- Restoration unit
- Learning and Recreation unit
Objectives
The main objectives of the gene bank project are:
- Document the status of plant varieties
- Conserve plant resources for agriculture and horticulture
- Develop terrestrial and coastal habitat restoration programmes as a key component of the UAE's environmental planning efforts
- Utilise conserved resources to derive social and economic benefits
- Contribute to public awareness through educational and recreational initiatives
(Source: EAD)
What do you think of this initiative? How do you think this will this help the country? What else can be done to preserve natural flora?
