Dubai Municipality moves to protect endangered trees
Ghaf in Zabeel becomes the first tree to get a plaque with digitised barcode
Dubai: One of the oldest ghaf trees in the city was tagged with a digitised barcode on Sunday as part of a Dubai Municipality project to create an online database of endangered perennial trees.
The tree located in Zabeel 1 and believed to be around 100 years old was the first to receive a plaque with the barcode listing its location and estimated age.
There are about 24,310 perennial trees in the city, including in Satwa, Al Mamzar, Al Quoz and Al Twar, and each of them will be numbered.
A signboard placed next to each tree will state that it is protected by law and that no one is allowed to damage, cut or transplant it without the municipality’s permission. Offenders will face fines ranging from Dh1,000 to Dh50,000.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The ghaf tree is considered to be the UAE’s national tree. We have started implementing the project to number them, along with other types of trees, so we can have a record of existing trees and their descriptions in size. Each of the plaques has a barcode with [global positioning system] coordinates, so we will have a database of their locations as well.”
The announcement was made during the inauguration of the municipality’s Plantation Week, in where 100 perennial trees such as the Sidr and the Banyan, will be planted.
On Monday, the first olive tree will be planted at Quran Park, and a bed of flowers depicting the UAE flag will be unveiled in Garhoud.
The tree numbering project is being carried out in coordination with Dubai Statistics Centre. The data gathered will be used by the Architectural Heritage Department to pinpoint sites that need more protective measures.
“All numbered trees are protected by law and nobody will be allowed to tear them down unless they receive our approval. The ghaf tree is of historical importance because it was used in traditional medicine, its fruit and leaves were used as food for people and their cattle, and it also increases the oxygen level and helps reduce dust in the desert,” Lootah said.
