Coastal development and mangroves in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

Abstract Mangrove forests are widely distributed in Asia, America, and Africa. These salt-tolerant bushes or trees grow at the intersection of fresh and saline waters in tidal lagoons, estuaries, and deltas creating rich ecosystems. They are used by communities for wood, and fish and shellfish harvesting, and they play an important role in soil stabilization and wave and flood modification by absorbing storm surges protecting coastal communities. Mangroves are threatened by human activities that include discharge of untreated wastewater that creates hypoxic conditions; structures, which interfere with material deposition and current circulation; and ship and boat movement, which create wake waves, or introduce ballast water. The highly salt tolerant species of Avicennia marina covers about 155 km2 of the Abu Dhabi shoreline. Mangroves’ existence in some locations there is endangered by the intense coastal development and engineered shoreline modification taking place. Cement factories with heavy metal and other particle sea deposition; marinas, ports, canals, and seawalls constructed to provide residential sea views, and motorized boats modify hydrodynamic conditions and affect the settling of particles directing them seaward. Finally, the dredging that accompanies construction removes benthic communities and material modifying the seabed and may create conditions adverse to mangrove survival.