Jebel Hafeet, the highest mountain peak in Abu Dhabi and the second highest peak in UAE, standing at 1,240 metres, is home to a diverse variety of native plant and wildlife. Located in the green city of Al Ain, along Abu Dhabi’s southern border with Oman, Jebel Hafeet National Park, hosts globally threatened species such as the Blandford’s Fox, Brandt’s Hedgehog, Arabian Tahr and the only concentration of the globally threatened Egyptian Vulture in the UAE. It is the only place where the Dwarf Palm is found, one of the rarest plants in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Arabian Peninsula.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched a major rehabilitation project in Jebel Hafeet National Park in its efforts to increase the native vegetation cover area and combat desrtification. The agency planted a total of 7,500 local Samar trees (Acacia tortilis) in the jebel hafeet national park, covering an area of 180,000 sqm. In addition, 350 perennials were also transplanted to degraded areas.
Samar tress are considered to be imporatant species of vegetation in the UAE. Most of the native vegetation in UAE is under threat from desertification, a process of land degradation and dryland ecosytem damage, caused due to natural factor like climate change or human activities like urbanization and infrastructure projects. UAE has been making significant efforts towards combating desertification and restoration of desert ecosytems.
Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the The Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, stressed the importance of this rehabilitation project, which comes as a response to the wise leadership’s guidance to increase the amount of green vegetation cover that helps to combat desertification. The project will help achieve a balanced local ecosystem, as the Samar trees are one of the main species that mitigate the effects of desertification. Additionally, this species is an important element in the mountainous ecosystem due to its high nutritional value for many animal species. She said: “The Agency’s efforts to combat desertification was made possible by the support and the efforts exerted by the UAE to achieve Goal No. 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals. These objectives were set by the United Nations in protecting terrestrial ecosystems, managing forests sustainably, combating desertification, and reducing land degradation. Moreover, reversing the habitat’s course and stopping the loss of biological diversity, is in line with the target set by the UAE’s National Strategy to Combat Desertification 2014-2021.”