The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced today, an initiative to educate children on the importance of mangrove forests in promoting biodiversity and protecting the environment as it reinforces its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
The initiative, called ‘Mighty Mangroves’, is sponsored by ADNOC Offshore, a subsidiary of ADNOC, in partnership with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based ocean conservation organization, Azraq.
Hundreds of children from grades 8-12 in 20 schools in Al Dhafra region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will participate in the initiative which includes classroom learning in Arabic and English as well as mangrove sapling planting.
Ahmad Saqer Al Suwaidi, CEO of ADNOC Offshore, said: “In the UAE and ADNOC’s 50th anniversary year, this mangrove partnership with Azraq is a wonderful way for us to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the environment in which we operate and to help our young people understand the ecological significance of the ‘mighty’ mangroves in our country. The UAE’s coastal areas are part of our precious natural heritage and we are committed to helping to sustain them in line with the vision of the late Founding Father of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”
The Mighty Mangroves builds on ADNOC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs aimed at creating a positive social impact on its communities. ADNOC is committed to supporting programs that will nurture the next generation of environmental champions and help the UAE’s youth learn about sustainability, environmental protection and biodiversity.
Natalie Banks, Founder of Azraq, said: ”Azraq has been actively planting mangrove trees in Ajman for the past two years, due to the amazing ability these trees have in keeping waterways healthy and sequestering carbon. We are beyond thrilled to expand our efforts into Abu Dhabi with the assistance of ADNOC’s sponsorship and raise awareness of the benefits of mangrove trees to students in the Al Dhafra region through our educational initiatives.”
The UAE’s 4,000 hectares of mangrove forest are the largest in the Arabian Gulf region and are an essential part of a healthy coastal ecosystem. Mangroves are nurseries for thousands of marine species and act as filters. They are proven to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) at up to four times the volume of trees in tropical rainforests such as the Amazon.
ADNOC’s other CSR initiatives include its Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs which are impacting over 16,000 students across 81 schools and 5 universities in the UAE. The programs include its partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM) on the ‘Yas in Schools’ initiative and its partnership with Sandooq Al Watan on the “UAE Coder” program which seeks to help students to develop skills in computer programming.
ADNOC is also partnering with the Japan Oil Development Co. Ltd. (JODCO) and Kumon Institute of Education (KIE) to deploy the highly successful Kumon Method of learning mathematics in schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Dhafra regions. In addition, ADNOC entered into a partnership with ATLAB and LEGO Education to construct LEGO Education Innovation Studios in all ADNOC Schools.
ADNOC’s other education initiatives include its partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education and Bloomberg L.P. on the ADNOC-Bloomberg Education Initiative which will enable the installation of up to 200 Bloomberg Terminals at UAE universities, where students can learn how to analyze real-time financial market data.
