Hundreds of mangrove saplings planted in Dubai reserve

Over 500 people, mostly children, marked World Wetlands Day at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary where they planted hundreds of mangrove saplings.
Although the World Wetlands Day falls on February 2 every year, the environment management department of the Dubai Municipality (DM) marked it over the weekend so that more people could join in the celebrations.
A series of events under the theme 'Wetlands and Climate Change' were held, aiming to raise awareness on the importance of wetlands and intensifying efforts to protect ecosystems and biodiversity.
"The celebration of Wetlands Day . is aimed at protecting wetlands and promoting the responsible use of their resources by organising local, regional and national activities, as well as forging international cooperation," the DM said in a statement.
As part of the activities, a film on wetlands was screened at City Centre Mirdif and DM officials visited two primary schools to give students a glimpse of the rich biodiversity found in reserves.
Tree-planting
The celebration of Wetlands Day also included an 'Environmental Tolerance' activity, during which trees were planted at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary on February 8, and more will be done at Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary on February 15, with public participation.
From 8:00am to 10:00am, children, parents and volunteers happily planted mangrove saplings by the lake.
One of the biggest groups that participated in the session was from the non-government organisation Green Globe, which saw about 200 people put up environment awareness posters along with planting mangroves. Excited youngsters Hatim, 13, and Harith, 8, were the front-runners in grabbing their gloves from the DM and getting the saplings assigned to them.
"We have already taken part in many environment events but we have never planted mangroves until now, so it was a fascinating experience. We started by taking some group pictures, followed by wearing gloves and then planting the saplings.
"We also got some jute bags from the DM as their way of saying 'thank you' and reminding us to say no to plastics. Also this is our first time to visit this beautiful sanctuary that is located right in the heart of the city."
Another volunteer, Abuthahir Ali, HR staff member at Al Najma Al Fareeda Group, said: "We have brought in over 300 students and parents to plant these saplings with the aim of doing our bit to keep the city green and make the environment safe for our children and future generations."
Heba, a parent who was present with her two little ones, said: "We are very happy to be here and to be part of DM's World Wetlands Day, as through such initiatives my kids are getting a chance to understand how to protect the environment at a young age."
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE