EAD plan to shape Abu Dhabi’s environment for next 5 years

Abu Dhabi / WAM

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) launched its new Strategic Plan 2016 – 2020, which defines the agency’s long-term vision and mission, five-year priorities, objectives, as well as the strategic initiatives that contribute to the Abu Dhabi Plan and the successful implementation of its priorities.
Using the Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030 as a framework, EAD’s Strategic Plan has been developed and is fully aligned with the UAE Vision 2021, as well as the UAE Green Growth Strategy and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
The strategy, which is EAD’s roadmap to the future, highlights the current environmental status, and the nine key challenges the emirate is facing: groundwater, air quality, climate change, waste, marine water quality, land quality, habitat loss, fisheries and forestry. The plan also places EAD’s position on each of these nine challenges and its strategy to tackle these challenges along with clear indications on how success is measured.
The plan has five priority areas to protect the emirate’s water, air and land, conserve and protect its biodiversity, provide sound environmental information, promote shared responsibility, ensure effective policy and regulations for the environment and position EAD as an organisation of excellence and a leader in environmental sustainability.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and EAD’s Chairman, said in his foreword, “Our rich, unique yet frail natural heritage is deeply embedded in our collective national psyche. It is a vital part of who we are; our DNA. Our environment is a legacy, handed down from generation to generation. Our family values incorporate the fundamental belief that we must be wise custodians of the land and sea that we have inherited – it is our responsibility towards the future generations.”
He added, “The development of our emirate is, of course, critical to our continued growth and prosperity. But our primary focus must be to ensure that development does not come at an unacceptable cost to the environment, to ensure that it goes hand in hand with conservation and sustainability.”
“We gladly accept Abu Dhabi’s mandate to be the central authority charged with the regulation and enforcement of Abu Dhabi’s environmental laws and, moreover, to be a catalyst for protection and positive change. We have passed many milestones on this journey of excellence, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the development of the EAD Strategic Plan 2016-2020 is just one of them,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, EAD’s Managing Director, said, “EAD is working to maintain and protect wildlife and marine biodiversity by implementing and strengthening relevant regulations, policies and laws. At the same time, we have carried out comprehensive research programmes and studies to understand biodiversity, to monitor ecosystems and species, and to anticipate future risks.”
He added that, “EAD strategy is a plan about change; change that will lead us to a bright, strong and sustainable future today and for generations to come. It will help us meet the many challenges of preserving and protecting our environment, promoting the health and wellbeing of our communities, while stimulating and mapping sustainable economic growth for the next five years.”
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, EAD’s Secretary-General, said, “Our strategy has been developed based upon a very sound scientific understanding of the impacts of our growth on the natural environment. For nearly 20 years EAD has carried out comprehensive research and studies to understand biodiversity, monitor ecosystems and species, and predict future risks. It is this compounded knowledge that has informed the
development of our strategy”.
She added “We also been working to develop, implement and enhance the policies and legal frameworks required to maintain and protect wildlife and marine biodiversity and have judiciously implemented these. These too are significant components to our strategy.”
Al Mubarak added, “During recent years, Abu Dhabi Emirate’s environmental vision has greatly evolved, where EAD has led the development of the Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030, and have also been instrumental in developing the Abu Dhabi Plan which sets the vision for Abu Dhabi – its economic and societal development and the sustainability of that development.”
She explained, “EADs Strategic Plan 2016 – 2020 is fully aligned with the Abu Dhabi Plan as EAD is the lead entity for three key programmes which falls in line with the plan’s aim to reach a sustainable environment through the optimal use of resources to preserve the natural heritage. These three programmes include improvement of marine water quality, improvement of air quality and reduce the impact of climate change and conserve biodiversity.”