The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) will be introducing smart monitoring for the over 228,000 hectares of forestry it is managing. This was announced at the International Water Summit (IWS), currently taking place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) between 19th and 22nd of January as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2015.
Earlier this week, EAD had announced its commitment to reduce the use of groundwater by 80% in forestry by 2030, in line with its mandate to promote the conservation of Abu Dhabi’s natural heritage across land, air and sea.
In the Khub Al Dahs forest, near Madinat Zayed the capital of Abu Dhabi’s Western Region, EAD is operating an experimental demonstration site where it is studying the water requirements of Al Ghaf trees using technology that measures ‘sap flow’. These model studies, along with similar studies on palm trees at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture are aiming to establish new benchmarks for forestry and agriculture management in Abu Dhabi. Forestry is currently irrigated with groundwater and consumes about 11% of Abu Dhabi’s current water budget, these studies are therefore of fundamental importance given water scarcity in the emirate. Our monitoring shows that if extraction and consumption continues unchecked, Abu Dhabi’s usable supply of groundwater will be depleted within only 50 years.
The performance of the forestry sector will be closely monitored in terms of infrastructure protection, biodiversity promotion, and recreation as well as enhancing quality of life and securing cultural heritage. Once the water requirements of the studied trees are known, EAD will use its customized ‘forest irrigation management tool’ alongside smart water meters to establish strict water guidelines for its forests.
The calculator will determine a monthly, seasonal and annual water allocation for individual forests based on these sap flow studies.”
Through sap flow studies on Lulu date palm trees for instance, it has been discovered that in summer the date palm trees use about 150 litres of water a day and about 50 litres a day during the cooler season, hinting at over-irrigation practices if conventional methods are followed.
Soil water retention tests have also proven to be a good variable to study water-wastage. Other studies are underway to address irrigation requirement issues, such as testing species for salinity and recycled water tolerance and replacing of tree species with productive crops.
PHOTO: Khub Al Dahs Forest.
CREDIT: EAD.