Mangrove planting on dredged material: three decades of nature-based coastal defence along a causeway in the Arabian Gulf
Paul L. A. Erftemeijer A E , Titus Agastian B , Hiroshi Yamamoto B , Marion L. Cambridge A , Roderik Hoekstra C , Geoff Toms D and Satoshi Ito B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
B Abu Dhabi Oil Co. Ltd (Japan), PO Box 630, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
C Deltares, PO Box 177, NL-2600 MH Delft, Netherlands.
D Deltares Middle East – Gulf Area, c/o GASOS, Bin Hamoodah Tower, 16th Floor, Capital Centre, Khaleej Al Arabi Road, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
E Corresponding author. Email: paul.erftemeijer@uwa.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 71(9) 1062-1072 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19289
Submitted: 27 August 2019 Accepted: 12 October 2019 Published: 9 January 2020
Abstract
Nature-based coastal defence approaches are increasingly being explored to protect shorelines from erosion and climate change-related threats such as sea level rise, storms and coastal flooding. At Mubarraz, near Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf, mass plantings of >500 000 nursery-reared seedlings of the mangrove Avicennia marina were conducted over 30 years in response to erosion of an artificially created, 17-km-long causeway of dredged material. Planting efforts resulted in successfully established mangrove vegetation along 6.7 km of shoreline, covering an area of 16.5 ha. Survival rates of planted mangrove seedlings to healthy saplings or trees were in the order of 26% averaged over all years, with best results obtained at planting sites established in artificial tidal channels excavated parallel to the causeway, ensuring appropriate tidal hydrological conditions. The mangroves and causeway have attracted a high diversity of birds (48 species), some of which breed on the island, and there are significant densities of crabs and gastropod snails in the mangroves. These results demonstrate that planting mangroves on dredged material is feasible (even under extreme climatic conditions) and may offer a cost-effective alternative for shoreline protection, with added benefits for biodiversity through the creation of new habitats.
Additional keywords: Avicennia marina, dredged spoil, habitat creation, soil improvements, tidal hydrology.
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