On April 22, 2022 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (Eastern U.S. time), the Middle East institute is hosting a free 1-hour online event titled Innovations in Climate Resilience: Restoring the World’s Mangrove Forests.
Mangrove forests are a surprising superstar for conservation efforts globally. This cost-effective and low-maintenance “super tree” efficiently sequesters blue carbon and is a natural alternative for storing CO2.
Blue Forest, a UAE-based conservation non-profit, is working to implement large-scale mangrove forest restoration world wide. Using innovative techniques, Blue Forest seeks to rehabilitate and expand mangrove populations with the goal of sequestering 1 million tons of CO2 by 2024.
They are already well on their way and their latest effort saw over 700,000 mangrove seedlings planted with a survival rate of 80%.
Join this robust discussion on the future of Blue Forest, mangrove carbon sequestration, and innovative efforts to build climate resilience in the MENA region.
Speakers:
Vahid Fotuhi is the Founder and CEO of Blue Forest, a leading UAE project developer focused on mangrove forest restoration. Previously, Vahid was Vice President for Middle East and Africa for SOURCE Global, a solar powered water technology company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Vahid’s nature-based infrastructure experience is rooted in his role as Managing Director of Access Power, a developer of clean energy assets. During his six years at Access he originated, developed and helped secure financing for solar and wind power projects in 12 countries, delivering over $600m worth of clean energy projects to millions of people.
Mohammed Mahmoud is the director of the Climate and Water Program and a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. His areas of expertise include climate change adaptation, water policy analysis, and scenario planning. Previously, Mohammed was a senior policy analyst with the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, where he provided research, modeling, and analysis on inter-state Colorado River Basin programs and binational water issues between the United States and Mexico. In addition, he is a faculty associate with Arizona State University.
Photo of roseate spoonbill among mangroves in Mexico is by Storm Cunningham.