You could be fined Dh50,000 for cutting down this UAE tree

The push has come to shove in the UAE as the government, private entities and non-profit organisations have expedited their efforts to plant more trees as part of greener environment across the UAE.

In a number of such initiatives, local non-profit organisation Goumbook and Dubai Investments Park (DIP) have announced planting different trees numbering 15,000 across the UAE.

Goumbook has tied up with electronics firm Electrolux to plant 5,000 Ghaf seeds under 'Give a Ghaf' campaign across the UAE by the end of this year. While DIP has announced planting over 10,000 trees and shrubs.

Declared as UAE Union Tree in 2013 and National Tree four years ago, Goumbook co-founder Tatiana Antonelli Abella said harming or cutting the Ghaf tree could cost a person a fine up to Dh50,000 as it’s illegal to cut the tree without permission.

“The fine for damaging the Ghaf tree could be up to Dh50,000; it depends how you harm the tree – if you chop it or cut it down,” she added.

Ahmad Abdul Karim, Director, Public Parks and Horticulture Department, Dubai Municipality, has said in an interview with Emirates 24l7 that there is a very strict policy in place and those found cutting a Ghaf plant or a tree will be fined Dh500 to Dh1,000. But if a tree is totally damaged, the person could face a fine of up to Dh50,000.

The biggest cluster of the Ghaf tree is located in Sharjah Wildlife Centre, housing thousands of UAE national trees. There a number of these trees along the Dubai-Al Ain Road.

The non-profit organisation has already planted 25,000 seeds and over 3,000 actual trees across the country.

“The UAE government is planting Acaia and Ghaf trees – which are from the same family – along the main roads to create some greenery. The palm trees are now dedicated for the embellishments.

"For the greenery and green belt, it’s absolutely Ghaf tree. Actually Sheikh Zayed started it many years ago in order to protect the first road they were building because they had a huge problem of sand moving with the wind and covering the roads.

"So it was decided to plant Ghaf trees everywhere along the road because they have incredible property whereby the roots work as sand stabiliser. They actually grab the sand and make it not move,” Abella said.

She noted that the “indigenous trees are Ghaf and Arabian Acacia while the Palm trees are not really indigenous.

"There used to be few in wadis and oasis, because palm trees need so much water that it’s very hard for the tree to sustain itself without irrigation. Instead, Ghaf trees come on their own and survive on their own without any help as the root goes down up to 50 metres.”

As part of its greener environment initiative, Dubai Investment Park plantation includes Delonix Regia, Conocarpus, Azadirachta Indica and Neem trees, as also Bougainvillea, Clerodendron & Vitex shrubs, which will absorb hundreds of tonnes of carbon dioxide from atmosphere annually.

Along with other nations around the globe, World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 in the UAE to raise awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.

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