UN-Habitat and FAO support Bahrain’s afforestation plans

In recent years, many efforts have been made by the Government of Bahrain in view of the urban and environmental transformations, aligning its national development priorities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Most recently, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), Bahrain made ambitious commitments to the global climate goals, notably to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2035 and reach net zero by 2060. 

The 2035 targets also include:

• Carbon removal solutions by quadrupling mangrove coverage.
• Doubling tree coverage in Bahrain and quadrupling mangrove area.
• Directly investing in carbon capture technologies. 

Following the announcements at COP26, a National Plan for Afforestation (2022 -2035) was announced, aiming at increasing the tree count from 1.8 million to 3.6 million by 2035, 270,000 trees yearly, recognizing the significant role that trees and mangroves play in mitigating the effects of Climate Change.

“Bahrain’s National Afforestation Plan aims to increase the number of trees and expand green coverage, including the area of mangroves. This approach offers a unique opportunity to improve the quality of urban areas and public spaces, while also contribute to the environment”, said Fernanda Lonardoni, UN-Habitat Country Programme in the Kingdom of Bahrain for UN-Habitat.

Within this context, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) have partnered to pool their skills and jointly develop and implement a technical assistance project “Building Greener and Sustainable Cities” in Bahrain, in support of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.

“The overall goal of the project is to promote the transition towards more sustainable and climate-adapted urban systems and to improve environmental quality by increasing quality and use of green public spaces with direct effects on the health and wellbeing of the residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain. “The project will also raise awareness and support capacity strengthening of key stakeholders to increase and improve urban systems, public spaces and green infrastructure for Bahrain’s arid climate”, Lonardoni said.

"Tree planting in urban drylands has the potential for transforming arid cities from climate-vulnerable areas into valuable examples of sustainability, resilience and climate action. We trust that the project will serve as positive model of how green spaces can transform the urban fabric of Bahrain", said Simone Borelli, Urban Forestry Officer at FAO.

Eleni “Lenio” Myrivili, Chief Heat Officer at UN-Habitat to UN-Habitat and the Arsht Rock Resilience Center, visited Bahrain in August to kickstart the project, including through assessing the opportunities for trees and green coverage to combat the negative effects of urban heating.

As part of the project, UN-Habitat and FAO will support in conducting national-wide public spaces and afforestation assessment. The assessment will cover a variety of aspects such as connectivity, network, accessibility, landscaping, quantity, and overall quality of the public spaces. 

Myrivili commended Bahrain’s efforts to combat climate change. “By focusing on national afforestation and sustainable city planning, Bahrain is taking a comprehensive approach towards combating climate change”, she said.