Mangrove planting drive draws huge participation

Recently, as the piercing rays of the afternoon sun gloomed to signal another Iftar over the swathe of the 2,000-hectare Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary south of Dubai, two sisters – Sophia and Pheona Lopez – romped towards what remained of 100 pouches of saplings, quite shrouded by sturdy sharp shrubs, typical of deserts and shorelines.

They planted two each at separate spaces after much scouting.

Their parents, Victorino and Pauline, joined them.

“I do what I can to help nature strive. I believe that if you want things for the better, you start from small steps by yourself. Hopefully, this move can influence more people to help our nature too,” said Sophia, 14.

Clinging tightly to her dad, Pheona, 13, bashfully whispered that it is “genuine responsibility to care for the environment. I am delighted, knowing that I contribute to a simple deed to help Earth thrive in abundant life. Even the most significant consequences come from the tiniest actions.”

This refreshing orientation from these third culture kids, stems from the roots of Victorino who grew up, learning to appreciate early on in life, regarding the allure and abundance of a well-taken care of generational two-hectare orchard, in his home province of Rizal, east of Manila. Pauline described Sophia and Pheona as environmentalists.

“They actively search for cleanup drives. We save plastic bottles to buy a tree to care for, courtesy of the ‘Gift A Tree’ initiative of the GoMommy.”

Gulf Today met them from the recent “Kandili (Nurture) Mangrove Plant-A-Tree.”

Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG) founder/chief executive officer and Emirates Nature-World Wide Fund for Nature board secretary Major Ali Saqer Al Suwaidi welcomed them, alongside 70 other participants, to the “reserve; happy to let you see the other part of Dubai.”

Like the Lopezes, Al Suwaidi, “from the Navy,” who practically, was by the sea each day in his childhood, influenced by his parents and grandfather, has been enamoured with nature. Thus, his deeply-seated drive for biodiversity through which earthly life heavily depend on.

“She is one of the Filipinas I truly admire,” Al Suwaidi said, referring to Bea Bagac-Lataza, co-founder/chief executive officer of the Dubai-borne technology company GoMommy.

Lataza, with her techie husband, GoMommy/Gift A Tree inventor Kharl, has periodically brought organisations into the wildlife reserve – to plant mangroves – in partnership with the Dubai-based business management consultant, The Storey Group.

The Storey Group founder, Karen Storey, is the originator of the One Billion Tree Planting Initiative, a movement targeting one billion trees worldwide by the end of 2025.

“Over time, we recognised that true transformation must extend beyond people to the planet, leading us to embrace a more holistic approach that integrates sustainability into everything we do.”

Last February and at the initial launch of the BizNext platform, Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Marford Angeles, at one panel discussion, proudly shared his conversation on creative sustainability with a Filipino couple (turns out to be the Latazas) who own a technology company (turns out to be GoMommy), into not only planting mangrove trees but, more importantly, “taking care of the planted tree” – even remotely through the power of the Artificial Intelligence.

Angeles, who translated “Kandili” as “nurture” told this reporter that his “commitment to environmental advocacy” is traceable to his childhood upbringing - like the Lopezes and Al Suwaidi: “Growing up in a country, blessed with rich biodiversity, but prone to climate-related disasters, instilled in me a responsibility to protect our natural environment.”

Professionally, his encouragements are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered International Renewable Energy Agency, UAE’s Year of Sustainability and the Conference of Parties 28 in Dubai.

“The leadership demonstrated by the UAE in spearheading sustainability projects and climate displomacy has been commendable. I find great synergy between the environmental goals of the Philippines and those of the UAE,” Angeles also said.

Other contributory factors are his countrymen’s “resilience and proactive spirit which have continuously adapted to environmental challenges. Their experiences and advocacies like those of Kharl and Bea Lataza, remind me that climate action is not just about policies and diplomacy. But also about people. It ensures that our overseas workers, families, and future generations have a safe, sustainable and thriving planet.”