Annual Environment Competition 2011-2012
About the Theme – 2011 – 2012
2011 has been declared as the International Year of the Forests. To show the UAE’s support to the global cause of the year, the main theme for the 11th Annual Environment Competition is fashioned after UNEP’s motto as announced on 5 June, the World Environment Day: ‘Forests: Nature at Your Service’.
The word ‘forest’ conjures up images of lands filled with tall dense strands of diverse trees and layers of vegetation in our minds. According to a recent study (Lund 2008), there are 800 different definitions of the word ‘forest’. Different varieties of forests, forest ecosystems and perceptions of people regarding the benefits of forests have led to these varied definitions. For example, a legal definition of forests may vary from an ecological one. Economists may define forests differently from geographers. For us, living in the desert, the environment in the UAE with sparse vegetation in comparison to wetter areas, ‘forests’ could mean any one of these: a grove of Ghaf trees nestling in the heart of an inter dune valley , a large area planted with trees to stabilize shifting dunes or to reduce the force of sand storms, the very unique saxaul forests or dew forests found in inland Abu Dhabi and covering nearly 1% of the total area of the UAE or the large tracts of mangrove trees covering nearly 11,000 hectares along the coast.
Globally, forests cover 4 billion hectares or 30 % (the UNEP site says 31%) of the total land area. They support 80% of all the terrestrial biodiversity and provide a livelihood for 1.6 million people on the earth in addition to performing many other vital functions including a key role in combating climate change. It is also a reality that we are losing around 13 million hectares of forests annually due to deforestation.
The UAE has 337, 000 hectares of planted area that are classed as forests due to the services that they render for us. Abu Dhabi alone has 9,418 hectares (85.6% of the total) of mangrove forests and 75, 453 hectares of afforested areas to protect the emirate against encroaching sand dunes and sand storms. According to an assessment by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), forests in the UAE had absorbed 16 Mt (million tons) of CO2 during the year 2010. It has also been estimated that mangroves, salt marshes and sea grass beds help store nearly 50% of all the carbon that gets stored in the sea bed. A hectare of mangrove forest absorbs approximately 40tons of carbon annually! Doubtless, the humble mangrove forests in the UAE need to be treasured and taken care of.
Whatever the definition or perception about what constitutes forests in the UAE, the importance of trees in the UAE can never be understated. A lone Ghaf tree standing in the middle of a sand dune may render equal if not more ecological, economic and social benefits than a small patch of forests in the rain forests region or a tropical forest region. The loss of even a single tree has an enormous significance in terms of the fragile biodiversity that this land supports.
HE Rosa Aguilar, UNEP’s Governing Council President’s words, ‘Forests are our primary life insurance not only for the economic and material value they have and raw materials extracted from them, but for the privileged position they occupy in our future, that cannot be drawn without forests,’ clearly exemplify the importance of forests and the need to address this issue through this competition.
Climate change, loss of biodiversity and increasing desertification has raised serious ethical questions regarding the choices that we have made in our quest for development and the consequent ecological footprint that we leave behind on this planet. It is clear that it is now time for affirmative action. Keeping in mind the famous paradigm, “Think Globally, Act Locally”, all the sub themes for various categories of this competition reflect the need for local action to support the main issue of the year which is the vanishing forests. Category (Individual): Short Story Writing
Age Group: Grade 6
Topic: “Me and My Habitat” Write a short story about the Mangrove forest through the eyes of the organisms living in them.
OR
Write a short story about the Ghaf tree through the eyes of the organisms living around it.
Did you know? The Mangrove is not just a tree but a habitat - A home to scores of organisms. Mangroves act as a nursery for small fishes that lay their eggs amongst them to protect them from bigger fishes. Big birds like the Heron and Flamingo love to catch and eat the crabs from the mangrove. Mangrove habitats are in great danger due to the development and construction activities along the beaches. The Ghaf tree provides shade and acts as a great habitat for birds and insects in the desert. Camels love to eat the leaves of the Ghaf tree and act like a barber pruning the tree. The Ghaf tree depends on ground water for its growth and the declining ground water levels in the desert are posing a great danger to them.
. Terms and Conditions:
The selected short stories should be typed by the student and submitted to us in the following format: o Paper size: A4. o Font: Gill Sans o Font Size: 11 You can include pictures and drawings to make the story colorful. The total number of pages should not exceed 5 including any sketches and/or images. Both Soft and hard copies of all Short Story Entries must be provided. Student’s name, photo, age, grade and school must be mentioned at the end of the story. Evaluation Criteria- Relevance of Story to the Specified Topic, Language Flow, Creativity + Originality + Imagination and Presentation Best THREE stories will be selected.
Category (Individual): Essay Writing
Age Group: Grade 7 to Grade 9
Topic: “Taking Care of Mangroves in the UAE” Write an essay on the above topic.
Did you know? Developments along the coastal areas pose a threat to Mangrove habitats. Great efforts have been done by various organizations to protect the Mangrove habitats. For Example the Mangrove plantations in Saadiyat and in Sir Baniyas. In addition to serving as a habitat, Mangroves have many uses such as protecting us against Tsunamis, sea ward erosion, pollution control, medicinal uses etc.; hence there is a strong need to take care of them. Terms and Conditions:
The essay should be typed by the student and sent to us in the following format: o Paper size: A4. o Font: Gill Sans o Font Size: 11 The essay should be between 500 - 800 words. Both Soft and hard copies of all essay entries must be provided. Student’s name, photo, age, grade and school must be mentioned at the end of the essay. Evaluation Criteria- Relevance of Essay to the Specified Theme, Language Flow, Extent of Research, Content and Presentation Best THREE essays will be selected.
Category 5 (Individual): Poster
Age Group: Grade 10 – Grade 12
Topic A: ‘Many uses of the Mangroves’ Topic B: ‘Varieties of Native Trees in the Emirate and their Benefits’ Prepare an Educational/ Awareness Poster on either of the above topics.
Did you know? Mangroves absorb the force of the sea waves and help us to halt sea ward erosion Mangroves provide habitats to many organisms such as birds, fishes, crabs, and shrimps etc. which are a source of food for man. One could even produce good honey from the Mangroves. Medicines for Headache, rheumatism, boils, Diarrhea etc. can be derived from Mangroves Destroying Mangroves would mean we would lose all these valuable services rendered by the by the mangrove habitat for us humans as well. The Mangrove ecosystem acts as the bridge between the Terrestrial and Marine ecosystems. Mangroves have amazing abilities to absorb pollutants. Mangrove leaves could be used as fodder.
Terms and Conditions: All Posters must be Portrait orientation, prepared on Poster Paper (50 X 70 cm) ONLY. You can find this at any stationary shop near you. A Label with the Student’s name, photo, Class and School name should be pasted BEHIND the final art work submitted. Please ensure that the Student Name is NOT mentioned on the front side of the Artwork. Students can prepare the posters by hand or digitally on the computer with the help of designing software’s provided the work is original. Posters with copied content will be disqualified. EAD reserves the right to not display or accept the Artwork for Exhibition or Evaluation. Posters should NOT be framed or pasted on a cardboard background. Evaluation Criteria – Creativity, Relevance to topic, Extent of Research, originality Topic Interpretation. Best THREE posters will be selected Category 5- Group: Researched Report
Age Group: Grade 10 – Grade 12
Topic A: Mangrove Ecosystem Conduct a field survey and submit a researched report on the Mangrove Ecosystem as a part of the Science Project. Visit the nearby mangrove area, research the living and the non-living component and write a mangrove ecosystem report. Ensure that the base research is based on primary data collection. OR Topic B: UAE’s Native Trees and Flora Students should conduct a survey to assess the level of awareness and knowledge regarding UAE’s native trees and flora in their neighbourhood and prepare a researched report. The report should be largely based on the primary data collected during the survey Learn about the native trees and flora in the UAE before you conduct the survey to assess the level of awareness.
Did You Know? Mangroves act as a bridge between the Terrestrial and the marine ecosystem. Mangroves are one of the most dynamic habitats in the UAE. One can often see variety of salt marsh bushes and other salt tolerant plants in the Mangroves The largest predator in the Inter tidal zone in the UAE where one can find mangroves are the birds. There are only a maximum of a dozen indigenous tree species found in the Desert. Even amongst them some may have been brought in and have now adapted to the wild. Local or the indigenous species have amazing adaptation to survive in the harsh desert environment. While one can see many varieties of trees and plants in the cities, many people living in the cities are not aware of indigenous species of vegetation.
Terms and Conditions: Choose your topic and form your group ( Minimum of three and maximum of five) The Researched Report should be in the range of five -fifteen pages. Students must include an “Abstract” summarizing the findings and key points of the report not exceeding 300 words. Once written, the Report should be typed by the students and sent to us in the following format: o Paper size: A4. o Font: Gill Sans o Font Size: 11 You can include illustrations in the form of photographs (labelled), graphical representations, statistical numbers etc. The name of the school, students, student photos, age and grade must be mentioned at the end of the report. Short listed candidates will be asked to defend their report via a power point presentation before a panel of live judges for the final judging. For the survey the best way to equip you is to Read. Reading will help you find several environmental facts that you didn’t know about your emirate. Once students have familiarized themselves to the topic, they should them to design a questionnaire with relevant questions. Students then have to approach the public and pose their framed set of questions. The responses can be represented in any form of illustration like graphs; pies charts etc. Ensure that this is included in the detailed report. While working on the field research, students should visit the mangrove area near them and do a thorough study of the flora and fauna they see there. Their report must be based on the data that you have all collected. For more assistance on how to conduct a survey please refer to the presentation on “How to conduct a Survey”. For assistance on how to conduct a field survey, visit their website to look for the special training workshop for registered contestants Evaluation Criteria Topic A- Area Chosen, Content of Report, Extent of Primary Findings, Originality, Presentation Evaluation Criteria Topic B- Structure of the Researched Report, Content/ Methodology/ Flow of the Report/ Extent of Primary Data used, Recommendation/Conclusion/ Solutions THREE BEST Reports will be selected
Note: You can also approach your local environment organization, e.g.: “The Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi”, for any records on their research and browse through their library resources.
Date Activity Categories:- January 9th, 2012 Short Story, Essay and Researched Report Categories:- January 12th, 2012 Drawing & Painting and Poster 24 / 25 / 26 January 2012 Live judging at EAD ( Researched Report) January 30th - Feb 10th Exhibition at Abu Dhabi Corniche 2012 February 7th, 2012 Winners Award Ceremony at Abu Dhabi Corniche Submission deadline for written entries
Note: No entries will be accepted under any circumstances after the deadline.
Kindly email the soft copies of all competitions to: [email protected] Contact for queries if any: Anjum Hasan: 0507371720 For Posters kindly contact: Ms. Anu Bali (Art Department)