The 5th of June marks World Environment Day and, like every year, the recurrence has a yearly theme. 2020 is the year dedicated to Biodiversity, as an important reminder of biodiversity’s role in a world facing a plethora of challenges from climate change to overpopulation to food insecurity… In the UAE, the Ghaf tree holds great promise for combating desertification and improving soil fertility in arid environments thanks to its unique qualities.
Considered the UAE’s national tree, Ghaf has multiple uses, including as a key element of agroforestry systems in arid and semi-arid regions. In agroforestry, trees are managed together with crops and livestock, which helps to increase social, economic and environmental benefits for farmers and other land users.
Ghaf’s deep and broad root system means that it can grow in extremely harsh conditions and help fight desertification. What is more, its ability to fix nitrogen improves soil fertility naturally. The tree also helps in the reclamation of areas lost to desertification. It is highly salt-tolerant and can grow in salt-affected soils, of which there are a lot in the UAE and other countries of the Middle East. These are called marginal soils.
Ghaf can play an important role in the fight against desertification as it improves the soil, which, in turn, makes it possible to cultivate different food and fodder crops, including barley, cowpea, sorghum and pearl millet.
However, the tree is under threat due to global warming and an increasing number of camels, which overgraze it. Another problem is that the country’s population boom, among other things, led to groundwater overuse, resulting in dropping water tables beyond the reach of the tree roots. Pollution of both air and water also contributed to a decline in the number of trees in the UAE.
In response, government, non-government and private organizations have been taking measures to secure the future of the tree.
Goumbook, for example, launched the “Give a Ghaf” tree planting program back in 2010 to raise awareness about the problem. As a result, thousands of seeds have been planted at its nursery since then.
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has also conducted long-term research on the benefits and uses of the tree. The center completed the first-of-its-kind study of 82 trees growing in 1 sq. km. during 2001 and 2002. The study detailed uses ranging from shelter to forage to wood and fuel.
To see the diversity within the species, 25 different traits of the tree were studied in detail. Data on different characteristics of tree crown, leave, inflorescence, pod and seed were collected during the research. The analysis of the data showed a big variation among Ghaf trees even within a small area.
In 2019, the Ghaf Tree was chosen as a symbol for the Year of Tolerance exemplifying its role as a historic and cultural symbol of stability and peace in the UAE’s desert environment. It is also one of the mascots for Expo2020, Salama the Ghaf tree (mascot) represents a beacon of safety for travellers and visitors and, as a meeting place for many generations, helps to forge understanding and tolerance, therefore symbolising Expo’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. Similar to the UAE, she grows and flourishes under all circumstances.
The Ghaf tree has more than one symbolic meaning. It reflects the image of community that caters for the needs of its members. It is also a reflection of the need to come up with local solutions to local problems. It keeps giving year after year, standing amazingly tall and proud in the desert. Ghaf trees are not as aesthetically pleasing as Palm trees but their uses and value far weighs that of other tree species and are being planted all over the UAE now more than ever.
They are a magnet for biodiversity and can be found at several sites such as: Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve.
“Death will not visit a man, even at the time of famine, if he has a Ghaf tree, a goat and a camel, since the 3 together are said to sustain a man even under the worst drought conditions” – popular saying