UAE Business: EAD and FAO join to revive the pearl industry in Abu Dhabi – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: EAD and FAO join to revive the pearl industry in Abu Dhabi – Gulf Digital News

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in a joint effort to revive the heritage and traditions of the Emirate’s pearl industry. The ‘Abu Dhabi Pearls’ project involves sustainably farming high quality pearls in the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf.

The project comes as part of a broader collaboration between FAO and the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) which focuses on introducing sustainable aquaculture and building a sector that creates jobs, protects the environment and supports livelihoods in the long term.

In 2019, EAD launched the sustainable aquaculture policy for Abu Dhabi, which aims to promote growth in the emirate’s aquaculture sector and raise its competitiveness to ease pressures on overexploited local fisheries. The FAO is a main partner on the project and supports and develops aquaculture-related research.

Sustainable cultivation

The Abu Dhabi Pearls Project was established in 2007 and set an ambitious goal of cultivating approximately 80,000 oysters, producing approximately 20,000 high-quality and sustainable pearls annually in the emirate’s waters. Through this project, EAD seeks to provide an educational and awareness platform on the sustainable cultivation of oysters by organising visits for school and university students,