The UAE capital Abu Dhabi is renowned for its mangrove trees, which are found across multiple areas of the city. Government plans have been announced to intensify their cultivation, with a target of reaching 100 million trees by 2030, owing to their wide-ranging benefits — chief among them their vital role in protecting coastal communities from natural hazards such as storms, soil erosion, and powerful waves.
Mangroves also function as natural carbon sinks and purify surrounding waters, thereby contributing to the fight against climate change. They additionally provide a suitable habitat for the breeding of rare bird species, such as the Arabian collared kingfisher.
The lens of Emirati photographer Saif Al Musabi has shed new light on the presence of these trees in the UAE capital, capturing scenes of small islands adorned with mangroves along Abu Dhabi's coastline. In an interview with CNN Arabic about images he documented in 2025, Al Musabi described the aerial view of the "mangrove islands" as utterly breathtaking, adding that beautiful additional details — such as migratory birds soaring above the islands and the blue waters surrounding them — gave the scenes an exceptional visual aesthetic.
Al Musabi, who previously won the Cities category, one of the competitions of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award on Instagram, considers his true passion to lie in exploring new places, with his primary focus on nature photography and discovering locations that have never been photographed before.
He expressed his delight at the wide circulation of these images on social media, where many users expressed astonishment at the existence of such natural scenery in the United Arab Emirates.
Flash: The creativity of your lens can astonish even those who live right beside you!
Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award
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