8:18 pm - October 24, 2026
ALEC Engineering and Contracting has agreed a three-year Abu Dhabi mangrove restoration pilot with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) to test whether restoring natural water flow can revive a degraded site.
ALEC Engineering and Contracting, part of Dubai-based ALEC Holdings, has signed an agreement with EAD to support a three-year Abu Dhabi mangrove restoration pilot. The project tests whether restoring the natural hydrological conditions of a mangrove area in need of restoration helps it return to long-term ecological health. It is described as a first of its kind in the emirate and is ALEC’s first flagship nature restoration investment with measurable biodiversity outcomes.
EAD will lead the science. It will select the site, run ecological and hydrological assessments, identify the interventions required, and monitor and report the results. The announcement gives no budget, site name or area, and it does not set out ALEC’s operational tasks.
The pilot will set baseline data for the chosen site and track progress against defined restoration and biodiversity indicators. Findings will inform planning for future ecosystem restoration across Abu Dhabi. The work supports the science-led aims of the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative and complements UAE national climate and biodiversity targets.
Maitha Mohamed Al Hameli, Acting Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity at EAD, welcomed ALEC’s support. She said the pilot reflects the long-term, science-based commitment the initiative was set up to encourage. The findings, she said, will improve understanding of how mangrove sites respond to restored hydrological conditions and will guide future restoration planning in the emirate.
Sean McQue, Managing Director of ALEC, called the project the company’s “first biodiversity restoration investment”. He said ALEC is supporting the knowledge and evidence needed to help these ecosystems recover. He added that the company is proud to back Abu Dhabi’s ambition to protect its natural heritage.
ALEC signed the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative Partners Pledge earlier in 2026. The pledge commits signatories to support conservation and restoration of mangroves and other blue carbon ecosystems, advance science-based restoration and reduce their impact on nature. The pilot turns that commitment into a field trial.
Mangrove work is a recurring theme in UAE climate tech. Earlier Abu Dhabi mangrove restoration has paired AI-powered biodiversity monitoring with private sector support, and Dubai’s DECCA recently signed seven partnerships that include mangroves.
For UAE contractors and developers, the pilot offers a template for corporate funding of science-led restoration. Over the three years, the results will show whether repairing water flow is enough to revive a degraded stand.
