Abu Dhabi: The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), in collaboration with Emirates Nature WWF, announced the launch of its new Sahim app in order to promote community-driven citizen science.
The app comes under the umbrella of the Sahim program, a comprehensive UAE-wide citizen-based science initiative that allows the public to partake in scientific environmental research. The program seeks to nurture a new epoch of citizen science in the UAE, which will help support environmental conservation research, decision-making, and the development of policies and regulations.
Citizen science, which involves the community in a direct role, has become a worldwide trend, allowing research on a larger scale. At EAD, it is essential for us to support this important global movement, and we are proud to have developed the Sahim app. This contemporary tool will encourage community action and assist us in gathering first-hand, real-time data on single-use plastics and other waste found on the beaches and terrestrial habitats of Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Ahmed Baharoon, Executive Director at EAD, shared.
“Once we receive this data, we will have better knowledge of the current situation as well as community behaviour, and we will be able to develop smart policies and regulations for future solutions. The data also helps us to guide the Abu Dhabi Government on best practices for a cleaner marine environment,” Mr. Baharoon added.
The new app was designed to engage the community to help document single-use plastics and waste present in marine and terrestrial environments and was launched at an event in KEZAD Musaffah in partnership with AD Ports Group’s Economic Cities and Free Zones, which provided the location as part of a larger collaboration.
The app is available for download from the Apple Store and Google Play. The user-friendly tool, which is accessible to people of all ages, will allow residents of Abu Dhabi to support EAD by encouraging them to report any single-use plastics and waste found on beaches and terrestrial locations.
In addition to the app, EAD will organise beach and terrestrial clean-ups in a number of prime locations as part of its efforts to make Abu Dhabi one of the most liveable cities in the world. Volunteers will be invited to join the clean-ups and share their experiences on social media to ensure wider engagement.