"Local action and global impact"/ The UAE is a pioneering model in protecting biodiversity

ABU DHABI, 22nd May / WAM / The United Arab Emirates celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity, which is held this year under the slogan “Local Action and Global Impact”, emphasizing that protecting biological diversity depends on the strength of local action and the commitment of communities, organizations and governments to cooperate to achieve this goal.

On this occasion, the United Nations stressed the importance of achieving the goals of the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” which includes 23 goals for the year 2030 and five global goals for the year 2050, with the aim of protecting biological diversity, halting environmental degradation, and reversing its course during the next 25 years.

This comes in light of the great achievements made by the UAE in this field, which were monitored by the Seventh National Biodiversity Report within the implementation of the country’s obligations related to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, where the efforts of the national teams succeeded in raising the number of approved reserves to 55 terrestrial and marine reserves covering the equivalent of 19.04% of the total area of ​​the country, in addition to achieving tangible progress in protecting endangered species and improving their conditions through integrated programs for protection, propagation, habitat management, and international cooperation.

The report, which received the approval of the Council of Ministers during its session held on March 29, showed that the UAE has achieved remarkable progress in coastal and marine systems through the national carbon sequestration project, which aims to plant 100 million mangrove trees by 2030, with more than 50% of the target achieved by 2024.

He pointed out that the level of public awareness of environmental issues has risen to 89%, and the environmental behavior index has improved to 85% during the year 2024, in addition to the implementation of many national initiatives and programs that enhance the country’s contribution to achieving the goals of biodiversity and environmental requirements in cooperation with competent international organizations.

During the year 2026, the UAE will continue its series of initiatives and projects aimed at enhancing biodiversity, as it issued a new law to regulate and monitor the international trade in endangered animals and plants. It also launched, through the Mohammed bin Zayed Fund for the Conservation of Species and the Mubadala Foundation, an international initiative to protect dugongs and seagrass habitats in the UAE and four other countries.

In the same context, the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi launched the “Hamdan Bin Zayed for the World’s Richest Seas” initiative with the aim of doubling the emirate’s fish stocks by 2030, as part of efforts aimed at enhancing marine productivity and protecting resources. It also achieved a global achievement, with the sustainable fishing index rising to 100% by the end of 2025, compared to 8% in 2018.

Dubai adopted the “Al Layan Oasis” project, which covers one million square meters and includes a vast natural lake, to highlight the desert environment and enhance awareness of sustainability and quality of life.

In Sharjah, the Environment and Natural Reserves Authority recorded the discovery of four new species of spiders, which reflects the richness of environmental diversity and scientific research in the country.

The UAE continues its efforts to preserve biodiversity in accordance with the goals of the National Biodiversity Strategy, the National Strategy to Combat Desertification, the National Strategy for the Sustainability of the Marine and Coastal Environment, and others.

The National Biodiversity Strategy aims to address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, by integrating the values ​​of biodiversity into all sectors of the country, reducing direct pressures on biodiversity and promoting sustainable use, and improving the status of biodiversity by conserving ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.

Based on the importance of combating desertification in preserving biodiversity, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in cooperation and coordination with its strategic partners, prepared the first national strategy to combat desertification in 2003, and it was updated and developed in 2014. The Council of Ministers also adopted in 2024 the National Strategy to Combat Desertification 2022-2030, which includes 33 major short- and long-term initiatives, and a national action agenda until the year 2030.

In June 2024, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment revealed details of the “Secretariat of Important Biodiversity Sites” listing nine globally important sites for biodiversity in the UAE.

In 2022, the Ministry also launched the National Red List of Threatened Species, which includes a comprehensive assessment of the status of species in the country’s local environment.

The UAE is keeping pace with its efforts to preserve biodiversity with an integrated legislative system that included the issuance of Federal Law No. (23) of 1999 regarding the exploitation, protection and development of the country’s living aquatic resources, Federal Law No. (24) of 1999 regarding environmental protection and development, which prohibits hunting, transporting, killing or harming land or marine creatures, and Federal Law No. (11) of 2002 regarding regulating and monitoring international trade in threatened animals and plants. extinction and its executive regulations.

The UAE has also joined many international agreements aimed at preserving biological diversity, including the Convention Regulating Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Animals (CITES), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its protocols for biosafety from genetically modified resources, in addition to the International Convention on Wetlands in 2007, and other relevant global agreements and treaties.

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