Forging ahead in the economic sphere has never been enough for the UAE. A parallel priority is to ensure that the country’s economic growth does not come at the expense of the environment.

Over the course of five decades, the founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ingrained the concepts of sustainability and environmental protection in his people, and today, our wise leadership carries on his legacy.

On World Environment Day 2020 that takes place under the theme ‘Biodiversity’, we reflect on our success in protecting flora and fauna at home and abroad that has established our country as a globally acclaimed leader in environmental stewardship. 

We are proud to note that Sharjah has designated five new protected areas this year, taking the number of natural reserves in the UAE to 49. The addition, coupled with the expansion of Al Dilfaweya Protected Area in the emirate of Abu Dhabi by 45 sq km, has increased the total protected area from 14.8 percent of the country’s territory in 2019 to 15.5 percent in 2020, accounting for 18.4 percent of its terrestrial territory and 12.01 percent of its marine territory.

We also take pride in the UAE’s track record in implementing effective wildlife rehabilitation programs to protect endangered species, such as falcons, dugong, houbara bustard, and Arabian oryx.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has made great strides in this area with developing the Smart Map of Natural Capital of the UAE, the National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Marine Turtles in the UAE 2019-2021, and the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2018-2021. The Ministry has also updated the list of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in the country and launched the national ecotourism project ‘The UAE’s Natural Wonders’.

On a global scale, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, a key philanthropic endowment, provides grants to species conservation initiatives. To date, the fund has supported the conservation of 1,350 endangered species in 160 countries to the tune of more than US$20 million.

Furthermore, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation has won recognition as a pioneering global model for the conservation of the species. Since the launch of its captive breeding program, the Fund has released over 285,000 birds across the migratory range of the species.

With over 50 types of ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, tidal flats, and sand dunes, the country is home to 3,787 species today.

On World Environment Day, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to protecting biodiversity. We believe that the loss of even the smallest species can lead to the destabilization of the world’s ecosystems.

With the numbers of flora and fauna declining faster than at any other time in human history, the world must take transformative action to save its natural systems. This is a time for nature!

By His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment