United Arab Emirates - Overview

Remark:

Please note that this country profile has been prepared by the Secretariat on the basis of information provided in the NBSAP and national reports, but has not been reviewed by the Party concerned.

Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

UAE’s particular environment – hot and dry – limits greatly the country’s biodiversity richness. But being a meeting point between the Indo-Asian and the Afro-European regions, it has a relatively rich fauna, with 49 mammal species, 382 bird species and 67 amphibian and reptile species identified. Invertebrates are very prolific in the tidal rocky zone and especially creeks... More »

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

It aims at understanding the underlying causes of the country’s environmental problems – desertification, salinization, biodiversity loss, and human economical impacts. This strategy will include public awareness campaigns, the establishment of a national strategy to rationalize the use of some resources (water, agricultural and grazing lands), and the development of adequate human institutional and legal resources... More »

Implementation of the Convention

Initiatives in Protected Areas

UAE has established 60 protected areas: 38 terrestrial, 21 marine, and 1 coastal including both terrestrial and marine. They cover an area of 6174 km², or 6% of the country surface. There are also 9 man-made forested reserves and 10 private ones. The Marawah Marine protected area covers 4 255 sq. km and is a good in-situ protection reserve for national and regional species... More »

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

UAE (Ministry of Enviroment and Water) is setting up capacity-building projects to support indigenous peoples and local communities, in conjunction with ICBA (International Center for Biosaline Agriculture) and United Arab Emirates University (Department of Agriculture). Assessment of the knowledge, innovations and practices of farmers and indigenous and local communities in sustaining agricultural biodiversity and agro-ecosystem services for food production and food security is underway... More »

National Contacts

Full details of national contacts »

Convention on Biological Diversity

Mr. Ahmed Esmaeil Al Hashmi

CBD Primary NFP, Protected Areas NFP

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Ms. Hiba Obaid AlShehhi

Cartagena Protocol Primary NFP, BCH NFP