Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
As the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 commences in Abu Dhabi on October 9, leaders in conservation, climate, and biodiversity highlighted the UAE's role as a global leader in climate and biodiversity action.
Organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and co-hosted by UAE Ministry of Climate Change (MOCCAE) and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the congress, concluding on October 15, will explore the future of environmental stewardship and efforts to advance nature conservation efforts worldwide.
Speaking to Aletihad, Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, IUCN Councillor for Western Asia, and Vice Chair of the Global Council on SDG14, spotlighted Abu Dhabi’s leadership in conservation.
“The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is the largest environmental regulatory body in the Middle East. For the past 27 years, our core mandate has been to conserve and protect the environment to ensure a better life for all citizens and residents of Abu Dhabi. We have led significant conservation and protection programmes through both local initiatives and global partnerships.”
Dr. Al Dhaheri pointed out the restoration of Arabian oryx, a breeding programme launched by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
“Today, Abu Dhabi hosts the world’s largest population of the Arabian oryx. We have also spearheaded the reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx in Chad, where it had been extinct in the wild for over 30 years. This landmark project has led to more than 600 species now thriving in protected areas and resulted in the species being successfully downlisted from ‘Extinct in the Wild’ to ‘Endangered’.”
Moving to ecosystem restoration, Dr. Al Dhaheri noted that by capitalising on technology and AI, including drones, the agency has planted 50 million mangrove saplings.
“We are also leading the largest coral reef rehabilitation programme in the region, with a nursery containing 4 million fragments," she said.
Local conservation, Dr. Al Dhaheri added, must be supplemented by cross-border collaboration.
“The environment and its ecosystems are intrinsically linked, and many of the challenges we face are transboundary in nature. Therefore, the future requires a greater emphasis on regional and international collaboration.”
Hiba Obaid Alshehhi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector at MOCCAE, said the Congress serves as “a true platform for international dialogue on the challenges nature is facing, and how we can come up with transformative solutions.”
“Worldwide, we are losing nature at an alarming rate, we need to act now. Protection of nature is deeply rooted in the UAE’s identity. Even before the Union, Sheikh Zayed was leading efforts to protect species such as the Arabian oryx and to safeguard mangroves.
“Conservation is engraved in the DNA of UAE citizens. But biodiversity does not know borders, so while national efforts are vital, we must work collectively to achieve transformative change,” Alshehhi told Aletihad.
She noted that the event will feature a philanthropy summit, a business leaders’ summit, a youth summit, an ocean summit, and an indigenous peoples’ summit.
“Indigenous peoples are the closest to nature, youth are the voice of the future, business leaders can bridge the gap between nature and financing, and philanthropists play a vital role.”
Also speaking to Aletihad, Dr. Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN, highlighted the global significance of the event hosted by Abu Dhabi amid the urgent need to address environmental challenges.
“The important message is one of hope – that we humans are capable of changing this course, saving the planet, and benefiting from nature, because we are part of nature.”
“The UAE is doing incredible things in conserving nature and protecting species, particularly mangroves. With COP28 and now this congress, the UAE is proving to be a good place to unite for nature and share knowledge among countries.”
