Nature in the UAE

The UAE is not just desert and skyline. Its mangroves, seagrass meadows, reefs and wetlands are home to flamingos, turtles and the world's second-largest dugong population, and young people can help protect them.

Mangroves: coastal heroes

• Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that grow along sheltered coasts. They protect coastlines from erosion and storm surges, and act as nurseries for young fish and other marine life.
• They are also good at capturing and storing carbon, often called 'blue carbon'.
• The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) says Abu Dhabi's mangrove area exceeds 176 square kilometres, up more than 35 per cent in the past decade after 15 million trees were planted.
• You can see mangroves by kayak or boardwalk in several emirates; go with a licensed operator and never break branches or disturb nesting birds.

Dugongs and seagrass

• Dugongs are the ocean's only plant-eating mammal. UNEP says Abu Dhabi's coast is home to the world's second-largest population, after Australia.
• EAD reports more than 3,000 dugongs in Abu Dhabi waters.
• Dugongs are considered vulnerable to extinction globally. Threats include habitat loss, hunting and entanglement in fishing gear (UNEP).
• They depend on seagrass meadows, which is why EAD protects and restores seagrass.

Protecting the sea

• EAD's Sheikh Zayed Protected Area Network includes six marine reserves covering 14 per cent of the emirate's marine environment.
• EAD reports that fish stocks had been depleted by up to 85 per cent, and that its sustainable fishing index rose from 8.9 per cent in 2018 to 62.3 per cent in 2021.
• EAD has also launched what it calls the region's largest coral reef rehabilitation project, aiming to grow more than one million coral colonies.
• As a consumer, you can help by asking which fish are sustainable before ordering, and never buying undersized fish.

Wetlands and desert

• Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai is a wetland reserve on Dubai Creek, known for its greater flamingos. It has public birdwatching hides and free admission.
• The Arabian oryx, a national animal of the UAE, was extinct in the wild by the early 1970s because of hunting.
• Thanks to breeding and reintroduction programmes, including in the UAE, it became in 2011 the first animal to move from 'extinct in the wild' back to 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List.
• The oryx story shows that conservation works when it is planned, funded and sustained.

Visiting nature responsibly

• Stay on marked paths and boardwalks; desert crusts and dune plants recover slowly.
• Take all rubbish home, especially plastic, which can harm turtles and birds.
• Keep your distance from wildlife and never feed it. Use a zoom lens rather than getting closer.
• Do not drive off-road in protected areas, and follow the rules posted at each reserve.