The UAE is marking the International Day for Biological Diversity today – observed every year on May 22 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 – under the theme “Acting Locally for Global Impact”, reaffirming its commitment to protecting natural ecosystems through coordinated national and community action.
The United Nations used the occasion to call for progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets 23 targets for 2030 and five global goals for 2050 aimed at halting and reversing environmental degradation.
The UAE’s Seventh National Report on Biodiversity, approved by the Cabinet in March, highlights significant gains on that front. The country has expanded its network of protected areas to 55 terrestrial and marine reserves, now covering just over 19 percent of the nation’s total land and sea area. Progress has also been recorded in protecting endangered species through breeding programmes, habitat management and international cooperation.
On the marine front, the National Carbon Sequestration Project has surpassed the halfway mark toward its goal of planting 100 million mangrove trees by 2030. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi also achieved a remarkable milestone, raising its sustainable fishing index to 100 percent by the end of 2025, up from just 8 percent in 2018. Public environmental awareness meanwhile reached 89 percent in 2024.
New initiatives this year include an international programme to protect dugongs and seagrass habitats, Dubai’s one-million-square-metre Layan Oasis sustainability project, and Sharjah’s discovery of four previously unknown spider species. The UAE has also issued a new law regulating international trade in endangered animals and plants.
Observed every year on May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity highlights the urgent need to protect the planet’s rich variety of life, from plants and animals to ecosystems that sustain humanity. The day serves as a reminder that biodiversity is essential for food security, clean water, medicine, climate stability, and economic development. This year’s observance also underscores growing global concerns over habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and species extinction, while encouraging stronger international cooperation to conserve nature for future generations.
