UAE has made great advancements in environmental protection and the preservation of endangered wild fauna and flora. The UAE has set up many welfare programmes for the propagation of endangered species. The Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre helps to provide a sustainable habitat for the rehabilitation of organisms that are exposed to natural or human threats and are at risk of extinction in the future.

UAE has a federal Law No.11 of 2002, regulating and controlling the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Now-a-days people have started buying and selling such endangered flora and fauna through social media using facebook etc. The people who own such animals/plants/their products proclaim they have a prized possession and try to establish their supremacy.

Saif Mohammed Al Shara, Under-Secretary of the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water?s External Audit Sector, has said that online trade of animals and plants listed in CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, through social networking platforms and websites is illegal and can be risky. This practice affects the classification of the UAE in the list of countries committed to CITES. He also said that the public should take note of and support these efforts. The private owned animals require a lot of care for providing a good environment and appropriate nutritional needs as well as taking care of their safety as well as keeping them in control without endangering the neighbors. When these animals are released in the wild, they threaten people nearby.

The Under-Secretary also said the Ministry of Environment and Water is working on following up published material on social media platforms and websites about endangered and dangerous animals for sale. Al-Shara also said that any violation of the terms and provisions of the Federal Law concerning the endangered animals will be dealt with seriously through penalties or prison sentence and the incurring of excessive fines, confiscation and other expenses.