The united arab emirates has a very rich biological diversity which includes a range of ecosystems (desert, mountain, marine and wetlands) and terrestrial and aquatic habitats. It has also established natural protected areas that increased from 19 in 2010 to 43 in 2016.

The UAE’s marine biodiversity has been historically used for transport and trade especially fisheries and pearl traders. It is very important because fishes are valuable sources of food, it helps mitigate climate change impact and it maintains the ecological balance. Nowadays, it is facing threats due to to the rapid development, the high pace of urbanization, increased consumption of groundwater, pollution from land and marine sources, over-fishing, and climate change.

• The Environment-Agency Abu Dhabi documented at least 17 sea cows deaths in 2017.
• There was damage to corals following a strong El Niño in 2016 and 2017. The amount of coral mortality associated with the 2017 bleaching event was approximately two thirds (63.3 percent) representing a catastrophic loss to this critical marine habitat.
• The population of sharks is one of most threatened in the world due to the very high pressure of fisheries.

However, the Environment-Agency Abu Dhabi is taking swift action, a survey was made about the UAE’s Demersal fish stocks, it is considered “the most comprehensive ever completed in the UAE”. The results inform a “fisheries recovery plan” for the UAE.

The UAE’s demersal fish stocks are severely over-exploited, with the adult stock sizes of hammour at less than 10 percent of un-exploited levels. In terms of marine water quality, it found that harmful algal bloom incidents in Abu Dhabi waters decreased from 24 in 2016 to 18 in 2017.

A four-year action plan was also released to save sharks from the brink of extinction by the ministery of climate change and environment. 

The National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2018-2021 gives concrete steps to develop public awareness and strictly enforce legislation to protect sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras. The plan’s effectiveness will be measured by reviewing community awareness, improved management of marine protected areas and the extinction risk posed to individual shark species. The action plan will be reviewed and revised at the end of four years in 2021.