West Asia countries and stakeholders discuss regional priorities to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems in the region.

Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the United Arab Emirates, the dialogue was hosted by the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi from 18 to 20 December 2023. It brought together representatives of different ministries from West Asia Region, as well as key academics working on animal migration and other transboundary biodiversity aspects.

The West Asia region has a high number of endemic species of plants and animals – 11.5% of over 3000 plant species, 23 species of mammals and 21 bird species are endemic to the region. Coastal and inland wetlands ecosystems support millions of bird populations migrating between Europe, Central Asia and Africa. Marine ecosystems host expansive coral reefs and the second largest dugong population in the world.

The objective of the dialogue was to foster and strengthen regional cooperation to address common and shared challenges relating to biodiversity and ecosystems, including issues that transcend national boundaries, such as animal and bird migration, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, transboundary diseases within the context of the One Health Initiative, and integrated management of land, oceans, inland waters, and related ecosystems.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Abdul-Majeid Haddad, the Deputy Regional Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for West Asia, thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the meeting and reiterated the urgent need to protect, conserve and sustainably use biodiversity considering the triple planetary crisis, and said: “the region has rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems adapted to arid and semi-arid climate. Although the West Asian countries have instituted laws and policies for the protection of environment, there is a need to strengthen institutions and build capacity to support the effective implementation. Conservation of biodiversity requires a collaborative and regional approach”. He further added: “The Regional Dialogue on Biodiversity Beyond Borders seeks to identify priorities for regional cooperation, exchange knowledge and best practices, including experience in enforcing laws and regulations, updating policy instruments for conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems”.

Welcoming the participants, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector said, “The UAE is taking confident steps to preserve, develop, and sustain our environment and natural resources to preserve wildlife, ecosystems, and biodiversity at home and abroad.” He added: “COP28 concluded with the historic UAE Consensus. The event also successfully mobilized over $2.6 billion to finance climate and nature solutions, in addition to the announcement of the update to the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan”. He also discussed the UAE’s efforts to increase the number of natural reserves, which reflects on the UAE’s progress in preserving biodiversity.

Mrs. Rouba Abou-Atieh, Executive Coordinator of CMS Office, Abu Dhabi, added: “Regional cooperation is crucial as demonstrated by the great work that allowed the building of the “2030 Seagrass Breakthrough” announced at COP28 and of the upcoming establishment of a Regional initiative to address illegal hunting under the auspices of CMS.”

The outcome of this dialogue will identify priorities for regional cooperation,  strengthening collaborative efforts to fulfill commitments made under the relevant multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) such as Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Raptors Monitoring Strategy for West Asia based on the data submitted by the countries was also discussed as a mechanism to deliver the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia.

Government representatives and technical experts directly engaged in the implementation of MEAs also participated in the dialogue.