Sharjah unveils new strategy to protect biodiversity and ecosystems
Recommendations focus on science-led conservation and regional cooperation
Sharjah: The Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah has announced a set of strategic recommendations and scientific outcomes aimed at enhancing biodiversity conservation and nature protection across the region.
The recommendations emerged from the Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabia’s Biodiversity, which focused on strengthening science-based regional action, improving response mechanisms to fast-evolving environmental challenges, and supporting the sustainability of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Key outcomes highlighted the need to boost regional capacity in biodiversity assessment and the management of invasive alien species. This includes harmonising scientific methodologies, improving data availability and identifying species with the greatest ecological impact to support evidence-based decision-making.
The forum also stressed the importance of improving regional preparedness for marine wildlife stranding incidents and seabird protection. Recommendations included developing unified monitoring and response protocols, applying advanced research technologies to better understand marine animal movement, and enhancing cooperation in wildlife health and rehabilitation to reduce environmental losses and improve crisis response efficiency.
Aisha Rashid Deemas, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah, said the forum represents an advanced model of partnership-driven, science-based environmental action, reflecting growing scientific maturity in addressing biodiversity challenges across the region.
Biodiversity conservation has become a shared developmental responsibility that requires science-based decision-making, effective regional cooperation and real investment in knowledge and human capital."
“Biodiversity conservation has become a shared developmental responsibility that requires science-based decision-making, effective regional cooperation and real investment in knowledge and human capital,” she said, adding that the forum continues to serve as a vital link between scientific research and practical implementation.
She noted that the authority remains committed to supporting specialised scientific initiatives, strengthening regional and international partnerships, and translating the forum’s outcomes into practical programmes and projects that contribute to conserving biodiversity across the Arabian Peninsula.
The forum also underscored the importance of investing in scientific capacity-building for students and early-career researchers through advanced training and mentoring programmes that connect research with field application and policy development.
Among the scientific outcomes was the global reassessment of sea snakes for the red list, covering dozens of species worldwide. The process helped update their conservation status, identify key threats and set future research priorities to support marine conservation planning.
Launched more than 25 years ago, the Sharjah International Conservation Forum for Arabia’s Biodiversity is regarded as one of the region’s leading specialised scientific platforms, contributing to environmental policy development, applied research and Sharjah’s role as a regional hub for nature conservation.
