Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve safeguards biodiversity and natural heritage: Report

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve covers 225 square kilometres, making up about five percent of the Emirate of Dubai, and protects 562 recorded species. The reserve includes 142 bird species, 22 mammals, 28 reptiles, 298 invertebrates and 72 plant species.

Its landscape combines sand dunes, gravel plains and ghaf woodlands. These habitats provide conditions for a broad range of plants and animals while supporting the balance and sustainability of the desert ecosystem.

The reserve is the second-largest nature reserve in Dubai and the first national reserve in the UAE. Its role extends beyond protecting individual species, focusing also on the preservation of the desert environment and its natural heritage.

Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, director-general of the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, told the Emirates News Agency that protecting desert ecosystems forms a key part of Dubai’s environmental strategy. He described nature reserves as a long-term investment in the emirate’s natural capital.

“

Nature reserves are a lon