Environmental Conservation in the UAE: Local Roots with Global Ambitions

Environmental Conservation in the UAE: Local Roots with Global Ambitions with H. E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak and Frederic Launay April 12, 2015 Environmental conservation has been a longstanding concern as the United Arab Emirates has sought to balance rapid socioeconomic development and the protection of its natural heritage. Standing at the nexus of the UAEs various environmental conservation efforts is H. E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretarygeneral of the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, mandated with protecting the emirates environment and enhancing its biodiversity. Al Mubarak is also the managing director of the Emirates Wildlife Society, in association with the World Wildlife Fund (EWSWWF), as well as the Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, a philanthropic endowment established to provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives worldwide. Al Mubarak discussed the challenges the UAE faces in protecting its unique fauna and flora in the face