Global environmental leaders will convene in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for the opening of the World Conservation Congress, which begins against a challenging backdrop of geopolitical unrest and shifting attitudes towards climate change.
It is the first time the congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature will be hosted in the UAE. The event will draw on views of thousands of scientists, experts and those living on the front lines of a changing planet, to help address the most pressing concerns facing the natural world.
The event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) is expected to draw 10,000 visitors, who will attend more than 1,500 sessions on biodiversity and nature across 140 different country pavilions.
Dr Grethel Aguilar, director general of the IUCN, said the congress is to take place at a moment of immense opportunity. “Over the coming days, this extraordinary platform will ignite bold ideas, showcase groundbreaking solutions and unite the world’s conservation community in a shared mission to protect our planet and secure a sustainable future for all,” she said.
“There is a need to co-operate globally in this area. We are living now at a moment in our planet, globally, internationally, which is challenging. These are challenging times because of geopolitics, challenging times because we are losing biodiversity and challenging times because of climate change.”
Losing faith
In the US, President Donald Trump recently cancelled $8 billion in funding for climate-related projects, while a report by the Tony Blair Institute think tank claimed the public was losing faith in climate policies due to the lack of promised green jobs and economic growth.
During the coming Abu Dhabi conference, the new IUCN Red List of Threatened Species will be launched along with the next IUCN World Heritage Outlook.
The winners of the International Rangers Award 2025 will also be announced alongside the host country for the 2027 IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas congress.
The outcomes of the 2025 Congress are expected to directly shape international environmental policy, Dr Aguilar said.
A united approach is the best way to overcome considerable environmental challenges that ultimately, affect us all, she added.
“The best way to confront challenges is by working together, by being united through civil society talking to governments, and indigenous peoples being part of the equation,” said Dr Aguilar. “We are nothing without nature, we depend on nature and that is the reason we are talking about this.”
Sustainable approach
An international conference that will spur a considerable increase in air travel and traffic during the week long event has not been left out of congress planning.
Alongside the UAE government, congress organisers aim to offset 100 per cent of the unavoidable carbon emissions generated by the event.
Pavilions constructed for the event are being assembled with sustainable materials, while the event is being live streamed to avoid unnecessary travel into the UAE where possible.
The congress is also limiting single-use plastics during the week, and promoting vegetarian food served to delegates and visitors.
Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, and an IUCN councillor for western Asia, said the UAE was a fitting host for a global conservation event.
“This conference comes during a critical moment, when one million species face extinction, and we are losing biodiversity at a rate up to 1,000 times faster than the natural rate,” she said.
“The UAE alone counts for 49 protected areas, covering 18 per cent of our terrestrial territory, and nearly 14 per cent of our marine waters.
“Our mission is clear. To ensure that environmental leadership of our region helps shape the global conservation agenda.”
Dr Al Dhaheri referred to several conservation programmes backed by the UAE with global success, as examples of what could be achieved.
Through the scimitar-horned oryx reintroduction programme, the UAE reintroduced more than 600 individuals into the wild across China, helping shift the species from extinct in the wild to endangered while also increasing local dugong populations.
Elsewhere in Abu Dhabi, surveys identified 25 new species of invertebrates and two new fish species, adding to the world's knowledge of marine biodiversity.
To improve natural carbon collection from the atmosphere, the UAE has planted more than 50 million mangroves.
Discussions during the week will include nature-based climate solutions aiming for up to 37 per cent of the climate mitigation needed by 2030, and work towards closing the $700 billion annual financing gap for nature.
Experts will also discuss how to address the situation where more than 35 per cent of global fish stocks are overexploited and coral reefs have declined by 50 per cent in the last century.
Hiba Obaid Al Shehhi, acting assistant undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector, Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment, said experts will exchange stories and experiences, and showcase innovation, research and findings.
“This congress will focus on five key themes that promote a cohesive, united push to achieve our global goals for people, land, water, oceans and climate,” she said.
“The UAE is committed to enabling global collaboration by creating a platform for debate and discussion, echoing our approach at COP 28, we will put diverse voices at the heart of action.
“We cannot stress enough that if we look after our nature, it will look after us. The IUCN will help us mobilise actions to ensure every country moves towards a nature positive economy, transforming every element of society.”
