Almost half of all mammals in the UAE are endangered, according to new government research that looked at the extinction risk for 1,167 species in the country.
The UAE national Red List issued by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment looked at native and alien species and found 46.7 per cent of all mammal species in the country were endangered.
The Red List Index shows trends in overall extinction risk for species and is used by governments to track their progress to reduce biodiversity loss.
On the endangered list is the Arabian tahr, a mountain goat and the only endemic species of mammal in the UAE.
Our work has contributed to the rehabilitation of multiple endangered species through launching breeding programmes and declaring and expanding terrestrial and marine protected areas
Mariam Almheiri,
minister of climate change and environment
Endemic refers to a species that is found in only one part of the world.
Other species of mammals on the Red List that are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula include the Arabian oryx, gazelle and rat, the sand gazelle, and the jerboa, a hopping desert rodent with oversized ears and hind legs.
The report found 53 per cent of bird species in the UAE were endangered, while 14 per cent were considered near threatened.
“Protecting wildlife and ensuring its sustainability is one of the strategic priorities in the UAE’s efforts to preserve the environment,” Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam Al Mheiri said.
“To achieve this objective, we established an integrated legislative framework to sustainably manage and protect wildlife in line with international conventions.”
They include the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
The project monitored a wide variety of terrestrial mammals in diverse environments across the UAE, and found that of all native species, carnivores constituted 28.2 per cent, rodents 20.5 per cent and bats 30.7 per cent of confirmed native species.
Researchers reported the extinction of three species of mammals in the wild – the Arabian wolf, the Arabian leopard and the striped hyena.
They also evaluated the status of select marine species, including 126 species of bony fish, 80 species of cartilaginous fishes and 66 species of coral.
The country’s seas are home to a variety of marine mammals that represent a key part of marine wealth, not only locally, but also internationally.
There are 18 registered species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and one species of sirenians – the dugong.
In addition, there are major groups of at least four species of marine mammals, including the humpback dolphin.
The species is identified by a distinctive hump, elongated dorsal fin and small pectoral fins. It can weigh up to 139 kilograms and grow to about 2.5 metres in length.
Although little is known about the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, it is usually found living within three kilometres of the shore, in water less than 25 metres deep.
Studies indicate that the UAE has the largest concentration of this species in the world and which accounted for almost half of all dolphin sightings in the country.
The public is being encouraged to report sightings to enable research.
They can be logged at www.uaedolphinproject.org, adding the date, time, location and, if possible, visual proof.
Distribution maps for endangered species have been developed to devise conservation plans and programmes for these species and their natural habitats.
“The UAE has an impressive track record in species conservation,” Ms Al Mheiri said.
“Our work has contributed to the rehabilitation of multiple endangered species through launching breeding programmes and declaring and expanding terrestrial and marine protected areas.”
Endangered animals being saved in Gulf – in pictures
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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