Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi: Best Regional Environmental Agency MEA 2023

Although much of Abu Dhabi is desert with majestic sand dunes, the emirate also has a variety of other terrestrial and marine ecosystems – from mountains and wadis to coastal and inland sabkhas to coral reefs and mangroves. These ecosystems are biologically rich and are home to 3,800 species of plants and animals. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) was founded in 1996 by scientists dedicated to protecting the region’s rich biodiversity and preserving quality of life, and today, the Agency is the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East. The Agency focuses on the development and enforcement of environmental regulations and policies, data-backed research to track environmental progress, habitat and biodiversity conservation, as well as educational and outreach programmes. The Agency leverages decades of scientific evidence to create policies that set the environmental direction for Abu Dhabi’s government, businesses and communities — without compromising growth and development. It also monitors, analyses and manages environmental data across key priority areas such as: biodiversity, climate change, air and marine water qualities and the sustainable management of waste and groundwater resources. The Agency uses modern tools and technologies for environmental and biodiversity monitoring and undertakes initiatives to boost innovations in environmental data collection, accessibility and assessment. In 2008, EAD established the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG), which includes over 50 members from government, private companies and non-profit organisations. The Agency also established the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital in 1999, one of the largest of its kind in the world, which treats over 10,000 birds annually. The EAD team is proud to carry on the conservation legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed through the conservation and restoration of endangered species and habitats, especially the Arabian Oryx, the Scimitar-horned Oryx and Mangrove restoration programmes, as well as managing 20 protected areas under the Sheikh Zayed Protected Areas Network. In 2022, EAD’s restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems in Abu Dhabi was named one of the top 10 global restoration flagships under the UN Decade on Restoration. With this in mind, and more, the CFI.co judging panel announced EAD as the worthy winner of the 2023 Best Regional Environmental Agency (Middle East and Africa) award.