What should UAE Businesses know about Nature-based Solutions?

At a glance: Nature-based Solutions in the UAE 

Nature-based Solutions offer a powerful solution to the complex challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and socioeconomic development. Awareness and interest around Nature-based Solutions have grown significantly in the UAE since the hosting of the UN climate conference climate change COP28 in 2023.

Local environment organizations such as Emirates Nature-WWF collaborate with UAE government entities, businesses and institutions to explore a range of innovative Nature-based Solutions on the ground.

The organization’s multi-stakeholder Nature-based Solutions Project for Climate, Biodiversity and People project demonstrated the value of coastal ecosystems (mangroves, seagrass, saltmarshes and more) as vital blue carbon sinks, explored the cultivation of alternative crops such as salt-loving Halophytes and drought-resistant native Shu’a trees (Arabian Moringa) to strengthen local food security, and advanced ecotourism to promote the protection of natural ecosystems and growth of tourism, F&B and hospitality related businesses, SMEs and jobs.  

Thousands of volunteers – professionals, families and youth – have supported the implementation of Nature-based Solutions and conservation in the UAE through Emirates Nature-WWF’s Leaders of Change programme, contributing 40,000 hours for nature. 

Through Nature-based Solutions, the UAE has an opportunity not only to achieve its climate and biodiversity goals, but to also catalyze its transformation into a global hub for climate smart economic diversification.

What are Nature-based Solutions?

Nature-based Solutions (commonly referred to as NbS in conservation) are “actions to protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, which address societal challenges, effectively and adaptively, providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits,” according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global environmental body.

In simpler terms, Nature-based Solutions protect and restore nature, for the benefit of people and planet.

What makes Nature-based Solutions unique is that they are designed to simultaneously tackle complex issues that challenge society – such as the growing impacts of climate change, loss of nature and wildlife, food production in a warmer world, job security and economic development.

5 statistics that demonstrate the positive benefits of Nature-based Solutions

Nature is one of our most powerful allies against climate. Healthy ecosystems can help protect communities from climate impacts and instead build resilience over the long term.

For example, forest management can reduce the risk of devastating wildfires.  Restoring watercourses and adding green spaces in urban areas can mitigate flood risks. Agroforestry practices can help prevent crop failures during droughts by conserving soil moisture. 

These five stats showcase the benefits of Nature-based Solutions for people and planet:

1.   Climate mitigation: Globally, Nature-based Solutions could provide around 30% of the mitigation needed by 2030 to stabilize warming below 2°C.

2.   Climate adaptation: Nature-based Solutions can reduce the intensity of climate hazards by at least 26%, lessening their impact on people, nature, and economies.

3.   Coastal protection: Nature-based coastal protection is also 2-5 times more cost-effective than engineered-structures and yield multiple co-benefits.

o   In coastal areas, habitats like coral reefs and mangroves can reduce wave heights by an impressive 35% to 71%, underscoring their value in protecting shorelines and human settlements.

4.   Economic growth and green jobs: Nature-positive solutions – such as diversifying diets, fishing with sustainable ecosystem management and deploying precision agriculture technologies – present $10.1 trillion in business opportunities and could create 395 million jobs by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.

5.   Food security For the food and agriculture sector alone, it is a $4.5 trillion opportunity, according to analysis commissioned by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions.

 

 

Can Nature-based Solutions be leveraged in the UAE?

 

Nature-based Solutions represent a significant opportunity for the UAE. Through the Nature-based Solutions project in the UAE, Emirates Nature-WWF has worked hand in hand with partners to pilot innovative Nature-based Solutions and transform them into scalable, science-based interventions that directly address climate mitigation, food security, ecosystem resilience and community wellbeing.

How do coastal Nature-based Solutions support climate mitigation in the UAE?

In the UAE, 27% of the coastline is made up of coastal lagoons. With habitats such as mangroves, seagrasses, saltmarshes and mudflats, these ecosystems act as ‘blue carbon’ sinks that sequester carbon from the atmosphere. They also provide habitats for threatened species like commercial fish species, dugongs and turtles, while also protecting communities from storms, storing carbon, supporting food security and boosting key economic sectors like fishing and tourism.

These coastal lagoons represent the nation’s greatest and most diverse natural capital, underpinning key economic sectors, sheltering the region’s treasured biodiversity and fortifying climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

The protection and restoration of coastal Nature-based Solutions are prudent for the long-term success of UAE businesses and the multiple vital economic sectors that rely on a thriving marine environment.   

Read more about the benefits of coastal lagoons and their contribution to UAE’s climate and nature goals

How do Nature-based Solutions strengthen food security and sustainable farming in the UAE?

Another promising Nature-based Solution in the UAE revolves around the cultivation of native trees to strengthen sustainable agriculture, local food production and resilience of rural farming communities.

In the UAE, only 0.6% of land is arable and suitable for agriculture. Farms have increasingly been abandoned due to salinization and soil degradation. As a result, our food system is heavily reliant on global supply chains, with more than 80% of our food imported from other regions.

Scientific research and pilot conservation programmes led by Emirates Nature-WWF and its partners show that UAE’s native plants – such as Arabian Moringa (Shu’a) and the halophytes Salicornia and Arthrocaulon – can support the transformation of local food systems while supporting biodiversity and enhancing climate resilience.

·       Shu’a is highly drought-tolerant, requires significantly less water than conventional crops, and offers strong economic, nutritional, and ecological value – making it a powerful solution for sustainable agriculture in arid landscapes.

·       Halophytes are salt-loving plants that thrive in saline environments, such as coastal areas and salt-affected soils, making them invaluable in regions with limited access to fresh water. They offer numerous environmental and nutritional benefits, positioning them as potential local ground superfoods for the UAE.

These plants, adapted over millennia to the region’s hot, arid environment, offer exciting possibilities for sustainable agriculture and the economic empowerment of rural farming communities.

Read more about the UAE’s Native Plants and their potential for Sustainable Agriculture

How do innovative Nature-based Solutions like ecotourism boost ecosystem and community resilience in the UAE?

Tourism is a cornerstone of the UAE’s economy, generating jobs, supporting small businesses and driving innovation across sectors. Ecotourism is an innovative Nature-based Solution that offers a pathway to sustain this growth in ways that are beneficial for the environment as well as local communities.

What is ecotourism? Unlike traditional tourism, ecotourism respects, restores, and sustains the environment – attracting mindful travellers from across the region and supporting local businesses, family-run cafes and tour operators.        

Ecotourism also is projected to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the global tourism industry, expected to reach US$945 billion by 2034 with an average annual growth of 14% (Precedence Research).

As part of research conducted as part of the Nature-based Solutions project in the UAE, 65% of surveyed UAE nationals, residents and tourists said it was very important to protect coastal lagoons, and respondents were willing to pay more to visit a protected area.

The project led to the development of the Umm Al Quwain Mangrove Reserve ecotourism masterplan and preliminary business case, and the eco-friendly Umm Al Quwain ecotrail which offers an immersive visitor experience that showcases the natural beauty and ecological value of coastal lagoons.

Read more about ecotourism in the report Pathways to Impact: Ecotourism Experiences for a Nature-Positive UAE

How can businesses in the UAE support Nature-based Solutions?

At a time when climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity converge as some of the world’s most urgent challenges, UAE businesses have an unique opportunity  to lead with innovative, nature-positive solutions.

UAE businesses can support the  protection and restoration of nature by participating in hands-on conservation through programmes like Leaders of Change. Emirates Nature-WWF’s flagship community mobilization programme, Leaders of Change offers youth, professionals, families, and community leaders in the UAE the opportunity to participate in over 150 conservation experiences, capacity-building workshops, and citizen science activities each year.

Since the inception of the programme, 10,000 Leaders of Change have contributed 40,000 hours for nature, planting and monitoring native trees including mangroves and Shu’a, surveying biodiversity, restoring habitats and helping build kilometres of nature and hiking trails.

There is an urgent need to scale up investment in healthy ecosystems. The World Economic Forum estimates that only US$1.4 trillion is invested each year instead of the required US$3.9 trillion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

Private capital currently represents only 17% of total investments into Nature-based Solutions.  Public, private, concessional and blended finance from diverse sources can play a critical role in bridging this gap.   

Resilience demands a collaborative approach. Through collaborations that unify humanitarian, development, and environmental goals, we can scale solutions that protect both people and ecosystems.

An excellent example of a collaborative approach is the Nature-based Solutions project in the UAE which is funded by HSBC Bank Middle East and is a partnership between the Ministry of Economy (MOEc), the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the Umm Al Quwain Government (UAQ), the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), Emirates Nature-WWF and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

The project partners worked to protect, restore and manage vulnerable coastal ecosystems – including mangroves, seagrasses and saltmarsh habitats – as key Nature-based Solution that contribute directly to climate mitigation while creating co-benefits and opportunities for local communities and economies.

At the national level, the Nature-based Solutions project contributed to climate mitigation and adaptation  goals outlined in the UAE’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under  the Paris Agreement. It also responded to the call to expand efforts to protect  and restore vulnerable natural ecosystems under the UAE’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which aligns with the Kunming-Montreal  Global Biodiversity Framework.

Learn more about the Nature-based Solutions project at https://naturebasedsolutions.ae/

To get involved with Emirates Nature-WWF on upcoming Nature-based Solutions, visit our website.

FAQs

How are Nature-based Solutions different from traditional conservation?

Nature-based Solutions are similar to traditional conservation in that they focus on the protection, management and restoration of ecosystems. What makes them unique is their focus on tackling societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, sustainable development, food security, ecosystem protection and community resilience. These are critical national issues for most countries, including the UAE.

How can my business get involved in NbS in the UAE?

Businesses in the UAE can get support Nature-based Solutions in several ways – by participating in hands-on conservation through programmes like Emirates Nature-WWF’s Leaders of Change, by investing in Nature-based Solutions and by partnering with organizations to design tailored solutions that address societal challenges most relevant to the business sector.  

Are Nature-based Solutions cost-effective compared to engineered infrastructure?

Studies show that nature-based coastal protection is 2-5 times more cost-effective than engineered-structures and yield multiple co-benefits.

In coastal areas, habitats like coral reefs and mangroves can reduce wave heights by an impressive 35% to 71%, underscoring their value in protecting shorelines and human settlements.