Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, U.A.E. Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nature and Managing Director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, has published a new commentary in Mongabay examining the environmental risks facing the Arabian Gulf amid ongoing regional tensions.

In the article, Ms. Al Mubarak reflects on the ecological importance and vulnerability of the Gulf’s marine ecosystems, including seagrass meadows, mangroves, coral reefs, and coastal wetlands that support dugongs, sea turtles, migratory birds, and other species across the region.

She notes that nature is deeply interconnected with human well-being and regional infrastructure, including desalination systems that provide water security for tens of millions of people.

“These ecosystems exist alongside the same coastal zones that support cities, energy and industrial infrastructure. Their survival, like ours, depends on clean water, intact habitats and stable environmental conditions.”

Drawing on lessons from previous conflicts in the region, Ms. Al Mubarak highlights the long-term environmental consequences caused by large-scale oil spills, fires, and damage to coastal infrastructure during the Iran–Iraq war and subsequent conflicts in the Gulf.

She explains that the Gulf’s shallow and semi-enclosed geography increases ecological vulnerability, as pollutants can persist for years and spread rapidly across marine habitats.

“What is at stake today is not only the repetition of past damage, but its amplification across interconnected systems. The gulf underpins both regional livelihoods and a significant share of the global energy system. Environmental damage would not remain contained.”

Throughout the commentary, Ms. Al Mubarak underscores that environmental degradation in the Gulf would carry consequences extending beyond biodiversity loss, affecting water security, public health, regional livelihoods, and broader stability.

She also reflects on the long-standing relationship between communities in the region and the natural systems that sustain them, emphasizing that the protection of nature remains inseparable from human well-being and resilience.

“While the financial costs of damage can be calculated, the loss of ecosystems and species cannot. Preventing that damage is not only an environmental imperative. It is essential to protecting the systems that sustain life in the region and beyond. ”

The commentary concludes with a call to prevent further environmental harm and to recognize the protection of ecosystems as essential to safeguarding both people and nature across the region.

Read the full commentary on Mongabay.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of IUCN, authored an op-ed for Mongabay reflecting on the deeper meaning of biodiversity ahead of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, October 9 to 15.

Ms. Al Mubarak argues that biodiversity represents the most ancient and sophisticated information network our planet has ever known, and underscores the importance of understanding biodiversity as more than a valuable resource for sustainability:

“Long before humans developed language or writing, nature had perfected the art of storing and transmitting information. Each species represents a unique library of evolutionary wisdom, encoded in DNA refined over millions of years. When we lose a species, we don’t just lose a physical entity; we lose an irreplaceable repository of information that took eons to develop.”

Through practical examples of how species have adapted to specific conditions of the environment, Ms. Al Mubarak emphasizes that understanding the value of the information stored in nature is crucial for effective conservation:

“How do we preserve this network? First, we must acknowledge its value beyond sentiment. The UAE has demonstrated this through its Red List of threatened species assessments, protected area designations, and international conservation leadership through the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, which has supported more than 3,000 projects across 170 countries.”

As the IUCN Congress approaches, Ms. Al Mubarak reaffirmed nature conservation must be positioned at the center of the conversation:

“Biodiversity offers us the ultimate backup system — a distributed storage of survival information no technology can match. In an era of climate uncertainty, preserving this biological knowledge isn’t just ethical — it’s existential. As the world gathers in Abu Dhabi for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, let us safeguard this living network with vigilance, investment and care — ensuring that nature’s silent information exchange endures as our shared inheritance for generations to come.”

Read the full article on Mongabay.

Razan Al Mubarak was interviewed by Mongabay editor-in-chief Rhett Butler as part of the news outlet’s Conservation Players. The series explores nature and sustainability issues and trends with notable conservation leaders from around the world such as The Nature Conservancy’s Jennifer Morris, WWF Africa’s Alice Ruhweza, and Jinfeng Zhou of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation. 

In the interview. Ms Al Mubarak discusses a range of issues including the impact of COVID-19 on conservation, the role of technology in protecting biodiversity, and her vision for leading IUCN.  

Asked why she is optimistic about the future of conservation, Ms Al Mubarak said:

“I am an optimist because we know that conservation is effective. And every day we learn more about what we can do to protect nature. 

There is no doubt that nature is being challenged, just by our sheer population alone. But despite that, nature is not dead; it just needs our help. 

When I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge we face, I like to think of it this way: there are 7.8 billion people on this planet, and we have 10 billion species. If just one individual out of 10 is empowered to protect a potentially endangered species, we have addressed the problem. So be interested, be curious, and use that energy for good. There are incredible individuals that are protecting nature. Get in touch with them and be part of something that is very fulfilling.” 

Read the full article on Mongabay.

While the global lockdown has led to unprecedented reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, there is increasing evidence that the pandemic is bringing critical conservation efforts to a halt, harming efforts to prevent biodiversity loss worldwide. 

In an op-ed written for Mongabay, the global conservation and science news outlet, Razan Al Mubarak calls for a post-COVID recovery plan for wildlife conservation. 

Over 85 percent of conservationists report they have had to suspend their work during the pandemic, according to a recent survey of 300 conservationists in 80 countries who have received microgrants from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZ Fund), where Razan is the founding director.

“Based on my experience as the former head of the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East, I am genuinely impressed with reports of cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, in my current role as the director of a philanthropic institution providing financial support to species conservation projects worldwide, I am skeptical that there really are significant improvements in the status of wildlife. Because, while the causal link between economic activity and emissions is clear, we have known for a long time that the drivers of biodiversity loss are much broader.”

Ms Al Mubarak makes the case for stimulus efforts to prevent biodiversity loss worldwide. 

“Just as ‘green recovery' plans are being advocated, the conservation community must advocate for a ‘nature recovery plan’ where biodiversity is given the necessary stimulus to recover. This must be done on the back of a robust global biodiversity framework to ensure efforts to prevent biodiversity loss are on par with efforts to mitigate climate change impacts”.

Read the entire op-ed at Mongabay here.