Species conservation has been a priority for the UAE government all along, but in recent years, habitat destruction, over-hunting, climate change and globalisation have contributed to species going extinct at an alarming rate. Concerted action is necessary before it becomes too late, said Al Mubarak, as she appealed to the public to help the MBZ Fund protect the world’s biodiversity and reverse the global extinction crisis.
During the course of Wednesday’s lecture, Al Mubarak detailed the successes of the MBZ Fund over the last 10 years. She also revealed how His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, had helped save species conservation efforts from coming unstuck because of declining financial funding.
Other dignitaries attending the lecture included Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, H.H. Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs (ZHO) and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, along with a number of Sheikhs, ambassadors and dignitaries.
Al Mubarak is very much at the centre of the UAE’s various environmental conservation efforts for she is also secretary-general of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), mandated with protecting the emirate’s environment and enhancing its biodiversity, as well as the managing director of the Emirates Wildlife Society, in association with the World Wildlife Fund (EWS-WWF). In less than 10 years of operation, the MBZ Fund has "repeatedly demonstrated our global impact on the conservation of species. We intend to make an even bigger difference for species, for our planet, for the security of our future generations," she said.
The MBZ Fund provides micro-philanthropic financial support in the form of targeted small grants of up to $25,000 to individual and coordinated species conservation projects worldwide that are engaged in what Al Mubarak calls "boots-on-the-ground, get-your-hands-dirty initiatives to save species from extinction". The Fund’s philosophy is that all species, everywhere, are important and that it is our responsibility to protect the planet’s natural biodiversity - all of it, usually from ourselves. The MBZ Fund has supported more than 1,800 projects across nearly 180 different countries. This support has covered than 1,200 different species and sub-species which are thought to be among the most threatened and endangered species globally. Four previous recipients of MBZ Fund grants, drawn from across the globe, were on hand to share their success stories, reminding the audience that small actions make a big difference and that each of us can make a contribution to conservation in our own way.
The environment and nature were very dear to our Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed’s heart, and the environment has also been one of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s highest priorities. He was instrumental in the establishment of the EAD and the MBZ Fund, and has led significant conservation efforts to protect the falcon, houbara bustard and Arabian oryx within the UAE and internationally.
The MBZ Fund, which is a private philanthropic endowment, has till date awarded nearly $17 million to various conservation projects. It seeks to recognise individual leaders in the field of species conservation whose passion and commitment often go unnoticed, and in doing so, inspire others with an interest in the field of conservation. This contribution is consistent with a long-standing tradition of philanthropy and conservation in the UAE. Locally, significant conservation programmes have been introduced to protect a number of diverse species.
The people of UAE have witnessed first-hand the tangible benefits of targeted and well-resourced species conservation initiatives. For instance, the population of the Arabian oryx, hunted to near extinction in the early 1970s, is currently on the rise and UAE is leading efforts to reintroduce the species to its traditional desert habitat. Through the MBZ Fund, this tradition continues, in the form of an innovative and genuinely international approach to philanthropy and species conservation.
