The Fisheries Section of the Department of Agriculture undertakes research on the marine environment, although as far as is known there are no marine conservation areas.

Desert afforestation has long been accorded high priority, planting being undertaken by the authorities for amenity and for future establishment of wildlife parks.

The main non-governmental body involved in protected areas and nature conservation in general is the Emirates Natural History Group based in Abu Dhabi. It is interested in all fields of natural history and is involved in the recommendation and establishment of wildlife reserves and zoos, as well as in surveys and identification of species and important habitats throughout the UAE. The group publishes a bulletin three times a year and reports on the status of mangroves. Other bodies include: the Dubai Natural History Group, which publishes the Gazelle magazine monthly and distributes the Emirates Bird Report Quarterly; theUnited Arab Emirates University (Science College) which concentrates on pollution, environmental threats and on recommendations for future protected areas.

Agencies involved in environmental activities in the UAE include the Environmental Department within the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company which assists with EIAs. Surveys have also been undertaken by the Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME). Additional surveys have been undertaken by consultants for IUCN and IWRB to identify significant marine habitats and wetlands of international importance. The IUCN/IWRB report recommended the forbidding of hunting of dugong and turtles and the need to declare their feeding and breeding areas as protected. Surveys have also been undertaken by the Emirates Natural History Group and the British Trust for Ornithology. An artificial island was built to encourage nesting on Khor Dubai Wildlife Sanctuary.

The United Arab Emirates, situated on the Arabian (Persian) Gulf coast of the Arabian Peninsula, is bounded by Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The terrain consists mostly of desert with little or no vegetation; some wooded steppes occur between the desert and the Hajar Mountains in the east on the border with Oman. Dry scrub and occasional trees occur in the Hajar mountains. Woodland areas are restricted to Acacia and Prosopis steppe and patchy coastal mangrove forests distributed in limited areas along 450km of the Arabian Gulf coast and 100km of the Gulf of Oman. Numerous offshore islands and banks are favourable for sea-grass beds and coral reef development. The wetlands, mudflats and saltmarshes of the UAE states such as Dubai are important migration stopover and wintering sites for several species of wader.