Ministry Of Climate Change And Environment Shares UAE Experience In Protecting Endangered Species With Chinese Delegation

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) welcomed a delegation of high-level Chinese environment officials representing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Management Authority in China, as well as the International Fund for Animal Welfare China Representative Office (IFAW China), and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

Jia Jiansheng, Deputy Director-General of the CITES Management Authority, headed the delegation. Notable members included Cheng Liang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Wetlands Management at NFGA, and Jeff Jianguo, Country Director of IFAW China.

During the three-day visit, officials from MOCCAE’s Biodiversity Department that acts as the CITES management authority in the UAE highlighted the country’s leading efforts in protecting endangered species through rehabilitation and reintroduction programs, as well as its commitment to full compliance with CITES. In addition, the two parties explored new areas of environmental cooperation.

The delegation’s agenda included meetings with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) that acts as the CITES scientific authority in the UAE and with the Federal Customs Authority. The delegates also toured the IFAW office in Dubai, Dubai Airports Security, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (ADFW), the Arabian Wildlife Center, and the Nad Al Shiba Avian Reproduction Research Centre.

The visit coincided with the official visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to China that has elevated the bilateral relations between the UAE and China to new heights.