The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is increasingly implementing technological solutions, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and other developments in the field of 'blue technologies,' to protect marine ecosystems. These tools help monitor biodiversity, control the condition of coral reefs, and enhance coastal resilience across the country.
The issue of marine environment protection became a central theme of a two-day event organized by the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority (DECCA) at the Grand Hyatt Dubai hotel. Experts discussed how technology can contribute to balancing economic growth with the preservation of fragile marine environments.
For the UAE, whose economy is closely linked to sectors such as shipping, coastal tourism, fishing, desalination, and offshore infrastructure, the development of blue technologies holds particular significance.
Khiba Alshehi, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment for Biodiversity, emphasized that conservation efforts must serve the interests of both nature and people. She stated: 'We protect the environment not only for our cities; we preserve it for our people. We must ensure that every step and all our actions create a living environment.'
Alshehi clarified that the UAE's approach is shifting towards integrating environmental protection with national development, rather than viewing conservation as something separate from economic growth. She noted that the country has a long-term biodiversity plan integrated into its national development policy, aimed at creating a foundation for economic growth while preserving the integrity of nature.
Furthermore, Alshehi reported on the UAE's progress in protecting areas critical for biodiversity, noting that 'the country has achieved a 98 percent level of protection for key biodiversity areas.'
Marine conservation is becoming a key area for investment, with projects focused on coral reef restoration, supporting fish stocks, and establishing nature reserves. 'When we look at our oceans and coasts, we fund numerous projects focused on key sites, including coral reef restoration. We also collaborate with fishermen and support efforts to protect fish stocks,' she said.
The UAE is also striving to make tourism more environmentally friendly. Alshehi mentioned the recently announced ecotourism policy, stating: 'We have just announced our ecotourism policy and are working on measures that will help support and protect the environment while ensuring the sustainability of human activity in the future.'
Technology is being applied not only within conservation projects. As a major transit hub, the UAE is strengthening its capabilities to detect and prevent illegal wildlife trade across its borders. Alshehi highlighted a significant increase in law enforcement capacity to identify and stop wildlife smuggling. 'Under the country's leadership, we have been able to increase our ability to detect and stop people attempting to illegally transport wildlife species by 40 times,' she noted, comparing this to the situation 15 years ago.
Anuradha Bhattacharya, Director for Oceans in the Middle East and North Africa region, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is only part of a broader technological shift concerning the oceans. 'I think AI is probably one aspect of this, but the broader umbrella concept is blue technologies. When looking at blue technologies... there are different elements, and AI is one of the strongest factors contributing to this.'
Blue technologies encompass technologies used to understand, monitor, protect, and sustainably use the marine environment. These include sensors and satellites for ocean observation, underwater robotics, AI-based coral reef monitoring, sustainable aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, smart freight, and technologies supporting desalination and water resource management.
However, Bhattacharya warned that technologies developed elsewhere cannot simply be transplanted into the Persian Gulf without adaptation to local conditions. 'Solutions must be localized. Sometimes we see robotics companies offering reef monitoring solutions, and they don't even recognize UAE reefs as reefs because it is simply not trained that way. Therefore, a lot of localization is required.'
She added that AI is already being used to track, map natural disasters, and monitor ecosystems, and its potential in sectors like offshore energy and desalination can help reduce errors and increase efficiency. 'AI is widely used in terms of monitoring, but how we scale this... it requires collaboration between scientists, the private sector, and the government to define common priorities.'
Bhattacharya also reported that a large regional study is examining how technology can strengthen resilience across 19 countries and five key sectors: shipping and ports, offshore energy, coastal tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and desalination and water supply. 'We are developing a comprehensive report on the blue economy for coastal resilience. It covers 19 countries, and we are studying five sectors.'
