ToR Master Plan – Dubai Protected Area Network, UAE

Dubai has eight legally established protected areas covering 15.5 percent or 636 km2 of the territory. Dubai started designating protected areas in 1998 when the Ruler designated two coastal sanctuaries in Ras Al Khor and Jebel Ali. In 2014, an additional six protected areas (Al Maroon Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Whoosh Reserve, Jabal Nizwa Reserve, Ghaf Nizwa Reserve, Al Maha Desert Conservation Reserve, Hatta Mountain Conservation Area) were declared to protect biodiversity and encourage nature-based tourism. Protected areas in Dubai are very diverse, in size and in ecosystems included, ranging from marine and coastal, desert and mountainous. 

Management plans for all protected areas in Dubai are prepared and will be used to help ensure that the protected areas are managed in a way which ensures their maximum protection and enables them to be utilized, as appropriate and feasible, in a manner which will allow Dubai to be a model of sustainable development for the Gulf Region.

Development of a baseline for activities, infrastructure, business plans, regulations and standards is required for future development on both the protected area system and site levels. For such a development, detailed ToRs were prepared to guide the process and to bring together the best qualifications and practices. ToRs are based on extensive literature review and field inspections in all protected areas; stakeholder involvement process was also foreseen as part of the project. The ToRs take into account policies and legislation, management objectives and compliance with international standards and best practices for protected areas and their sustainable use.