The UAE and Mongolia signed a MoU at the IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi to protect Asian Houbara and Great Bustards through joint conservation efforts.
ABU DHABI: In a landmark move to bolster regional wildlife conservation, the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect the Asian Houbara and Great Bustards during the IUCN World Conservation Congress, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 9 to 15 October 2025.
The agreement, under the umbrella of Erth Zayed Philanthropies and facilitated by the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), was signed by Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, Deputy Chairman of the IFHC Board, and Batbayar Bat, Mongolia’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The MoU strengthens long-standing cooperation between the two nations in the field of environmental preservation.
Recent satellite tracking data has revealed that the migratory path of the Mongolian Asian Houbara ends in Abu Dhabi, underlining a unique ecological connection. This agreement aims to protect both species by advancing joint research, field studies, and sustainable conservation programmes.
Al Bowardi praised the agreement as a strategic step in preserving species integral to both countries’ natural heritage. He said the initiative would harness IFHC’s expertise in avian biology, habitat management and captive breeding to support Mongolia’s conservation initiatives. He also emphasised the UAE’s environmental legacy inspired by the nation’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The collaboration will focus on strategic fieldwork, population monitoring and studies of survival and migration. It draws on years of data collected between 2017 and 2023 to inform targeted conservation planning.
This agreement highlights the UAE’s expanding role in global conservation and its commitment to preserving biodiversity through meaningful international partnerships.
