Wildlife reserves across GCC countries grow by 6.6% in 2023, shows data

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The latest statistics issued by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) indicate a 6.6 per cent increase in the area of terrestrial reserves across GCC countries in 2023, reaching 390.5 thousand square kilometres, compared to 366.5 thousand square kilometres in the previous year.

Additionally, the area of mountain reserves established in the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia increased from 9.5 thousand square kilometres in 1996 to 14.7 thousand square kilometres in 2022 collectively. 

According to the statistics published in the March 2025 bulletin, the cumulative area of nature reserves in the GCC recorded a notable leap in 2020, reaching 352.6 thousand square kilometres compared to 111.4 thousand square kilometres in 2015.

GCC countries have long prioritised wildlife conservation. In 1985, the GCC Environmental and Wildlife Award was introduced, followed by the launch of the Green Gulf Initiative for Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007.

All GCC states joined the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, and in 2012, they acceded to the CITES agreement, which entered into force. In 2016, the GCC Environmental Web Portal was launched to support biodiversity monitoring across the region.