emirates7 - The latest figures released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) a 6.6% rise in the total land area designated as terrestrial reserves across GCC nations in 2023. The total area expanded to 390.5 thousand square kilometres, up from 366.5 thousand square kilometres in 2022.

Moreover, mountain reserves located in Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have seen significant growth, increasing from 9.5 thousand square kilometres in 1996 to 14.7 thousand square kilometres by 2022.

As reported in the March 2025 edition of the statistical bulletin, the combined size of nature reserves across the GCC saw a sharp rise in 2020, reaching 352.6 thousand square kilometres—up from 111.4 thousand square kilometres in 2015.

The GCC has consistently prioritised wildlife protection. In 1985, it introduced the GCC Environmental and Wildlife Award, followed by the launch of the Green Gulf Initiative for Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007.

All member states became signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, and in 2012, they joined the CITES agreement, which then came into effect. In 2016, the region further advanced its environmental efforts by launching the GCC Environmental Web Portal to facilitate biodiversity monitoring throughout the member states.