OUR PLANET
Preserving wildlife and habitats
Preserving habitats
For over 20 years, Emirates has helped support a sustainable ecosystem at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR) which was set up to rehabilitate and protect indigenous fauna and flora. At 225 square kilometres, this is Dubai’s largest national park comprising 5% of the emirate’s total land area. Emirates funds the DDCR and sits on its management board.
Emirates Wolgan Valley resort
In Australia, we’ve been contributing to the conservation of the unique biodiversity at Wolgan Valley, located in the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains region since we opened the Emirates Wolgan Valley resort in 2009. One of Australia’s first luxury conservation-based resorts, it occupies just 1% of a 2,800-hectare nature reserve. Emirates has invested over AU$ 125 million into this project and has since planted over 175,000 native trees and shrubs across the site.
Protecting wildlife
Emirates has a zero-tolerance policy on carrying banned species, hunting trophies or any products associated with illegal wildlife activities. Over the years, we’ve continually demonstrated our strong commitment to supporting CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) protocols in collaboration with entities such as the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
Emirates' commitment to combatting illegal wildlife trade
In line with Emirates’ commitment to fight illegal wildlife trafficking, we have earned the IEnvA Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) module certification in 2023. The certification is endorsed by United for Wildlife.
Emirates actively contributes towards the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce and is part of the Steering Committee of the United for Wildlife MENA Chapter, which was launched in early 2022. Our ground-handling colleagues at dnata are trained in IATA’s Live Animal Regulations and Emirates’ internal policies on carrying wildlife. Our frontline employees are trained to recognise and report suspicious cargo. We have established a dedicated reporting channel to empower our people and partners to stop illegal trade by flagging confidential information that can protect endangered species.