- Partnership leverages data analytics, artificial intelligence and electronic integration to monitor shipments across Dubai’s land, sea and air ports, while strengthening the implementation of CITES
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 2026: The Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority (DECCA) and Dubai Customs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the protection of biodiversity and wildlife.
The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the Dubai Environment Conference and Exhibition 2026, held at Grand Hyatt Dubai, in the presence of His Excellency Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, Director General of the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, and His Excellency Dr Abdulla Mohammed Busenad, Director General of Dubai Customs.
The agreement supports the UAE’s commitments arising from its accession to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as applicable federal and local environmental legislation. It establishes a framework for cooperation between the two entities that extends beyond procedural coordination, with the aim of developing an integrated environmental monitoring system that combines specialised technical expertise in identifying protected species with the operational capabilities of customs ports, which serve as a first line of defence against illegal wildlife trade.
His Excellency Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, Director General of the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, said: “Protecting biodiversity extends beyond the boundaries of protected areas to border entry points, which play a pivotal role in global efforts to safeguard wildlife. From this perspective, our cooperation with Dubai Customs represents an important extension of our efforts to develop an integrated environmental system that brings together technical expertise, regulatory capabilities and advanced technologies, enabling us to move from reactive response towards proactive monitoring.”
His Excellency added: “Through this partnership, we are strengthening the exchange of data and risk indicators, while enhancing the capabilities of qualified personnel to identify protected species and their products, thereby supporting faster and more effective detection of potential risks. Guided by our belief in the importance of integrated government action, our partnership with Dubai Customs represents an important step in advancing our vision to safeguard biodiversity and protect our local environment, while contributing effectively to fulfilling the UAE’s commitments and supporting its global efforts to protect wildlife.”
His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Busenad, Director General of Dubai Customs, said: “Dubai’s standing at the heart of global trade isn’t measured only in volumes moving through our ports and border crossings — it’s measured in our ability to protect that trade from practices that harm society, the environment and the economy. Dubai Customs is putting its technological and customs capabilities to work safeguarding supply chains against the smuggling and illegal trade of endangered species, backed by a risk management and targeting system that channels inspection and enforcement toward high-risk shipments and transactions. That balance — facilitating legitimate trade while enforcing it rigorously — extends across every land, sea and air entry point into Dubai.
“Our memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority takes that cooperation to a new level of operational integration, pairing specialized environmental expertise with customs and technological capability. Linking data and risk indicators directly to enforcement systems — and applying artificial intelligence, data analytics and image recognition — sharpens our targeting accuracy and strengthens early detection of illegal wildlife trafficking. It also sharpens our inspectors’ ability to identify protected species and their derivative products, and to act swiftly on suspect shipments. The result is stronger enforcement of environmental legislation and more effective implementation of CITES, reinforcing the UAE and Dubai’s role in the global effort to protect biodiversity.
“Project Zero puts this approach into practice, fusing customs innovation with circular economy principles and making resource efficiency part of how we operate. Through this partnership with the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, Dubai Customs is building a proactive enforcement system — one that anticipates risk, stops illicit trade before it reaches our ports and border crossings, and proves that Dubai’s connection to the world isn’t just about moving trade. It’s about protecting wildlife and preserving natural resources for generations to come.”
The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation in developing joint training programmes and workshops to enhance the capabilities of inspectors and personnel from both entities. It also strengthens the use of data analytics and image-recognition technologies to support the detection and prediction of high-risk shipments and transactions, alongside the development of alert and notification mechanisms.
