This investigation was produced with the support of Journalismfund Europe and Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU)

The Arab world includes a large number of areas classified as protected at both the international and national levels, ranging from forests, mountains, oases, and deserts to coastlines, islands, and marine zones rich in biodiversity. Data from the Ecocide project reveal that oil and gas licenses in several Arab countries overlap with lands and areas designated as protected, whether internationally or nationally. In Iraq, parts of these licenses intersect with the Huweiza Marshes, the Hummar Marsh, and others. In Tunisia, they overlap with the Kerkennah Islands, protected under the Ramsar Convention, while in the United Arab Emirates, they intersect with Marawah Island and other protected marine and terrestrial areas.

The journalistic Ecocide project, led by the Environmental Investigative Forum (EIF) and the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network, in partnership with 13 media outlets including Daraj, reveals that more than 3,000 oil and gas licenses overlap with over 7,000 protected areas worldwide. The total area of overlap reaches 690,000 square kilometers, exceeding the size of France, despite existing laws and ongoing efforts to protect key biodiversity areas. In some cases, the overlap is partial, but nearly half of these protected areas are fully covered by hydrocarbon licenses.

Over the course of a year, the project compared 315,000 sites listed in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) with geospatial data for 15,000 oil and gas licenses across 120 countries, provided by the sector-specialized company Mapstand. This made it possible to uncover the true scale of the threat posed by oil and gas companies, including major European corporations such as Shell, Eni, and TotalEnergies, to global biodiversity.

The scale of overlap in Arab countries

The project shows that two Arab countries rank among the top ten globally in terms of the area of overlap between oil and gas licenses and internationally designated protected areas (UNESCO sites, IUCN categories I–VI, Ramsar sites, Indigenous Peoples’ lands, and the Natura 2000 network). Oman ranks second worldwide, with an overlap area of approximately 56,000 square kilometers, where 20 licenses intersect with 35 protected areas. The United Arab Emirates ranks fifth, with an overlap of around 14,000 square kilometers, involving 12 licenses overlapping with 17 protected areas.

Most researchers and international bodies rely on the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), accessed via the Protected Planet platform, for statistics related to protected areas, as it is considered the most standardized and objective source. The platform lists various forms of national and international protection according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Some sites may be counted more than once if they carry multiple protection designations (for example, a national reserve, a Ramsar site, and a World Heritage site at the same time).

Protected Planet typically provides two figures for each country: a total number that includes all protection categories listed in the database, and another figure covering national protected areas only (“national only”), as defined by local laws and legislation. Differences between the two figures may therefore appear at times, either because the same site is counted more than once when it holds multiple protection statuses, or due to delays by some national authorities in updating and sharing their data consistently with international platforms.

Below is a table showing the number of protected areas in each Arab country, according to Protected Planet:

Country	Number of Protected Areas (Protected Planet)	Number of Protected Areas (National Classifications)
Tunisia	148	100
Morocco	92	53
Saudi Arabia	79	77
Algeria	73	12
Lebanon	72	63
United Arab Emirates	61	49
Sultanate of Oman	55	52
Egypt	50	43
Kuwait	45	44
Jordan	34	29
Palestine	28	28
Iraq	23	18
Sudan	23	17
Somalia	21	21
Yemen	21	17
Syria	19	17
Qatar	14	13
Comoros	10	6
Mauritania	10	4
Djibouti	7	6
Bahrain	7	5
Libya	5	3

Where do licenses overlap with protected areas?

According to the Ecocide project database, the number of protected areas overlapping with oil and gas company licenses, along with the approximate area of overlap in Arab countries, is as follows:

Country	Number of Protected Areas Overlapping with Oil and Gas Licenses	Total Approximate Area (km²)
Morocco	49	27,700
Sultanate of Oman	35	56,000
United Arab Emirates	31	14,300
Egypt	31	44,500
Tunisia	23	1,950
Algeria	23	5,450
Qatar	14	2,990
Kuwait	10	920
Iraq	7	395
Shared areas between Iraq and Kuwait	4	300
Djibouti	5	775
Saudi Arabia	3	570

Protection Networks in Arab Seas: Advanced Achievements and Parallel Threats

There is no single unified figure for the number of protected areas in the Arab world due to differences in standards, legislation, and declaring authorities, as well as the diversity of protection types, including terrestrial, marine, archaeological, and local designations. However, a study issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in 2024 indicates that, with regard to marine areas, “the region currently includes 122 marine protected areas across 19 countries, with an additional 37 areas proposed. While marine protected areas accounted for only 3.6% of territorial waters in 2020, by 2022 they covered 35.8% of key marine areas of importance for biodiversity.”

“Coverage of protected areas of biological importance ranged from 11% in Lebanon to 74% in Algeria among the 14 countries for which data were available. Some countries recorded notable progress between 2015 and 2022: coverage increased in Kuwait from 13% to 32%, and in Morocco from 42% to 58%. All fourteen countries succeeded in covering more than 10% of key biodiversity areas within their borders. Out of the 14 countries, 10 have already achieved the more ambitious target of protecting 30% of important areas, in line with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”

The study adds: “Most countries have taken steps to expand their networks of marine protected areas, but some still lag behind global targets. The Union of the Comoros is a recent positive example, having announced in 2021 the addition of 11 new marine protected areas, bringing the national total to 15 marine protected areas.”

Despite these positive steps, data from the Ecocide project show that oil and gas licenses in several Arab countries continue to encroach on areas classified as protected, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of these designations and their ability to safeguard ecosystems from industrial expansion.

Gulf case studies: Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar

In Saudi Arabia, the data indicate that oil and gas licenses overlap with three highly ranked protected areas at both the national and international levels: Tarout Bay, the Jubail Marine Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve. These areas provide critical habitats for coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves, as well as for Arabian oryx, gazelles, and migratory birds.

In the Sultanate of Oman, 20 oil and gas licenses overlap with 35 protected areas across more than 55,000 square kilometers. This not only threatens unique ecosystems but also endangers the future of vulnerable species such as the Arabian leopard and the humpback whale in the Arabian Sea. This is particularly evident in the Al Wusta Wetlands Reserve, which hosts around 24% of the globally threatened Arabian Sea humpback whale population (Megaptera novaeangliae), and in Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, the only site in the world dedicated specifically to the protection of the Arabian leopard. According to the project, Oman ranks second globally among countries with oil and gas licenses located within internationally recognized protected areas.

In the United Arab Emirates, project data show that 16 active oil and gas licenses cover approximately 14,300 square kilometers and intersect with 31 protected areas. The country has 49 protected areas, accounting for more than 18% of its land territory and nearly 14% of its marine waters, and hosts threatened species such as the greater flamingo. According to the project, the UAE ranks fifth globally among countries with oil and gas licenses located within internationally recognized protected areas.

In Kuwait, seven licenses overlap with 10 protected areas across an area of approximately 922 km². Among them is the Sabah Al Ahmad Natural Reserve, the country’s largest protected terrestrial ecosystem, covering around 330 km². The reserve hosts dozens of plant species, more than 150 bird species, and around 20 species of reptiles and mammals, some of which are threatened, such as the fennec fox and the honey badger.

In Qatar, four licenses overlap with 14 protected areas over an area exceeding 2,990 km². These include Khor Al Adaid (the Inland Sea), which is on UNESCO’s Tentative List for World Heritage Sites and covers about 1,833 km², roughly 11% of Qatar’s land area. Chevron Corporation holds a license that overlaps with this protected area over more than 1,350 km². This also includes the Al Reem Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme since 2007. The reserve alone accounts for about 10% of the country’s land area and hosts 85 plant species, as well as Arabian gazelles, Arabian oryx, other wildlife, and dozens of bird species. Chevron Corporation’s license overlaps with this reserve over an area exceeding 1,100 km².

Examples from other Arab countries: Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria

The issue is not limited to the oil-rich Gulf states, but extends to most Arab oil- and gas-producing countries, as well as others experiencing an expansion of extraction activities within protected areas.

In Iraq, for example, the marshlands are under pressure from oil fields. The project reveals that four oil and gas licenses in Iraq overlap with approximately 400 km² of land across nearly seven protected areas, most notably the southern Iraqi marshes, particularly the Huweiza Marsh. These wetlands are classified as protected areas by both international and national bodies due to their high ecological value and unique biodiversity. In addition, the licenses for the North and South Rumaila oil fields, shared between Iraq and Kuwait, overlap with an area of around 300 km².

Environmental researchers and activists argue that this oil expansion is occurring at the expense of the marshes’ unique ecosystem. Local testimonies point to serious environmental violations along the border strip of Maysan Governorate, where extraction activities and related infrastructure have led to the drying up of large areas, the depletion of water resources, and the degradation of natural habitats for birds, fish, and endemic wildlife.

In Egypt, according to the project database, the area where oil and gas company activities overlap with designated protected areas exceeds 44,000 km². Around 70 oil and gas licenses intersect with 31 protected sites, with more than 16 operating companies holding or managing licenses that overlap with these sensitive areas.

In Tunisia, 13 oil and gas exploration and production licenses overlap with 23 protected areas across a total area estimated at around 1,950 km², according to data from the Ecocide project. These include the Kerkennah Islands, which are classified as wetlands under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

These licenses are operated by a group of foreign petroleum companies in partnership with the Tunisian Company of Petroleum Activities (ETAP). It is worth noting that Tunisia has 17 national parks, 27 natural reserves, 4 wildlife reserves, and 42 wetlands listed under the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

In Algeria, for example, Sonatrach’s 2023 annual report states that the company is committed to applying the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental protection, and that it follows a comprehensive policy for risk management and the mitigation of potential negative impacts. However, project data show that eight licenses operated by Sonatrach overlap with 22 protected areas, covering approximately 5,300 km² of protected land. We sent questions to Sonatrach, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

What is the 30×30 initiative?

In December 2022, more than 190 countries signed the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes 23 key targets to address the loss of ecosystems and species. Among them is Target 3, known as “30×30.”

The “30×30” initiative, recognized as one of the most important global commitments to nature protection under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aims to designate 30% of the world’s land and oceans as protected areas by 2030, in response to two existential crises: climate change and the mass extinction of species, according to The Nature Conservancy. Today, protected areas cover no more than 17% of the world’s land and 8% of marine areas, meaning the gap remains significant.

However, the continued expansion of oil and gas licenses within designated protected areas, in the Arab world and elsewhere, raises a fundamental question: will this initiative meet the same fate as other climate goals?

This investigation is part of the Fueling Ecocide project series, produced through a collaboration between 13 international media outlets, coordinated by the Environmental Investigative Forum (EIF) and the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network. Participating media outlets: Mediapart (France), Reporters United (Greece), Domani (Italy), Daraj (Lebanon), InfoAmazonia (Brazil), InfoCongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Der Standard (Austria), The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) (United Kingdom), El Espectador (Colombia), 24.hu (Hungary), Le Soir (Belgium), Expresso (Portugal), and InfoLibre (Spain). This investigation was supported by Journalismfund Europe and Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU). Data and geospatial analysis: Leopold Salzenstein (EIF), Daphne Caruana (Reporters United), Alexandre Pratil (EIF), and Yann Philippin (Mediapart). Graphic design and illustrations: Simon Toupet (Mediapart).