Kayak 4 Conservation 2026 in Abu Dhabi

Kayak 4 Conservation in Abu Dhabi is a hands-on volunteering morning in the mangroves of Reem Park on Al Reem Island, taking place on Sunday 8 November 2026. You paddle through the mangrove forest, learn why these coastal habitats matter, and collect and record marine waste so that the data can help protect them.

The session is run by Emirates Nature-WWF through Leaders of Change, its volunteering and community action platform. It starts at 8am and runs for three hours, and the 8 November date is the only session in the current series still open for registration, with several earlier dates already marked as full.

How Kayak 4 Conservation in Abu Dhabi Works

Kayak 4 Conservation is a citizen science activity rather than a leisure paddle. Participants kayak through the mangrove forest, gather single-use plastics and other waste they find along the way, and record what they collect. That information is then passed to the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), so a morning on the water feeds directly into the work of the people tracking the health of the emirate’s coastline.

The activity has a track record beyond this public session. Emirates Nature-WWF also runs Kayak 4 Conservation as part of Connect with Nature, the schools programme it co-developed with EAD, alongside mangrove monitoring, litter surveys, plant surveys and nurdle hunts. The public version gives adults and families the same chance to do real fieldwork in the mangroves.

The focus is on understanding the habitat and recording what is washing into it, not on speed or distance. If this is your first time in a kayak, tell the organisers when you arrive; the morning is built around learning and data collection, not racing.

Why the Mangroves at Reem Park Matter

Along the way, volunteers learn about the ecological and cultural importance of mangroves and the threats they face. Mangroves are part of the UAE’s natural heritage, and they are also one of the habitats Emirates Nature-WWF is working to restore. Its Greening Our Coasts project aims to restore and regenerate mangroves in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates for carbon storage, fishing, ecotourism and the protection of endangered marine species.

Reem Park, also known as Reem Central Park, sits on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, and the mangrove channels that line it are the setting for the morning. Being on the water gives you a close-up view of the very habitat you are there to help, and of the plastic and debris that end up tangled in its roots. Meeting point details and joining instructions are sent by the organisers after you register.

Single volunteers have already made a visible difference on these waters. Emirates Nature-WWF has highlighted one Leaders of Change member whose kayak clean-ups around Reem Island and the Eastern Mangroves were credited with removing more than 400kg of debris from Abu Dhabi’s waters and shorelines.

Leaders of Change: Volunteering With Emirates Nature-WWF

Leaders of Change is Emirates Nature-WWF’s platform for people who want to take part in conservation across the UAE. It works as an annual membership programme, and members volunteer for nature, in nature, often alongside conservation experts. In the first two years after its launch, the organisation reported that members had given more than 14,500 hours to nature, removed over 3,300kg of waste and collected more than 22,800 research data points.

The wider calendar covers mangrove clean-ups, native tree monitoring and wildlife camera trails across the country. On the same morning as this session, for example, members are heading to the east coast for Monitoring Native Trees in Fujairah. Each activity has its own date, location and booking page, and Leaders of Change members should check their member options on the platform before booking.

Who This Mangrove Volunteering Morning Suits

Volunteers of all ages are welcome, although the activity is not suitable for babies, and anyone under 18 can only attend with an adult. That makes it a good fit for families with children who want an outdoor learning morning together, as well as friends and colleagues interested in environmental volunteering, nature lovers who want to do more than enjoy the view, and anyone curious about citizen science in the UAE.

No kit list is published on the event page, so read your joining instructions carefully once you have registered. If you have a question before the day, the organisers offer a contact form and a WhatsApp line on +971 58 599 7234.

Registration is through the Leaders of Change event page, where you select the Sunday 8 November 2026 session. If you would rather explore the mangroves at your own pace on another day, the Jubail Mangrove Park boardwalk is another way to see this habitat in the capital. For more ideas, browse our guide to things to do in Abu Dhabi and our pick of things to do in November.