The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a powerful tool for assessing future projects and initiatives to avoid their negative consequences on biodiversity and the environment in the early stages. To examine how project developers and planners can maximize the full value of EIAs to manage biodiversity risks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this chapter evaluates the adverse impacts of three major projects on the biodiversity of the Tigris and Euphrates river basin: the Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) project in Türkiye; the Tropical Water Projects in Iran; and drainage projects in Iraq. The chapter illustrates how the lack of a comprehensive EIA in water projects on the Tigris and Euphrates river basin has had diverse and adverse consequences on the environment and biodiversity of the basin. The chapter then provides insights into how the EIA could be enhanced in current and future developments in the basin by improving legal frameworks at the national level, increasing institutional capability and integrating technological advancement into the EIA.

This chapter discusses the need for greater coordination and coherence in the design, approval, financing, and implementation of biodiversity, conservation, and nature-based solutions across the MENA region. Considering the wide-ranging impacts of biodiversity loss on water, energy, and food security, as well as on cultural heritage, tourism, urban planning, healthcare, human rights, and other key sectors, comprehensive and wide-ranging responses are required. This chapter therefore examines the guiding principles of implementing a nexus and integrated governance approach across the region to effectively mainstream biodiversity and nature conservation into all aspects of development planning and decision making. It discusses the need for coherent and holistic legal responses; clear and comprehensive legislation; institutional coordination; biodiversity entrepreneurship, increased biodiversity financing; human rights due diligence; and biodiversity-focused environmental law education as essential steps for advancing the nexus and integrated implementation of biodiversity and nature conservation across the MENA region.

The aim of this chapter is to evaluate the potential role of Islamic finance as a tool for bridging the gap in current biodiversity financing in the MENA region. It examines the legal and institutional challenges to Islamic biodiversity financing in the MENA region and proffers recommendations on how to address them. This chapter examines the legal framework for advancing Islamic financing for biodiversity in the MENA region. It clarifies the role of Islamic financing approaches in addressing the resources gap, the legal barriers to its effective implementation across the MENA region, and recommendations on how to address such gaps.

This chapter provides a conceptual overview of the nature and scope of biodiversity and nature conservation law and policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It explores the different sources of law that underpin biodiversity management in the region. It then discusses the character, status, and force of the different sources, including the interrelationships between them.

The development of blue and green hydrogen has been identified as national priorities in a number of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, most notably Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Qatar. For example, Qatar announced plans for a US$1 billion plant to make blue ammonia, while Saudi Arabia already commenced work on the NEOM Green Ammonia project, a $US5 billion green hydrogen plant and one of the world’s largest hydrogen projects. With increasing investment and capital outlay on hydrogen projects, the MENA region is projected to become one of the world’s largest exporters of green hydrogen by the year 2050 with an approximate export value of US$200 billion. Despite the rise in hydrogen investments, corresponding law, governance, and institutional frameworks to support hydrogen production are yet to be formulated and communicated, and key vectors for implementation remain, at best, loosely articulated, including mission-critical public–private partnerships (P3), which have been so successful in similar contexts. There is a rather limited legal and/or policy framework that specifically relates to hydrogen across the MENA region. The injection of significant amounts of hydrogen into the national energy networks and grids comes with a wide range of questions across the entire hydrogen production and supply chain. A comprehensive legal framework is required to clarify licensing and permitting processes for hydrogen production, storage, commercialization, and export; while health, safety and design standards for hydrogen infrastructure will need to be elaborated upon to limit environmental, social and governance risks. The chapter explores the guiding principles of an optimal hydrogen regulation framework for MENA countries. It analyses current regulatory uncertainties and gaps in the design and implementation of hydrogen projects across the MENA region and draws upon experiences from other regions with legal pathways for addressing those challenges.

This chapter examines corporate responsibilities and accountability to anticipate and redress human rights violations relating to the environment in their spheres of operations. After this introduction, section 2 examines the drivers and contours of the growing recognition of corporate accountability relating to environmental damage. Section 3 unpacks the key scope and content of emerging human rights obligations of corporations to protect the environment. These obligations are as follows: participation, accountability, non-discrimination and equality, empowerment and legality (the PANEL principles). By implementing the PANEL principles in the design, approval, finance and implementation of their operations and projects, business enterprises can proactively anticipate and tackle environmental risks across their entire business value chain. Section 4 highlights practical challenges that must be addressed by national authorities and business enterprises in order to fully translate these norms to reality. Section 5 is the concluding section.