Tashkeel announces the launch of Biodiversity Across the UAE, a first-of-its-kind illustrated colouring book dedicated to exploring the rich biodiversity of the United Arab Emirates. Commissioned by Tashkeel’s art and design consultancy, Tasmeem Tashkeel, and illustrated by Tashkeel’s founder and director, Lateefa bint Maktoum, the publication will debut at the Marketplace during Dubai Design Week on 7 November 2026.
Created for adults and children alike, the book offers a fresh perspective on the UAE, inviting readers to look beyond its iconic skyscrapers, ambitious architecture, and fast-moving urban life to discover the remarkable natural world that exists around them.
Beyond the skyline lies another story of the Emirates—one told through the quiet movement of birds, the resilience of indigenous desert plants, the intricate lives of insects, the creatures inhabiting its mountains and dunes, and the extraordinary marine ecosystems flourishing along its shores. These are the living rhythms of a country whose natural heritage is as rich and compelling as its cultural and architectural identity.
Biodiversity Across the UAE seeks to bring this often-overlooked world into focus, transforming familiar surroundings into opportunities for curiosity, exploration, and discovery.
A Different Way of Seeing the UAE
While the UAE is internationally recognised for its rapid development and architectural achievements, its natural biodiversity remains less familiar to many residents and visitors.
From the delicate structures of native flowering plants to the remarkable adaptations of desert wildlife, migratory birds, mangrove forests, and marine creatures, the book introduces readers to the wide range of species and ecological diversity found across the country.
Through detailed black-and-white illustrations, each accompanied by common and scientific names, the publication encourages readers to investigate the colours, characteristics, and habitats of the species they encounter.
Rather than simply providing pictures to colour, it invites a more meaningful interaction with the environment. A bird glimpsed through a window, a flowering plant encountered during a walk, or a creature spotted along the coastline can become the beginning of a personal journey of discovery.
The book encourages readers to connect what they see on its pages with what they encounter in the world around them, turning everyday observations into opportunities for learning.
Created to Inspire Joy, Curiosity, and Exploration
At its heart, Biodiversity Across the UAE was created to bring joy. Colouring has increasingly been recognised for its potential to support relaxation, reduce stress, and encourage mindful attention. By combining this accessible creative activity with an introduction to the UAE’s biodiversity, the publication offers an experience that is both restorative and intellectually engaging.
Its illustrations are deliberately presented in black and white, allowing readers to explore colour through their own research and observation. What colour is the bird that visits the garden? How does a desert flower change throughout the seasons? What distinguishes one species from another? These questions are central to the book’s purpose.
Rather than presenting all the answers, the publication encourages readers to seek them independently, nurturing curiosity, confidence in exploration, and a lasting interest in the natural world.
For children, it introduces the excitement of questioning and discovering. For adults, it offers an opportunity to reconnect with the pleasure of learning, the calm of creative expression, and the wonder of noticing details that everyday routines can cause us to overlook.
A Personal Love Letter to the UAE
For Lateefa bint Maktoum, the project is deeply personal, reflecting her relationship with the UAE’s landscapes and the knowledge passed down through generations of her family.
Raised with an appreciation for agriculture, the rhythms of nature, and the importance of respecting every living creature, Lateefa developed the publication as a way to share these values with a wider audience.
Speaking about the book and her impetus for creating it, Lateefa bint Maktoum said: “This book is my love letter to the UAE, the land I call home, where my roots run deep and my love for nature first began. I wanted to create something that encourages people to look a little closer at the extraordinary life that surrounds us. We often associate the UAE with its remarkable buildings and rapid development, but there is another world here, one that has always been part of our identity. I hope this book inspires children and adults to become curious, to ask questions, and to discover the beauty that exists in even the smallest details. When we begin to recognise and understand the life around us, we develop a deeper sense of connection and responsibility towards protecting it.”
A Creative Publication with a Greater Purpose
The publication reflects Tasmeem Tashkeel’s commitment to developing original art and design projects that draw upon the UAE’s cultural identity, natural environment, and creative talent.
Positioned as the first illustrated colouring publication of its kind in the UAE to bring together such a broad exploration of the country’s biodiversity for both adults and children, the book introduces an accessible and creative approach to environmental awareness.
While the illustrations aim to reflect the characteristics of their subjects, the publication as a whole is intended as an artistic introduction rather than a definitive scientific reference. Each species is identified to encourage independent research and closer observation.
Beyond its educational value, the book also offers an opportunity for families to share experiences, for visitors to discover a less familiar side of the Emirates, and for residents to reconnect with the natural heritage of the place they call home.
Ultimately, Biodiversity Across the UAE is an invitation to slow down, look beyond the familiar, and rediscover the extraordinary in the everyday, because curiosity is where discovery begins, and knowledge is where our responsibility to protect takes root.
Launch and Availability
Biodiversity Across the UAE will officially launch on 7 November 2026 at the Marketplace during Dubai Design Week, and will be available for purchase through the Tashkeel Shop, both in-store at Tashkeel in Nad Al Sheba 1, Dubai, and online through Tashkeel’s retail platform.
