Within the UAE, the species is threatened by oil pollution and marine debris (plastics). The population within the UAE is likely to be impacted by the global threats described below, however, the extent to which these threats impact individuals that visit the UAE is uncertain.Globally, human disturbance represents a significant threat to this species. Caspian Tern colonies are especially vulnerable to disturbance during the early courtship and incubation stages, during which human visitation results in the flushing of the whole colony, potentially leading to nest or colony abandonment (Cuthbert and Wires 1999 per Shuford and Craig 2002). The effect of disturbance during research activities has been well quantified, with activities such as ringing and cannon-netting representing a large proportion of the reproductive failure in colonies studied (Shuford and Craig 2002). Disturbance due to recreational activities are less well quantified but likely also significant (Shuford and Craig 2002). Much of the loss of reproductive success due to human disturbance occurs through gull predation of chicks during the few seconds of panic flight in which the eggs and chicks of a nest are left exposed (Shuford and Craig 2002). Historically, overexploitation within parts of its global range has resulted in large population declines through the collection of eggs and adults for food and feathers (Shuford and Craig 2002) - shooting of birds is still thought to occur, but on a much smaller scale than in the past;(Shuford and Craig 2002).