YEMEN: Socotri people of Yemen mobilize to preserve biodiversity and live up to the island's UNESCO status as a heritage site

Record ID: 1540214

  • Title: YEMEN: Socotri people of Yemen mobilize to preserve biodiversity and live up to the island's UNESCO status as a heritage site
  • Date: 16th July 2009
  • Summary: VARIOUS FISH MARKET, SELLERS CHOPPING FISH
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2009 05:02
  • Keywords: Yemdunc
  • Location: Yemen
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA4VOHB5BE8F6TMHHYN0040ASN2
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The Socotri people move to preserve biodiversity of their island and to live up to the its UNESCO status.
    Also termed as the "Gal����pagos of the Indian Ocean", the island of Socotra is of universal value because of its biodiversity with a rich and distinct flora and fauna: 37 percent of Socotra's 825 plant species, 90 percent of its reptile species, and 95 percent of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world.
    But local environment activists say the endemic beauty of the island is coming under increased threat from human behaviour.
    "There are problems we faced, like fishermen and people penetrating the protective areas to take the turtles in order to eat or do something else," Thabit Abdallah Khamis, head of the marine life monitoring section at the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), said.
    Socotra's diverse vegetation is a haven of endemic species such as the Dragon's Blood Tree, the Cucumber tree, the Frankincense or the Begonia herb. A local initiative establishes herbariums to collect and preserve plant specimens.
    The site also has globally significant populations of 192 land and sea birds, including a number of threatened species.
    The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.
    "There need to be limited areas for diving to control the people and to bring balance to the protective areas in order not to destroy the coral reefs and life," Khamis said.
    Socotra, which belongs to Yemen's Hadhramaut Governorate south of the Arabian Peninsula, is a small isolated archipelago of four islands and islets (the main island Socotra, Abd al-Kuri, Samhah, and Darsa) in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa.
    Locals are worried the construction of an asphalted road across the island through Wadi Jisfu, which began in 2005, could threaten the archipelago's rich and distinct biodiversity, and evoke the island's status as a world heritage site.
    In July 2008, the Socotra Archipelago was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world natural heritage site, and has attracted the attention of many renowned international botanists.
    The Socotra Archipelago is one of four places in Yemen inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list, together with the town of Zabid (1993), the old city of Sana'a (1986), and the desert city of Shibam.
    But waste management challenges, illegal industrial fishery practices, and overgrazing and over-harvesting of terrestrial and marine natural resources threaten the biodiversity and sustainable development of Socotra.
    Island inhabitants also fear their jewel could soon turn into a mass tourism destination, and some say the construction of hotel complexes is already underway.
    "The tourists ask me a lot of questions about what they are doing here in this beautiful place. I told them they are building. Now everyone pushes his hand in his forehead because the tourists tell me that this is very stupid," said Wagdi Omar Ali, ecolodge worker and tourist guide.
    Several NGOs, national and international institutions conduct conservation projects, such as the Friends of Socotra, the Socotra Conservation and Development Programme, the Yemeni Environment Protection Authority, or the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    "The goal of this is that Socotra becomes an area of animal protection in the future and we export the idea outside of the island, to overcome the distances globally, for the sake of opportunities and the objective is that the island becomes a role model for the protection of animals," said environment activist Ahmed Abdel-Rahman.
    Ahmed Sultan, Vice-Director of the Socotra Environment Protection Authority (EPA), said it was important to step up collective initiatives, and raise awareness on the fragility of the island's ecosystem and the urgency for conservation.
    "The idea was born that it is necessary to combine efforts, that everybody has a task in marine protection, to co-ordinate the efforts and to appear under one framework, under one umbrella," he said.
    The locals hope their efforts will bear fruit to maintain Socotra's UNESCO status as a world heritage site and to preserve the island's rich biodiversity.
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