Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
National Parks & Protected Areas
The idea of setting aside areas for wildlife runs contrary to the nature of traditional life on
the Peninsula which was, and to some extent still is, all about maintaining a balance with
nature, rather than walling it off. The Bedu flew their hunting falcons only between certain
times of the year and moved their camels on to allow pasture to regrow. Fishermen selected
only what they wanted from a seasonal catch, and threw the rest back. Goat and sheep her-
ders of the mountains moved up and down the hillside at certain times of the year to allow
for regrowth. Farmers let lands lie fallow so as not to exhaust the soil.
Modern practices, including settlement of nomadic tribes, sport hunting, trawler fishing
and the use of pesticides in modern farming, have had such an impact on the natural envir-
onment over the past 50 years, however, that all governments in the region have recognised
the need actively to protect the fragile ecosystems of their countries. This has resulted in
the creation of protected areas (10% of the regional landmass) but, with tourism on the in-
crease, there is a strong incentive to do more.
Books: Arabian Plants
Handbook of Arabian Medicinal Plants (SA Ghazanfar)
Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula (SA Ghazanfar)
Most countries have established conservation schemes, with the UAE leading the way.
Five per cent of the Emirate of Dubai is a protected area, thanks to the example set by the
late Sheikh Zayed, posthumously named 'Champion of the Earth' by the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) in 2005. Sir Bani Yas Island has an important and growing collection
of Arabian wildlife and Al Ain Zoo has been transformed into a sustainable wildlife centre.
Arabia's Asir National Park is the largest on the Peninsula, comprising 450,000 hectares of
Red Sea coast, escarpment and desert. In addition, Saudi authorities have designated 13
wildlife reserves (which amount to over 500,000 hectares) as part of a plan for more than
100 protected areas. Socotra in Yemen is a Unesco biosphere reserve and there are plans to
designate the forests around Hawf and the Bura'a Forest in the Tihama into national parks.
The Hawar Islands, home to epic colonies of cormorants and other migrant birds, are pro-
tected by the Bahrain government.
Although it has no national parks as such, Oman has an enviable record with regard to
protection of the environment - a subject in which the sultan has a passionate interest. His
efforts have repeatedly been acknowledged by the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature. Sanctuaries for oryx, the internationally important turtle nesting grounds of Ras
