By Gabrielle Wade
21 October 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: In an effort to conserve the biodiversity and resources unique to the Socotra islands, Yemen, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), the Ministry of Water and Environment (MOWE) and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC) signed a deal to support human development for locals.
The Socotra islands, which have been nicknamed the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean,” are home to many rare plants and animals, but recent development issues, including off-shore oil development, illegal industrial fishery practices, waste management, and unsustainable management of rangeland, threaten their biodiversity and sustainable development.
Socotra Archipelago Conservation and Development Programme (SCDP) Public Relations Representative Essam Al Solaihy told MediaGlobal, “We are helping the government in setting up tourism rules, plans and studies in archaeology. Also, the project has established the Socotra Eco-Tourism Society (SES) non-governmental organization to help in organizing the tourism among the Socotri drivers and guides.”
Community in Afsar village on Socotra island (Photo: UNDP)
Eco-tourism is an important means of economic gains for the islanders, so the program has also trained Socotri guides in English and Italian languages, and it has taught them how to dive and bird watch so that they are able to help tourists get the most out of their visits.
Sustainable fisheries are also vital to the islands, so the program has set up monitors in different areas to measure water temperatures and fish population. “Last but not least, we have established many marine protected areas, and we helped the Socotris to change the way of lobster fishing,” explained Solaihy.
The islands were recently added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Natural Sites; therefore, the preservation of their unique traditions and biodiversity are very important to the Republic of Yemen.
To effectively protect local practices and resources, the program’s zoning plan includes three zones; one to ensure natural resources and landscapes are preserved, another to focus on infrastructure and commercial development in areas where habitats have already been changed and resources have been exploited, and finally, to protect natural habitats, both land and sea, that are of particular interest both nationally and internationally, such as national parks.
The program not only aims to protect biodiversity and resources, but it is also intended to address basic community needs; “One of the basic needs is medical services. For this purpose, we put a mobile clinic, which goes to all the villages in Socotra, helping Hadebo hospital,” said Solaihy. The program has also established associations for community engagement, such as a women’s association, Socotra ecotourism, and the Homhil Protected Area association.
For the final stage of the program, the government of Yemen hopes to develop a partnership with the Galapagos Archipelago national park by February 2009 to gain and exchange knowledge from experiences.
The program is receiving financial support from the governments of Italy and Yemen and the UNDP.