SOCOTRA ISLAND, Yemen

THE ISLAND OF HAPPINESS

MEANING OF THE NAME

HISTORY

POPULATION

LABOR FORCE

EXPORTS

INVESTMENT

GEOGRAPHY

THE RELIEF

THE CLIMATE

ENVIRONMENT

FLORA AND FAUNA

TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE

THE ISLAND OF HAPPINESS

Socotra is a magical island where an ancient language is spoken and where endemic plants and animals continue to thrive in a pristine environment.  The island is ideal for those visitors who have an interest in hiking, snorkeling, and bird watching

MEANING OF THE NAME

The name of the Soqotra Island originated from one old forgotten language-dialect spoken at one time by the pre-historic passers to the island. This ancient term of a name given for the island was "Eipheba Sakhotora" which used to mean "The island of Happiness.

Foreign academics and Oriental historians may pronounce the name in four different ways: Asqo'ter, Soqutri, Sou'qatra and Soqotra.

Ancient Greeks called it “Dioscorida”, while in the Romans' language it is known as "Dyo-Socor-Yahlas" and "Dyo-Sotori". Moreover, one ancient Greek language gave it the names “Fia-Soqa'tra" and "Soqater".

The common belief among island inhabitants is that the name derived from the combining of two words Al-Souq (in Arabic: the market) and Qatra (in Arabic: a single drop of any liquid). This explanation may be the origin of the term Soqotra because the island was historically known as a unique market for selling rare liquid products - frankincense, black oblillnum and the "blood of the two brothers", the sap of the Dragon's blood tree used as a medicine.

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HISTORY

• Separation from African continent in the mid Pliocene (approx. six million years ago)
• approximately 1000 B.C. it was settled by South Arabian tribes
• 1st century A.D. mentioned for the first time in a Greek sailor report
• 1507 - 1557 Portuguese occupation
• 1614 exploration by the Dutch
• 1839 became a part of the British Empire. During the British rule it was used either as a temporary depot and refuge of the British crews and seamen, or as the light-house location for guidance of the marine route for their ships. It was also known to be one military garrison for the British troops.
• 30th November 1967 became a part of the ex-known "South Yemen"
• 22nd May 1990 became integrated island of Republic of Yemen
• 1992 in Brazil "Earth Summit Conference"

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POPULATION

The population of the islands is estimated at 44,000 (source: MOPD-EU Soqotra Development Master Plan), mostly living on Soqotra, and concentrated in the capital Hadiboo and of the eastern town of Qalansya. They live a primitive life and main economic activities on which the population of Soqotra relies upon are livestock, fishing, date palm plantations and primitive household gardens, with some minor forms of primarily opportunistic trade.

As in the rest of Yemen, Arabic is the official language on Soqotra, being taught in schools and spoken in all external affairs, including Government administration. However the people of Soqotra speak a language which is quite different from Modern Arabic. The Soqotri is an ancient unwritten language, of pre-Islamic origin (Amhari and Himyarite languages), with some words of Portuguese, related to the Mahri language spoken in the Mahra region of Southern Arabia. In the coastal areas, most literate people are completely bilingual, but in rural areas and among women and children, Arabic is rarely used and often not well understood. All the inhabitants today are Muslim despite of 16th century Portuguese (Christian) occupation.

In the mountains the inhabitants are still living in caves. They are nomads and descendants of an old South Arabian tribe and they speak the old Arabian dialect that is related to the Mahri dialect.

In the coastal areas the inhabitants are fishermen, mostly of African origin. They live in primitive houses with roofs from palm leaves and tree stems. The windows are small low openings functioning as air condition. In cold winters the windows would be closed. The main income of fishermen in the three inhabited islands (Darsa is uninhabited) is almost exclusively from the export of dried shark and shark fins to the mainland, where the meat is eaten locally and the fins are re-exported to the far east.

The wadis are inhabited by the nomads of Arab origin. They live in small stone houses and their living bases on date palm farming. During the date harvest they practice traditional customs and celebrations accompanied by spiritual dances.
The dates are the only food during the monsoon season from May until October.

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LABOR FORCE

In the major villages a considerable number of people are employed in government jobs or are involved in small scale trade, building and manufacturing for local demands. Commerce is a secondary activity and is limited to some owners of grocery and consumer shops only in the capital Hadiboo.

Except for modest gardening, agriculture is unknown. Therefore food consists mainly of local fish, meat, milk and dates, supplemented by imported rice and flower. Only a few people occasionally eat locally grown vegetables and fruits. Imported food products are not affordable for the vast majority of population.

There continues to be a small but steady influx of people from mainland Yemen. Soqotra is much poorer and less developed than the mainland of Yemen. No industry or large-scale manufacturing exists. Except for fish, very little is being exported from the island. Therefore Soqotra heavily depends on outside support, which mainly comes from the Yemeni Government and some development programs of NGO's and international organizations. An estimated number of 8000 Soqotri live and work in the Emirates, probably contributing considerably to the income of related families on the island.

Due to the insufficient provision of basic human needs, such as access to sustainable livelihoods, safe water, health services, education etc., a majority of the population of Soqotra Archipelago are considered to live below the absolute poverty line.

Cattle rearing

The main part of the Soqotri population living in the rural areas are semi-nomadic pastoralists, living from goats, sheep, cattle, bulls, camel breeding and date palm cultivation. Apart from this, pastures and natural green fields are available everywhere.

Fishing

On the coastal areas in the vicinities of Hadiboo and surrounding villages lives a minority of people of African descent, of whom many are engaged in fishing. Today it is considered to be the main skilled craft adopted by large numbers of the island's population, as the whole region is well known for its large fishery wealth and therefore in those areas fishing is the main source of income. The main stocks targeted are shark, king fish and tuna, which are salted or dried and sold on the mainland. Reef fish and lobsters represent also an important source of income, and are mostly sold to visiting fishing vessels from neighboring countries. At present, commercial traders can command any price, quantity and type of catch from fishing villages, and thus control the local market and level of exploitation. Storage facilities would help local fishermen build their supply and command higher prices. Small-scale ice-plants are currently being developed in the vicinity of Hadiboo.

Wood harvesting

Soqotra dwellers rely, to a great extent, on trees whose wood is used for heating, cooking and as construction material. Dead and live timber is widely used for building, roofing and fencing. As the supply of dead wood is no longer sufficient to meet growing demands, live trees are now being increasingly cut, thus posing a serious threat to the survival of important species (Maerua Angolensis and Metaporana obtusa). Wood is also burned for the manufacturing of lime, which is used in traditional buildings. In addition, herders burn certain woody species i.e. Cephalocroton Socotranus (Ta'an) for their scented smoke, and use it as livestock smudge.

Non-Timber Products

The highland forest trees have always provided the islanders with useful resins, gums, tannins, dyes, medicines, juices, scented woods, such as the famous cinnabar, and some of the above materials are still traded outside Soqotra in the present times. Certain non-wood products (i.e. fruits, roots) are collected by the Islanders and are used as valuable nutritional supplement. E.g. fruits of Cordia Obovata and Ziziphus spina-christi are edible and appreciated by the population.

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EXPORTS

Except for fish, very little is being exported from the island. Most prominent goods such as medical plant, Glue, Laudanum, Myrrh and two Brothers Blood Trees are currently exported.

INVESTMENT

There are certain officially programmed plans that aim towards attracting national and foreign capitals for investment in different projects possible to be raised and sustained in the island. Those, in particular, relate to the business field of frozen and tanned fish for the purposes of their packing, marketing and exporting. There seemed to be a start to establish units for refrigerators and freezers for preservation of consumable foods but especially for preservation of fish, sea fruits and rock lobsters which are sought worldwide and known for their international quality. Investment in exploitation of this resource represents a big chance for local and foreign capitals.

The government of Yemen has recently started granting permits for few internal firms seeking to invest in the crude oil business. Initial surveys indicated the presence of this natural resource along the extendable coasts of the island.

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GEOGRAPHY

Soqotra is the largest Yemeni island, located east of Aden Gulf and around 400 km south of the Arabian Peninsula. It lies between the Latitudes 12,8 -12,42 north of the equator and the longitudes 53,19 - 54,33 east of Greenwich. Hadiboo, the largest town on Soqotra, is home to several thousand people.

The archipelago of Soqotra consists of Soqotra and small islands Darsa Island, Samha Island and Abd al-Kuri Island. These three islands of Soqotra archipelago are situated to the west of the Soqotra Island. The small island of Samha (10x5 km), home of about 100 people, can be reached in 4 hours by boat from Qualansiya. Abd Al-Kuri is larger (25x5 km) with about 300 inhabitants and reachable in approximately 12 hours by boat. Both islands are barren with very little vegetation and drinking water is of poor quality.There are no schools or health facilities. The inhabitants depend on fishing and occasionally come to Soqotra for medical help or trade, but in general they are extremely isolated. The island of Darsa is not inhabited.

Soqotra, the largest island, covers area of about 3650 km2, has around 500 km of coastal line and is more than 130 km long from east to west, and 40 km from north to south, with a spine of spectacular 1,500 m mountains along its length. The mountains are connected to relief, which has the name Qolhal. The local people call it A’rjeeb. The highest peak is the mountain Mumi in the eastern part of the island, where the Dragon's blood tree grows.

Bounded to the north and south by the deep waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, the seas immediately around these islands are very shallow, with depths of as little as 40 m recorded 50 km south and 20 km north of Soqotra.

The island is geographically, environmentally and culturally distinctive from the continent, but administratively it is related to the province of Aden even if it lies about 690 km far from Aden. Due to its geographical location, Soqotra represents the enter-linking point of the Arabian Peninsula, Africa and India.

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THE RELIEF

In the island four types of relief could be found:

The mountains: The most important is the mountainous range of Hajhar Mountains which are located at the eastern part of the island along Arida Bay, overlooking the island of capital Hadiboo and extending north easterly to south westerly at a distance of 25 km. The highest peak is Dawkam with 1630 m above the sea level.

The central plateau: It occupies most of the island area and is parted by Wadi Tatrat (Tatrat valley) into two parts: the eastern and the western plateau.

Coastal plains: The coastal plains are situated in the north and south of the island while there are no plains in the east or west of the island due to the extension of drifts to the coast. The northern coastal plain is named Hadiboo plain and the southern Nawjad plain by the island inhabitants.

The wadis (valleys): The plains are interspersed by many valleys that run some in the northern part and some in the southern part of the island. The most important is Azroo valley which intersects the island from north to south in addition to the valleys springing out from the Hajhar Mountains which are characterized for their running water all along the year.

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THE CLIMATE

The island is prevailed generally with relatively hot weather of which the average daily temperature in Hajhar Mountains ranges between 25 - 28 °C. In June and July however the temperatures reach its extreme and fall during January and February.

The average humidity ratio ranges between max 55 % in August and min 7 % in January.

The island is subjected to sharp southern westerly winds during the summer months (June, July, August) with an average speed between 13 -18 km/h, whose speed decreases gradually during September till they end at the beginning of October.

The average annual rainfall of the island is 150 -170 mm but this quantity fluctuates to a great extent from one year to another.

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ENVIRONMENT

In many inland areas the planting of even a single living tree cannot be done without the agreement of a council of village leaders. Such traditional management methods have survived because the islands have been remarkably cut off from the outside world and from the mixed blessings of development.

The virginity of the natural environment in the islands is largely due to the respect that Soqotrean traditions have for natural resources - for instance, camels are deliberately excluded from large areas of the island because they can upset the delicate balance in the plant communities there.

A possible explanation for the large numbers of fish close to shore here is that there is almost no fishery for inshore fish at any of these islands. Most of the local villagers still catch only what they need for their daily personal consumption, and nothing more. But this situation is likely to change quickly, in particular for relatively high value species of shallow water animals, such as the rock lobster. In a classic demonstration of unsustainable fisheries, the lobster population of nearby the mainland of Yemen has been decimated in the past three or four years. Now the lobster boats are looking for other sources, with Soqotra as the obvious target.

The first signs of potential problems are, however, beginning to appear. Finding ways to help the people of the islands to improve the quality of their lives through increased education, health care and development, without threatening the future of biological diversity here, is now a priority.

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FLORA AND FAUNA

The geographical location of the island, its relief, the influence of the winds from surrounding continents and isolation from the continents around have resulted in the development of unique flora and fauna in Soqotra. Today Soqotra is a prime regional center of unique biodiversity and is among five most endemic places in the world. It is referred as the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean" while 1829 plant and animal species are present, among them 628 are endemic.

FLORA

From a botanical point of view, Soqotra is historically known for the rare and spectacular plants which characterize the dramatic mountain and coastal landscapes. According to botanists, the island of Soqotra ranks among the ten endangered islands in the world. The island has a very rich and diverse flora while as much as 900 plant species could be found there. Among those species, 600 kinds are rare and at least 300 are endemic while many plant species of the island remained to be studied and yet new species keep being discovered. Around 150 plant species are uniquely owned by the island where no equivalents are available all over the world. It occupies the tenth rank amongst the richest island in the world in respect of unique plantation kind and the rare ones.

Some people regard Soqotra as a kingdom of medical shrubs and plants and the most important medical plant species are:

Two Brothers Blood tree (Andam or Arhaib)

The name of this tree has always been linked with the name of the island due to its fame and importance since ancient times. The tree grows on the of mountains and its height reaches 6 - 9 m. The island people make cracks on the trees trunk and then a viscous red fluid flows and is left till it is dried up. After that they collect it and pack it for export.

The tree is involved in many primitive indigenous crafts on the island. It is further used as medicine and many legends have been woven around it. According to one legend the tree grew from the blood of Cane and Able when the first human crime occurred. As the blood flowed, the tree sprang from it. Another legend says that it grew from a clotted blood that flowed from a dragoon during its fight with an elephant till both got killed. The common name for the plant amongst the indigenous people is Arhaib.

Myrrh

It’s a gum from the trees known in Arabic language as "Murr". They are famously known for application in various medical treatments, together with trees of incense, palm and olives both of which become ripened with their roses and seeds twice a year, while their fruits are annually cultivated twice.

Frankincense trees:

In Soqotra one can find seven species of Frankincense (Ladanum) trees. Nowhere in the world, except on this island such concentration of Ladanum variety is available.

Among other plant species are most common different kinds of Euphorbia - Al-Djeeraz, Al-Amtah tree, similar to the Baobab tree, bottle tree – Adenium Obesum and others.

FAUNA

The animal world is characterized by the original absence (man introduced some species later) of mammals (exception made for bats), amphibians, and perhaps primary freshwater fish. Animal groups that managed to survive on the islands stand out by the presence of numerous endemics, including birds. Many groups remain to be discovered, especially in the marine fauna.

Mammals
The cows at the island derive from the famous "Christian cows", which had been brought to Soqotra by the Portuguese during their occupation since 1507.

Furthermore, the Soqotrian goat derives from imported species from Western Europe and Russia. The goat has a small corpus with a long tail and moves free in big herds in the wide and fertile lowlands. There are no dogs at the islands.

The only beast is the Soqotrian cat that is bigger than a normal cat.

Reptiles
The reptilian fauna is also very rich with 24 endemics out of totally 27 species. There are turtle nesting sites on some of the island beaches, which may be of global importance, and certainly have regional significance.

Birds
”Birdlife International« identified over 22 "Important Bird Areas" on the Soqotra Archipelago. These areas include spectacular seabird breeding areas as well as the habitats of the 7 species and 12 subspecies of endemics, which add to the islands' high ecotourism potential. There are 190 kinds of birds among which 30 species come to Soqotra during the breeding time.

The island has the greatest variety of birds in the Middle East. Furthermore there are certain species, which exists in greater number comparing to other regions of the world e.g. Egyptian Rakhmah.

There are six bird species living only at this island and unfortunately three of them are endangered by extinction: Al-Zarzur Al-Soqotri, Al-Hazijah Al-Soqotriyah and Al-Dirasah Al-Soqotriyah.

Marine Biodiversity
The marine biodiversity of the Soqotra Archipelago is lesser known than the islands' botanical and bird life treasures. Marine biodiversity around Soqotra is characterized by a unique mixture of species from different biogeographic regions - the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, Arabia, East Africa and the wider Indo-Pacific. Recent surveys indicate that the numbers of species of hard corals and fish are comparable to those of the Red Sea, despite the small size of the archipelago. Recent surveys also extended the distribution ranges of many species, including those previously thought to be endemic to the Red Sea or Arabia. Different taxa show different affinities to the regions. The Archipelago may provide the crucial "link" for some marine species in maintaining their distribution governed by the duration of their planktonic larval stages.

There is an amazing variety of habitats ranging from coral reefs to kelp forests, and sea grasses to storm scoured rocks, which are all populated by a fish community different from that ever recorded anywhere else.

The northern coasts of all four islands of Soqotra archipelago are characterized by spectacular and extensive areas of hard and soft corals, particularly of Acropora corals.

Several sites have incredibly diverse communities of beautiful soft corals, and there were huge numbers of large and small fish. The worst culprits are surgeon fishes, in particular the eye stripe surgeon, Acanthurus dussumieri. Almost everywhere there are groupers, mostly the tomato grouper, Dermatolepis striolatus.

At the limestone cliffs on the southern side of all four islands there are surreal landscapes of caverns, chasms, cliffs and sculpted rocks. They are all covered with an amazing array of algae, worms, sea squirts and corals and fish of all shapes and sizes. Sharks are rare guests.

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TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE

Soqotra is not an ordinary tourist place. In order to preserve Soqotra’s authenticity, environmental tourism is promoted. Researchers, scientists and unique discovery travellers are mostly welcome. For the forgotten diamond of Yemen, with such uniqueness of its flora and fauna, with rare natural birds and plants and big strategic importance, maybe now is the time to step confidently towards the future and to become the pearl of the Arabian Sea and relatively shining diamond.

Transportation
The south-western monsoon, which kicks up high seas in time from April to October, has created a physical barrier to access the island since earliest times. Even during the calmer periods landing there may still be difficult due to a combination of logistical problems, including the absence of adequate harbour facilities.

Recently, in 1999, the first International Airport Hadiboo was built. Also the construction of a modern port started in the beginning of the year 1999.

Access by air: There are two direct flights a week to the island from Al-Mukalla and Sana’a.

Access by sea: One can go to Soqotra by a small boat, but just in the good weather and preferably from October 15th until May. It is difficult or impossible to reach it by small boats during the windy season (end of May - middle of October).

The roads: There are 4x4 vehicles available for the transportation across the island but it is slightly more expensive comparing to the continent due to mostly off roads.

ACCOMMODATION

In Hadiboo there are 4 hotels, while in the rest of the island the visitors can only sleep in few public guest houses and schools. However, the best option for overnight outside Hadiboo is camping.

TELECOMMUNICATION

The Island has a domestic as well as international telephone services.

HEALTH SERVICE

In Hadiboo alone, one general hospital is available for providing the minimum basics of health services. It has been supported by a number of clinics.

ELECTRICITY

Most of the people still use primitive lightening methods like the use of stone friction to make a fire. The use electricity is limited to certain building belonging to the government.

IMPORTANT REGIONS FOR VISITORS OF THE ISLAND

Hadiboo region: The capital of Soqotra island with the largest urban centre and situated in the north - east of the island.

Qalanseya region: Situated in the western part of the island, equips many residential - populated quarters and wonderful beaches.

Nouged region: Situated in the southern part of the island, at the south of the of Hajeer Mountains chain.

There are several other beautiful beaches on the island rich with many species of marine animals and fish, especially shrimps.

DEVELOPMENT ISSUES & THREATS

Development Pressures
The Soqotra Archipelago is in many ways yet a step back in time. The mountainous landscape encircled with passing clouds seems to resist development as it does the prevailing monsoon winds. Nonetheless, development pressures exist on Soqotra and have begun to threaten the fragile balance between the Soqotris and their environment. Most Soqotris live without running water, electricity, or health care. There are few passable roads in Soqotra, and only about 20 km of paved roadway. Meanwhile, the Government of Yemen is attempting to address primary development needs of the archipelago by following an integrated and evolving development plan.

The two weekly flights connecting the island to the rest of Yemen are bringing in developers, tour operators, investors, traders and tourists from mainland and abroad. The island is therefore at a crossroads between becoming a popular class ecotourism destination, largely managed and protected by the local people themselves, or becoming a prey for short-sighted developers looking for short-term profit out of the natural resources of the archipelago.

Soqotra Zoning Plan
Other development issues that may threaten the biodiversity and sustainable development of Soqotra include off-shore oil development, illegal industrial fishery practices by foreign fleets, waste management, and unsustainable management of rangeland. In response to these and other threats, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Soqotra Project team developed the Soqotra Zoning Plan. The Project developed the Plan on the basis of extensive consultations with the local people and relevant authorities. The Plan's scientific basis includes the largest terrestrial and marine biodiversity survey efforts ever performed on the Archipelago, involving over 100 national and international scientists.

The status of birds of the Soqotra Archipelago (as of January 2003).

Prepared by the BirdLife International/Darwin Initiative team for the Soqotra Conservation Fund. Please inform Richard Potter of additions or corrections to this list at:

c/o BirdLife International
Fax: +44 (0)1223 277200
Email: richardporter@dialstart.net

The Role of Local People in Nature Conservation

Due to the limited contacts with the outside world, the local population had to be virtually self-sufficient for all primary needs throughout their history. Soqotri people have therefore developed strong traditional rules to protect the marine and terrestrial natural resources they rely upon. Such traditional rules are still to some extent enforced by the local village councils. Examples include, i.e.: ban on cutting of live trees unless with the agreement of the village council and for valid reasons; establishment of marine sanctuaries where no net fishing is allowed; and monthly "rest" period for all fishing grounds.

The isolation of the archipelago was therefore an important reason behind the survival of the fragile ecological balance between people's needs and natural resources until present times. Biodiversity conservation efforts of the Government of Yemen and the international community have thus found an extremely "fertile ground" on the island. The local people have warmly welcomed any assistance aimed at preserving the integrity of the natural resources they rely upon, their traditions and their biodiversity, while bringing an improvement to their living conditions.

Soqotra, the island of dreams

The island abounds with exceptionally rich bird, plant and marine environment that make it very attractive for visitors. Soqotra’s important marine location and attractive features of nature, such as green forests that cover extensive areas of land, can make it a distinctive centre for Tourism and investment. Beside that, certain tourist activities such as fish canning and diving could be implemented in such a rare and naturally protected area. Cooperation between local people and national or international assistance bodies is clue for protection of Soqotra's
unique wildlife and development of environmental tourism in Yemen.

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