NYN | News
The Yemeni island of Socotra, the “jewel of biodiversity,” faces an unprecedented threat to one of its most iconic natural symbols — the Dragon’s Blood Tree — now standing on the brink of extinction due to climate change and regional conflicts.
American journalist Annika Hammerschlag, correspondent for the Associated Press, said in an interview with the U.S. network PBS on Thursday that instability in Yemen and the growing Emirati influence in Socotra have severely limited environmental protection efforts.
She quoted one analyst as saying: “Yemen has 99 problems, and dealing with climate change has become a luxury amid prolonged conflict and regional tensions.”
Hammerschlag explained that the island, located in the Indian Ocean, is among the world’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity, hosting plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
Among these species is the Dragon’s Blood Tree, which now faces a real struggle for survival due to recurrent cyclones, declining rainfall, and the spread of goats that devour young saplings before they can mature.
Describing the island, Hammerschlag said:
“Socotra looks unlike any other place I’ve ever visited. Its flora seems almost surreal — from bottle trees to frankincense trees, and the Dragon’s Blood Tree that oozes a red sap resembling blood, making it a unique symbol of the island and featured on its currency.”
She added that these trees are not only an environmental or touristic symbol but also play a vital ecological role: they capture moisture from fog and transfer it to the soil, helping other plants survive amid increasing drought conditions.
Despite these challenges, the journalist expressed admiration for the local communities’ determination to protect their natural heritage — citing, for example, the al-Kabani family, which runs a small private nursery dedicated to cultivating Dragon’s Blood Trees and uses limited means to shield young plants from wind and grazing goats.
She concluded by saying that the extinction of the Dragon’s Blood Tree would not only mean the loss of the island’s emblem but also the collapse of an entire ecological and touristic system — a loss for all life on the island.
It is worth noting that in late 2019, the UK-based Middle East Monitor revealed that UAE forces in Yemen had transferred rare Dragon’s Blood Trees — classified by UNESCO as part of protected reserves — to Emirati territory in secret operations.
The report indicated that during the year prior to publication, UAE forces had also transported coral reefs and rare birds from Socotra without any coordination with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, following their deployment on the island in April 2018.
Yemeni human rights activists have likewise accused Abu Dhabi of attempting to erase Socotra’s environmental and cultural identity by destroying its natural landmarks and displacing its inhabitants, with the goal of turning the island into military bases and tourism facilities under Emirati control. They also criticized the Yemeni government’s silence, describing it as complacency toward what they called “the UAE’s clear and deliberate ambitions.”
