Time Is Running Out: International Warnings to Save Socotra
NYN | Reports and analyses
In a recent report, CNBC warned that Yemen’s Socotra Island—globally renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity—is facing mounting threats that could lead to the loss of much of its natural wealth, much like what happened to the once-pristine Galápagos Islands.
According to the report, the island, located off the Horn of Africa, is home to more than 825 plant species, a third of which are found nowhere else on Earth, according to UNESCO’s classification.
This exceptional biodiversity is attributed to the island’s long-standing geographic isolation over millions of years.
Climate Change and Human Pressure
However, that isolation is no longer enough to protect it. The report highlights that recurring cyclones, prolonged droughts, overgrazing, and unregulated tourism now pose a direct threat to the island’s ecological balance.
Environmental researcher Kay Van Damme, who has worked on the island for decades, stated that climate change is “the most serious threat,” noting that the island’s small size and climate sensitivity make it highly vulnerable to even minor environmental shifts.
Van Damme noted that cyclones which hit Socotra in 2015 and 2018 led to the degradation of coral reefs, uprooting of rare plants, and soil erosion. The crisis is further compounded by overgrazing by goats, which hinders the regeneration of ancient trees and weakens the natural ecological cycle.
Frankincense Trees on the Brink of Extinction
The report emphasized the threat facing the island’s endemic frankincense trees, one of Socotra’s environmental symbols. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified four of these species as “critically endangered” and five others as “endangered.”
Tourism: Between Economic Need and Environmental Strain
Despite these environmental challenges, tourism remains an important source of income for the local population.
However, the report warned that unregulated tourist activity is becoming an increasing threat. Authorities have imposed a yearly cap of 4,500 visitors and banned the construction of large hotels in ecologically sensitive areas.
Tour guide Abdulraouf Al-Jumahi reported that some tourists engage in harmful behaviors, such as lighting fires near rare trees, leaving waste behind, or flying drones that disturb birdlife.
Local activist Ali Yahya added that violations of local customs—such as inappropriate photography or behavior—have angered residents, indicating that the threats extend beyond the environment to Socotra’s cultural fabric.
A Call to Save the Island
In conclusion, Van Damme stressed the urgent need for decisive action to protect Socotra, warning that the island remains in a state similar to what the Galápagos Islands were 30 years ago. Without immediate intervention, he warned, Socotra could face a similar ecological fate.
