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Yemen |
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Location |
South of
Saudi Arabia, bordering Arabian Sea, includes the island of Socotra |
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National
websites |
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Embassy
/ Chancery in U.S. |
Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 |
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Agencies
responsible for biological inventory and conservation |
Environment Protection Board
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Non-governmental
organizations concerned with conservation |
The Arab
Environment and Development Media Forum UNOPS helped establish the
first permanent marine science center on the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea Netherlands
Climate Change Studies Assistance Programme - Yemen (studies Climate
Change) | |||||||||||||||
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Major Natural
Resources |
Some of
Yemen’s greatest natural resources are petroleum, fish, rock salt,
marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper. Also, the soil in West Yemen is very
fertile. The array of
plants and animals in Yemen is greater than in any other part of the
Arabian peninsula. Yemen is
described as having a “mixture of African and Arabian wildlife in one
country” (Wild Life in Yemen). Yemen, especially the island of
Socotra, houses a wide variety of endemic plants that can be used for
medicinal purposes (see Health Page - Issue 21 -
Yemen Times). For example,
the Dragon’s Blood Tree on Soqotra
island can be used for colic treatment and cannot be found anywhere else in
the world. See also: Yemen :
Biological diversity assessment of the Republic of Yemen |
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Major
Environmental and Conservation Issues |
There is a serious shortage of water in Yemen: there are very
limited natural fresh water resources and inadequate supplies of potable
water. Other environmental
issues in Yemen include overgrazing, soil erosion, and desertification. The biodiversity of Yemen is being
drastically reduced due to unchecked cutting of trees and forests for
firewood, major declines in water tables, and massive erosion of the highland
terrace ecosystems. Infrastructure development, especially rural roads and
coastal construction, is also degrading the environment. (see Environmental
Profile of YEMEN). Another
problem in Yemen is Pollution
due to carbon dioxide emissions, pesticides and non-biodegradable plastic
products (25,842 tons in plastic products were produced in Yemen from 1992 to
1996). A problem of
international and economic importance is the use of Rhino
horns for production of dagger handles and ornamental use in Yemen. It is feared that as Yemen grows
economically, this problem will become worse, as more people will be able to
adorn their clothing with rhinoceros horns. *See Health Section of Yemen
Times Online for most recent articles on environmental issues in Yemen. |
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Statistics |
Information Sources |
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Land
area |
527,970
km |
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Area
of forest |
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Query World Resources
1996-97 Data has numbers from 1990 Additional Link: |
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Area
of wetlands |
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Area
of territorial waters |
0 km |
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Population |
15,067,000 |
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Population
Density |
~29
persons/Sq. km) |
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Area
protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels |
There are NO protected areas in Yemen! |
Click on these links and search for Yemen: World Conservation
Monitoring Centre - Protected Areas Information Service |
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Fraction
of land area protected (%) |
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Major
Protected Areas |
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Endemic
Species |
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Birds of Yemen, by
Richard Porter Query World Resources
1996-97 Data Choose Globally Threatened Species, search all types, Yemen,
and check “Endemic species” Wildlife Conservation in Eastern
Yemen |
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Endangered,
Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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Extinct
Species |
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World Conservation
Monitoring Centre - Animal http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/plants/geographic_table.htm
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Species
listed on CITES Appendix I |
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Species
listed on CITES Appendix II |
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Legislation |
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Laws
protecting endangered or threatened species |
Attempts to ban rhinoceros horn trade include “a
1982 ban on the import of rhinoceros horn; a 1987 prohibition on the
re-export of rhinoceros horn; and a 1992 decree banning domestic trade in raw
rhinoceros horn, making it compulsory to register horn stocks and ordering
inspections of rhinoceros horn stocks. In addition in 1987, every craftsman
had to sign an agreement not to use rhinoceros horn.” (The
Rhinoceros Horn Trade in Yemen) |
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Laws
protecting endangered ecosystems |
Citizens
of Yemen vow to plant more trees; Gov't promises to manage resources more
effectively |
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Signatory
to CITES |
Accession
in 1997 |
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Signatory
to Ramsar Wetlands Convention |
Not a party to the Ramsar Convention (see Ramsar Contracting Parties) |
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Signatory
to Convention on Biological Diversity |
1996 |
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Signatory
to Migratory Bird Treaty |
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Member
of International Whaling Commission |
Not a
member: International
Whaling Commission |
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Signatory
to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological
resources |
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Natural Resource Use |
Information Sources |
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Fisheries |
Exported 9495
tons of fish-wealth exports, bringing $20,120,774 in revenues. |
Data
on Fisheries in Yemen—includes a table on types of fishery exports in
1996 |
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Forestry |
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Ecotourism |
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Trade
in wildlife products |
Saudia Arabia just recently lifted a ban on the imports of
livestock from Yemen Click on link for more information about Rhinoceros Horn
Trade. |
BBC
News | Middle East | Saudi Arabia lifts livestock ban The
Rhinoceros Horn Trade in Yemen |
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Hunting |
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Other
uses of natural resources |
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Human Impacts on Natural Resources |
Information Sources |
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Air
pollution |
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Water
pollution |
Click on link to the right for more information on
Water Resources Management |
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Development
activities |
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Introduced
species |
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Database
on Introductions of Aquatic Species - Search Form (search for “Introduced
to ‘Yemen’”) |
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Legislation
addressing these issues |
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Restoration and Reintroduction |
Information Sources |
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Programs
for restoration of damaged habitat |
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Programs
for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered
species |
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Return to Endangered Species
Protection around the World
Page compiled by Sana Ahmedani as a part of a class project in h90
"The Science of
Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor),
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA