Fri 20 December 2024:
The UAE has been accused of exacerbating environmental damage in Yemen’s Socotra Island by introducing invasive agricultural seedlings since assuming control of the island in 2017. Local experts have condemned UAE-owned companies for distributing thousands of seedlings that threaten Socotra’s fragile ecosystem, reports the Yemen Press Agency.
The UAE-owned Eastern Triangle Holding Company recently launched an initiative to distribute over 8,000 seedlings, including cantaloupe, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and aubergine, the agency noted. These were handed to local population leaders for distribution to farming families, ostensibly to support food security. However, local experts fear the UAE’s actions could irreversibly damage this unparalleled biodiversity.
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“This is like selling Zamzam water in Makkah,” remarked Ahmed Al Rumaili, head of the Socotra Foundation for Cultural and Natural Heritage. “Socotra is a vast natural garden, home to more than 800 plant species, including over 100 found nowhere else on Earth.”
Last year a UNESCO field survey confirmed that invasive species, mostly introduced for agriculture or decoration, pose a significant threat to Socotra’s economy and biodiversity. It identified at least 126 exotic plant and insect species, raising alarm over the long-term impact on the island’s unique ecosystem.
Socotra’s isolation has created a biodiversity hotspot, with 37 per cent of its plant species, 42 per cent of insects and 98 per cent of terrestrial snails found nowhere else in the world. The archipelago also boasts remarkable marine life, with 253 reef-building coral species and 729 coastal fish species.
-MEMO
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