Yemen’s island of dragon’s blood trees under threat
AFP, SOCOTRA, Yemen
Centuries-old umbrella-shaped dragon’s blood trees line the rugged peaks of Yemen’s Socotra, a symbol of the Indian Ocean archipelago’s extraordinary biodiversity, but also a bleak warning of environmental crisis.
Forests of these ancient trees are being destroyed by storms, while replacement saplings are gobbled by proliferating goat herds, leaving the fragile biological hotspot vulnerable to desertification.
“The trees bring water, so they are so important,” said Adnan Ahmed, a mathematics teacher and tour guide whose passion is Socotra’s flora and fauna. “Without trees, we will be in trouble.”