“Socotra, the Yemeni island that I’m from, has the world’s last dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) forest. We have other threatened plants too, including cucumber trees (Dendrosicyos socotranus) and Boswellia spp., also known as frankincense trees. I’ve been working with scientists from Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, and other European universities for 25 years.
I act as the connection between the scientists, Indigenous communities and local authorities. I also scout out areas for habitat restoration and work with remote communities to find ways to repair the natural world that work for both conservation and people’s needs. When the plants are doing well, I feel happy.
Socotra’s geological isolation means that a number of plant and animal species here are not found anywhere else. But we are feeling the effects of climate change, especially drought, which is a real challenge for the plants. Another problem is the free-ranging goats, which eat any seedlings that aren’t well-hidden in the rocks. Goats are more important to most local people than are plants, which makes finding ways to control the livestock difficult.
