The need to protect biodiversity for sustainable development

A scene from Socotra island where many rare pants species are found. Photo by Mohammed Saeed Nouman

Biodiversity in Yemen acquires a special importance for the researchers and the government that are interested in developing forests and natural plants as well as grazing areas and genealogical sources of plants, and for taking care f gathering and publishing information about plants and animals threatened by extinction.
Participants in a seminar on biodiversity in Yemen have asserted the importance of supporting researches and studies for the purpose of completing aspects of knowledge in this area and also for paying attention to social, human and economic factors in development projects and activities pertaining to protection of environment and safeguarding bidiversity.
For this reason the concerned parties do intend to pay attention and care to Ecotourism and to work for defining the areas rich with biodiversity and also the presence of creatures threatened by perishing. The main aim is to protect them in coordination with all concerned sides and those having interest in biodiversity, such as governmental and non-governmental organisations and the private sector in order to safeguard biodiversity in Yemen.
The seminar has affirmed the necessity of enhancing the woman role socially,culturally and scientifically and also to enhance her capabilities in protection of biodiversity and its sustainable use. In addition, the goal is to work for building botany gardens aimed for keeping and safeguarding plants as well as animal ones to protect them against extinction.
The participants have considered the marine life biodiversity as playing an important role in nutrition and therefore should be taken care of and protected against traditional and random fishing. Dr Abdulkareem Nasher talked in a working paper he presented to the seminar about the great diversity of wild plants in the island of Socotra where there are 850 species of wild plants, among them 59 very rare species and 35 species threatened to perish. Dr Ali Khamis’ working paper on the other hand affirmed that the number of plant species in Yemen reaches to 2000.
The participants in the seminar recommended the concerned parties to work for facing the causes that led to damage the biodiversity such as taking the cutting of trees as a profession and the random and unplanned building as well as random grazing and the use of harmful insecticides