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Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain

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Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Project Document - Assessment of the Hawar Islands and Al Areen Wildlife Park, Bahrain, as a potential Biosphere Reserve Prepared for National Commission for Wildlife Protection Kingdom of Bahrain Aspinall, S., Al Madany, I., King, H., Pilcher, N., Phillips, R., Dosari, M., Al Farraj, E., Khalifa, A., Gillespie, C., Schwarze, H., Wood, S. & Böer, B. with assistance from Mark Beech & Peter Hellyer February 2003 UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC & CULTURAL ORGANIZATION THE UNESCO REGIONAL OFFICE IN THE ARAB STATES OF THE GULF The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Socotra Cormorant colony r Islands rtly rocky coastline (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) Osprey chick ( n haliaetus) Desert Hyacinth (Cistanc ) Field survey in January 2003. Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain UNESCO Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Project Document – Assessment of the Hawar Islands and Al Areen Wildlife Park, Bahrain, as a potential Biosphere Reserve. Aspinall, S.1, Al Madany, I.2, King, H.3,Pilcher, N. 4, Phillips, R. 5, Dosari, M.2, Al Farraj, E.2, Khalifa, A.2, Gillespie, C.6, Schwarze, H.7, Wood, S.8 & Böer, B.9 with assistance from Mark Beech & Peter Hellyer1 1 ADIAS, PO Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2 National Commission for Wildlife Protection, Bahrain 3 Ministry of Works & Housing, Bahrain 4 P.O. Box 1017, Koror, Republic of Palau, PW 96940 5 Nakhimov Ave.2, Sevastopol, 99011, Crimea, Ukraine 6 P.O. Box 6204, Doha, Qatar 7 University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany 8 School of World Art & Museology, University of East Anglia, UK 9 UNESCO Office Doha, PO Box 3945, Doha, Qatar Prepared for National Commission for Wildlife Protection P.O. Box 28690 Kingdom of Bahrain February 2003 1 Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Index 1. Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................... 4 2. Summary .............................................................................................................................................. 5 3. Background.......................................................................................................................................... 7 4. Justification ......................................................................................................................................... 9 5. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................10 6. Assessment process........................................................................................................................11 7. Survey results ...................................................................................................................................11 7.1 Flora, landscape and anthropogenic impacts .................................................................12 7.2 Terrestrial Fauna......................................................................................................................14 7.3 Marine Environment...............................................................................................................21 7.4 History & local heritage.........................................................................................................25 7.5 Archaeology..............................................................................................................................27 8. Current landuse & socio-economics...........................................................................................32 8.1 Tourism ......................................................................................................................................32 8.2 Military.......................................................................................................................................32 8.3 Science and Conservation ....................................................................................................32 8.4 Fishing ........................................................................................................................................33 9. Discussion ..........................................................................................................................................33 10. Justification for candidacy...........................................................................................................37 11. Biosphere designation ...................................................................................................................37 12. Immediate objectives ....................................................................................................................39 13. Long-term objectives.....................................................................................................................39 14. Monitoring ........................................................................................................................................40 15. Further work.....................................................................................................................................40 16. Budgets..............................................................................................................................................41 17. Selected bibliography....................................................................................................................43 2 Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Figure 1: The Hawar Archipelago (after King, 1999) 0 5 Kilometres 3 Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain 1. Acknowledgements His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is applauded for his determination in wishing to ensure the protection of the Hawar Islands for future generations to enjoy. Appreciation is extended by UNESCO to Crown Prince and Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force, H.H. Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, for his support of legislative efforts and the implementation of research and management studies on the islands, and to H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his support and encouragement with regard to recognition of the international importance of Hawar for wildlife. Official interest in UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) has been instrumental in bringing the current study to fruition. UNESCO would like to thank the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for its generous hospitality and assistance during the course of the recent study. We would also like to acknowledge the financial assistance of the Kingdom of Bahrain and UNESCO, without which this study would not have been commissioned. For assistance on the Hawar Islands during fieldwork we would like to thank the officers and staff of the Bahrain Defence Force Abdul Ghafar Mohamad, Yousuf Al Jalahma, Jassim Al Ghatam and Eid Al Khabi for providing excellent logistical support; the management and staff of the Hawar Islands Resort, and the crew of Coastguard vessels for provision of safe passage throughout the islands. Figure 2: Cliff with Osprey net 4 Hawar Islands Biosphere Reserve Study, Bahrain Much useful information and assistance was received from Dr. Mark Beech & Peter Hellyer, both of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Both are thanked accordingly. Thanks are also due to Dr. Peter Bridgewater, Director SC/ECO, and his team of colleagues in the Division of Ecological Sciences, for their earlier essential input and backup, which allowed this study to be undertaken. Mr. Akio Arata, Chief of UNESCO’s ERC/CFS/FIT provided essential financial support for this study, which would otherwise not have been completed. We would also like to thank Dr. Abdulla Bubtana, Director of the UNESCO Office Doha, and his professional team for unswerving guidance and support. 2. Summary Hawar is an archipelago comprising six major and over thirty smaller islands of various sizes, with a total land area of just over 50 sq. km. The islands lie approximately 26 km southeast of mainland Bahrain, close to the Qatar Peninsula (Fig. 1). Bahrain’s commitment to the preservation of the Hawar Islands was formalized in 1995 with Royal Decree No. 2 (1995), which promulgated the establishment of a Wildlife Sanctuary around the Hawar Islands. The legislation to protect the islands was completed with Edict No. 16 (1996) issued by the Council of Ministers, thereby establishing the islands as a formally protected area. This edict has since been further reinforced by the nomination of the islands of Hawar as a Ramsar Site (the islands were nominated on ratification of the Ramsar agreement on 26 February 1997 through Royal decree No. 3 1997), and by the Ministerial Order (MOHME) for the Protection of Wildlife in June 1996. The Bahrain National Charter §3(5) proclaims the protection of the Hawar Islands as a Nature Reserve and National Heritage site. It also states that as a result of increasing pressure on the Kingdom’s limited natural resources, the government should seek to exploit natural resources without negatively affecting the environment or the health of the people. Listed as a Ramsar Site in February 1997, the
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