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Written and photographed by Dr Khushal Habibi

The Farasan islands have an interesting geological past. They are low lying and their surface is composed of fossilised corals forming low hills. The vegetation of the islands mainly consists of xerophytic scrub, herbs and perennial grasses. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the flora are the mangrove stands which grow along the bays of the larger islands. This nature reserve is the only one of its kind in the Kingdom where a large variety of shore birds, terrestrial mammals, sea turtles, multicoloured fish, the manatee, dolphins, sharks, crabs, colourful coral reefs, the rare aloe, sea weeds and mangroves can befound together. This plethora of plant and animal life provides a setting of enchanting beauty and a wildlife treasure which is not matched elsewhere in the Middle East.

AHL dctober 97 II ~ gaze at the waves and the endless body of water. Occasionally they are surprised by the appearance of a school of dolphins which emerge on the surface of the water, swim along the ferry for a while and then disappear into the depths of the deep blue sea. Such sightings always stir interest among the passengers as they scurry to the deck to observe these superb swimmers cutting through the water with total confidence. Riding the ferry one wonders how the Red Sea was formed. This body of water, with depths reaching 2335 m (7590 feet) near Sheibara on the north Arabian coast, is full of mysteries. It takes its name from the extensive red coral reef beds which spread along the steep shorelines. During the winter months strong southerly winds raise the level of water in the north of the sea T he ferry from the ancient port of Jizan to while in summer it is a metre lower than the Farasan Kebir is a daily event which winter level as a result of strong northerly winds. takes place without much fanfare. The Red Sea trough was formed by movements Traders load their pickups and trucks into the of the earth's crust and the crushing of faults hulk of the ship as it sails westward each against one another in successive phases from morning. The merchandise varies. There are Eocene times. Modifications are still taking vegetables, fruits, various sundries, goats, place in the trough as a result of the eastward sheep, chicken and from time to time drift of the Arabian Peninsula from the African household appliances and furniture, headed land mass. During the Miocene the sea had no toward the islands which are inhabited by outlet to the Indian ocean and when cut off from about five thousand people of different ethnic the Mediterranean by an uplifting of the land groups. Some are permanent settlers - between Syria and the Libyan desert, the water fishermen who have been working on the body became an inland sea. Later movements islands for hundreds of years, others are led to the formation of the deep central trough government employees while a few are and probably opened the outlet to the Gulf of people who have come from far away lands to Aden. . work in the Kingdom. They are teachers, Two thirds along the journey a few points of doctors, nurses, technicians and handymen interest appear. These are merely small coral who come to run the institutes and islands, inhabited by shore birds and seagulls. machinery, which makes human life on the Farasanaloe One or two have a few fishermen huts too. They islands functional, such as the desalination are makeshift structures made of wooden plant, the hospital, schools and the port. planks, which are washed by the sea to the shores, and tin The three hour trip is a sombre affair for most of the roofs. The islands themselves are pale brown in colour with passengers. The traders who take little interest in the little or no vegetation. Their surface is uneven and sharp. A mundane journey spread their blankets and sleep the entire closer look at the rocks suggest that their building block is a length of the trip amidst the noise of the other passengers. conglomerate of corals and seashells. Over the aeons the The more enthusiastic Farasanis gather in groups to play dead corals became fossilised as a result of tremendous cards while sipping hot tea. Still others, mostly first timers, pressure and chemical reactions at the bottom of the sea

AHLAN W ASAHLAN -October 97 II and were cemented together into a A majority of the people are thick crust of calcified material. fishermen who fish in the shallow Such binding took place millions of waters of the bays with baited years ago, resulting in the hooks tied to a nylon string. This formation of the islands which gear is not effective in a came to be known as Jaza'ir commercial catch hence the Farasan, or the Farasan islands. fishermen have to spend long The name comes from fares, which hours in the sea. Some of them in Arabic means a kind of date. continue to fish even when the The Farasan islands have an sea is stormy. Unable to return home they spend the night on one interesting geological past. They are low lying and their surface is of the many uninhabited islands in composed of fossilised corals their clumsy shacks. When their formtng low hills. The islands are storage boxes are filled with the full of faults with irregular gullies catch they immediately head for and cliffs up to ten metres high in Jizan to sell the fish. Day or night some places. It is believed that they transport the gutted fish to Miocene salt deposits of the sea the buyers. There is probably a bed pushed up the overlying good reason for their haste. Their sedimentary rocks and produced boats lack refrigeration facilities an uplifted dome area upon which coral reefs A school of dolphins thus they have to get the fish to the market while it developed. Further uplifting of the sea floor raised is still fresh. the coral reefs above sea level resulting in the Agriculture is practised in small sized plots in formation of the islands. The rock surfaces are the wadibeds by some of the inhabitants but due extremely rough and as a consequence the islands to the low rainfall crops do not grow in any have little soil cover but for small portions of the abundance and the majority of the foodstuffs are wadibeds. On Zefaf island, extensive uplifting has imported from the mainland. Most of the old farms resulted in the formation of a 86 metres (280 feet) were built in wadibeds where soils have high dome known as Jabal Zefaf. High coral reefs accumulated over the centuries as a result of the form steep sea cliffs along the shoreline of the omnipresent blowing of the wind. These plots have islands. Sand banks occur where the reefs are to be protected from the livestock and feral absent and salt flats extend from the shoreline to donkeys that graze freely on the islands. The the coral hills. farmers efficiently utilise coral rocks for this Precipitation in the area is low and hence the purpose. Each farm has a one metre high wall islands lack any streams or other water bodies. made of the rocks which come in different shapes Sporadic rainfall does occur which creates and sizes. Because of this the walls are usually intermittent runners toward the sea. These runners irregular. Despite their shape they are functional are densely vegetated near the shoreline. The and keep the marauding goats out of the corn climate is humid and hot throughout the year, fields. though the sea breeze ameliorates the extensive Life on the islands is changing with increasing humidity and temperature during the winter human settlements. Most of the people make a months. The high subterranean water table within subsistence living from fishing and small scale the islands enables the shrubs to stay green farming. Because of transportation costs the price throughout the year. of food commodities, fuel and everything else that The vegetation of the islands is mainly is needed for daily survival are higher. Unable to composed of xerophytic scrub, herbs and perennial afford natural gas as an energy source the grasses. Perhaps the most attractive feature of villagers resort to cutting deadwood which grows the flora are the mangrove stands which grow in the runners. One day as I was on the outlook for along the bays of the larger islands. These gazelles I heard something rustling in the thickets Short lived displayof annual flowers -Zefaf stands produce a picturesque blend of the deep of a runner which I happened to be investigating. I blue sea supinely mingling with the green observed the area for some time but nothing mangroves. Lack of soil cover in seemed to stir. Then I saw a man insular areas has resulted in with a load of wood come out of generally sparse vegetation. the thicket. He started going Where soil has accumulated, in toward his village which was about depressions among the coral two kilometres away. What rocks, certain grasses and sedges surprised me most was that he grow. The deeper wadibeds, was barefoot and was walking on support a substantial number of the razor sharp coral rocks without bushes and trees. Forbs and hindrance. The sharp rocks ruin weeds respond to the sporadic shoes in a matter of weeks. I rainfall which turns parts of the assumed that his feet were so islands to deceptively lush-Iooking adapted to this hostile patches that disappear within a environment that he did not even few weeks. The spectacular, feel the sharpness of the rocks. but short-lived display of annual The fishermen maintain small flowers following the rain belies herds of goats which are allowed the aridity of the area. This to range freely on the islands. colourful display disappears within Each morning the goats and cows a few weeks and only seeds are are taken out of their holding pens left on the barren soil. With time and walked out of the village. They the seeds are covered with a thin start wandering in the direction of layer of soil where they remain dormant for an Goats grazing vegetation where they feed for the entire day and extended period of time until the next rainfall. return home at sunset. The livestock mainly stay in

AHLAN W ASAHLAN -October 97 III the wadis and runners near the genetic diversity is to be villages where the terrain is not maintained. rough thus causing extensive This elysium is rich in damage to the vegetation. Some biological diversity too. It is the of the goats become disoriented in only reserve in the Kingdom the labyrinth of the faults and are where a large variety of shore unable to find the village, or birds and raptors, terrestrial probably like the freedom which mammals, sea turtles, multi- the terrain offers and do not return coloured fish, the manatee, home. Such feral goats roam in the dolphins, sharks, crabs, colourful rough stretches of the islands and coral reefs, the rare aloe, sea compete with the gazelles. They weeds and mangroves are found are wary of humans and take off together. This plethora of plant and when they see someone animal life provides a setting of approaching them. enchanting beauty and a wildlife The islands were a forbidden treasure which is not matched land at the turn of the century. elsewhere in the Middle East. Outlaws were left there to serve The Farasan archipelago is an their sentence in banishment. The important haven for green and islands have also served as a hawksbill turtles, both endangered strategic outpost of the Red Sea. The Ottomans A brilliant hue amongst the dark species. The islands' beaches offer suitable built a fortress on Gumah island during the rocks -Farasan nesting sites for the turtles. The green turtle lives sixteenth century. Remnants of the structure are among the se:9--!;Jrasses and breeds in summer still present to this day. In order to expel the while the haWksbi1l is an inhabitant of coral reefs Portuguese from the Indian Ocean the Turks and mates in early spring. To lay eggs the female organised several major naval expeditions which digs a large egg-Iaying chamber in the sand in turned into costly failures. The Portuguese which 100-120 eggs are laid in one night. Three to continued to maintain control of the Indian Ocean ten days later she returns to the chamber to lay whereas the Ottomans became masters of the Red more eggs. Each female lays a total of 400-500 Sea. A century later the British government of India eggs and may stay in the area for one to two tried to open direct communications between India months. After laying the eggs the female returns to and Britain by way of the Red Sea. But this attempt the sea. The eggs are incubated by the heating of never materialised. An effort was also undertaken the sand during the daytime. Once the young are to establish an outpost on Zefaf island at Khur al hatched, in about two months time, they come out Turk. A number of stone structures and rusted from the sand and instinctively head toward the pipes are the vestiges of this attempt and can still sea. The journey from the chamber to the sea is be found at the inlet. The name of the inlet short but fraught with danger as the newborns suggests that the Turks were probably the ones become the victims of predators such as sea gulls who tried to establish a presence on the island and raptors. prior to the decline of the Ottoman empire. These The islands support thousands of shorebirds. historical events had little effect on the natural Due to the extreme aridity land bird diversity on the beauty of the islands. Many species of birds use islands is poor with only a few resident species. the islands as a breeding colony. Some are Among them the desert lark and the ubiquitous permanent residents which maintain their nest house sparrow are common. Of the twenty sites throughout the year while others, like the sea breeding species, the majority are seabirds or turtles visit the shores to lay their eggs then head birds associated with littoral environments. On the back to the water leaving their incubation to nature. shores of the islands a large number of shore birds The Farasan gazelle is the flagship wildlife and waders are seen throughout the year. Most species of the islands. Farasan Kebir and Zefaf noticeable among them are the pink-backed together have a population of over a thousand Reef Heron pelican, which breeds on the islands, the greater gazelles. There are several theories as to how the flamingo, found in small groups, crab plovers and gazelles occupied the islands. It is stilts. thought that during the last ice Of particular interest are the age the dropping of sea level large colonies of the common resulted in the formation of a land i noddy, the red-billed tropic bird and bridge with the mainland enabling the goliath heron. The crab plover the animals to colonise the main is a gregarious species which is island. The local people, however, seen in large flocks along the believe that the gazelles were picturesque shoreline. The brought to the islands by colonies move up and down the fishermen to diversify their staple sandy beaches with the rhythm of diet of fish. The animals were kept the tides. Large flocks of plovers, in enclosures made of coral rocks numbering in the thousands use but some managed to escape the islands as a stopover on their from them and established a free spring migration. ranging population. Among the raptors, the sooty Isolated in an island setting falcon is common and it is the Farasan gazelle has been estimated that about 300 birds spared from the ravages of nest on the islands, which makes it hunters who have driven the the highest breeding concentration mainland gazelles to the brink of of the species anywhere. The extinction. These animals form the osprey also breeds on the islands. largest population of wild gazelles in the Kingdom Dolphin It builds its nest perched on coral rocks among the and their protection is of utmost importance if their hills. Pairs defend the nest with great ferocity once

AHLAN W ASAHLAN .October 97 II the eggs have been laid as I found significance as a transport animal, out on the uninhabited Zefaf island. feral donkeys are found on the two A trail that I used daily Pfissed close larger islands also. Their numbers to a nest site. The birds were always are limited at present but it will be a wary and protested when I passed matter of time before they start the spot. The Egyptian vulture is competing with the other herbivores another common species which on the islands. also breeds on the islands. Other The archipelago was declared a seabirds such as the white-eyed reserve in 1988 by the National gull, swift tern and Caspian tern Commission for Wildlife perform their acrobatic feats flying Conservation and Development of restlessly over the surface of the the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. waves looking for fragments of food. Although little known to most The little owl which is hard to spot people, this complex ecosystem is because of its nocturnal activity also changing with the current pace of nests here. development. Paved roads have Rich in the diversity of life the been built on Farasan Kebir and Farasan islands, despite their arid Segid islands which are attracting setting with rainfall averaging no an ever increasing number of more than 50 mm a year, form a unique landscape whose Crabplovers tourists from the mainland. Unaware of the damage they are biological integrity has been maintained over the centuries. causing, most of the people drive their cars off the roads The Farasan gazelle forms the largest concentration of this along the shorelines and camp wherever it is convenient. enchanting antelope in the Kingdom. Its numbers are on the Human activities have also resulted in the deterioration and rise on Farasan Kebir. Aerial surveys conducted in 1993 decline of the coral reefs. The unrestricted movement of suggest that the population has almost doubled over the tourists on the islands causes disturbance to wildlife and years since the area was declared protected. The animals disrupts their movements and activity patterns. Besides the have dispersed into marginal gazelles, the endangered turtles habitats which were not used which nest on the shoreline are also before. With a rise in numbers disturbed by the presence of man scientific management is required to and it is likely that they may control the population from abandon their traditional nesting increasing to an extent where it will sites. With the expansion of not be able to maintain itself and unrestricted tourist movements it is eventually result in a die-off which likely that a large number of could be triggered by drought or shorebirds and waders may lack of food resources -a case all abandon visiting the food rich too familiar among island shorelines due to human populations. Because of their limited disturbance. Little is known about size, islands are not as productive the life history, ecology and survival as mainland areas and an increase tactics of the islands' wildlife. Thus it in the population of one species can is not clear how devastating the have detrimental effects on the effects of human activities will be on survival of other species. Such an the flora and fauna of the islands. event seems to have taken place on Hence it is all the more important to Zefaf a decade ago. About thirty curtail activities which are carcasses found near the shoreline detrimental to the ecology of the suggest the animals had islands. The archipelago supports succumbed possibly due to a drought which prevailed at the The gazelle unique life forms, especially adapted to the islands bio- stand intrigued time. The introduction of exotic species by man is a world- geography. If harmony is not struck with human activities this wide dilemma that has had a detrimental effect on endemic island paradise will lose its natural beauty and superb island populations. The Farasan islands have also been biodiversity. The majestic setting of the Farasan Islands affected by such events over the centuries. The Indian deserves to be maintained as a site of natural heritage and mongoose has been introduced on the main island of attempts should be taken in this direction to proclaim it as Farasan Kebir. It has probably one of the world heritage sites. dispersed to Segid which is Hence it is all the more important to connected to Farasan Kebir by a undertake ecological impact studies land bridge. The nocturnal habits of prior to the launching of major the mongoose belies its hunting development projects. Areas which ability. This elusive critter has are eco-sensitive to development acquired commensal habits on the such as the mangroves, coral reefs, island and lives near human the breeding colonies of turtles, settlements. At night when human core areas used by gazelles, and activity is minimal it can be seen on the feeding sites of shorebirds the outlook for prey and scraps of should be protected at all costs. food. Its canny ability to remain Development can take place hidden makes it an effective hunter. without harming the fragile Domestic cats have also been ecosystem if it is properly planned. introduced on various islands. Living Let us manage this reserve in a way out in the wilderness these cats so that the natural heritage of this have acquired feral habits and stay Red Sea jewel is sustained and aloof from humans. On the southern protected, in order that future shore of Zefaf a feral cat visited my generations may be able to enjoy its campsite regularly at night as did unique beauty and splendid the hermit crabs. Having lost their An exampleof the wild flora. Zefaf wildlife. 8

AHLANW ASAHLAN .October 97 II