Past and present human impacts on the biodiversity of Socotra Island (Yemen): implications for future conservation

Damme, Kay Van; Banfield, Lisa

doi:10.1080/09397140.2011.10648899

Cited by 89 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…). Globalization is beginning to impact the archipelago, entailing drastic changes in traditional land uses and economic activities, as well as the modernization of infrastructure and sanitary conditions in urban areas (Van Damme & Banfield ). From both social and economic perspectives, development is desirable in Socotra, but it is not cost‐free from an environmental perspective and the question arises as to what extent this imminent growth is compatible with the maintenance of a healthy (i.e., not constrained by human‐related limiting factors) vulture population and its associated functions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Socotra archipelago is located about 100 km east of the Horn of Africa and 380 km south of the coast of Yemen. The archipelago is considered a biodiversity hotspot and endemicity is high at the species level in both plant and animal kingdoms (Van Damme & Banfield ). There are no indigenous medium or large‐bodied mammals on the archipelago (Cheung & DeVantier ), except for domestic herbivores introduced 11,000 years ago (Cerny et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, it is estimated that around 9,000 cows ( Bos taurus ), 300,000 goats ( Capra hircus ), and 92,000 sheep ( Ovis aries ), as well as 1,300 donkeys ( Equus asinus ) and 1,300 camels ( Camelus dromedarius ) are present on the largest island, also called Socotra (F. Pella & M. Fasola, personal communication, 2011). Traditional agricultural, fishing, and livestock practices have persisted until the present, likely favored by the geographic isolation of the archipelago and the existence of strong seasonally reversing monsoon winds (Van Damme & Banfield ). Socotra is home to about 50,000 inhabitants, the majority of which live in two towns: Hadiboh (32,300 people) and Qalansiyah (10,600 people) (Cheung & DeVantier ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reinventing mutualism between humans and wild fauna: insights from vultures as ecosystem services providers

Gangoso

Agudo

Anadón

et al. 2012

Conservation Letters

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In parallel with economic and social changes, mutualism in human-vulture relations has virtually disappeared worldwide. Here, we describe the mutualistic relationship between humans and the globally threatened Egyptian vulture in Socotra, Yemen. By analyzing both the spatial distribution of vultures and the amount of human byproducts they consume, we show that human activities enable the maintenance of the densest population of this rare scavenger, whereas vultures provide a key regulating service by disposing of up to 22.4% of the organic waste annually produced in towns. Globalization is impacting the archipelago, and therefore policies that better integrate societal needs and biodiversity conservation are urgently needed. We propose a win-win solution that relies on the restructuring of the mutualism, shifting from regulating services toward cultural services. Our study highlights the necessity of reconciling trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and economic development in a framework of global change affecting Middle Eastern countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reinventing mutualism between humans and wild fauna: insights from vultures as ecosystem services providers

Gangoso

Agudo

Anadón

et al. 2012

Conservation Letters

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“…The U.S. Department of State has recently issued (May 2017) a warning for American citizens to depart from Yemen. Yemen is currently in a civil war (Munteanu 2016) and Socotra is suffering from habitat loss caused by human expansion and overgrazing (Damme & Banfield 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Described from images: The remarkable soldier of Procryptotermes dioscurae Harris (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) from Socotra Island

Scheffrahn

Krecek

2017

Zootaxa

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Procryptotermes Holmgren is a modestly diverse kalotermitid genus endemic to numerous islands and archipelagos of the world’s tropical oceans (Scheffrahn & Křeček 2001). Mainland records from southern India (Bose 1979, Roonwal & Chhotani 1963, Thakur 1975), Queensland Australia (Watson and Abbey 1993), and the Yucatan Peninsula (Scheffrahn and Křeček 2001), also approximate oceanic coastlines. The soldier of Procryptotermes is distinguished from most other kalotermitids by long, sickle-shaped mandibles and a rather weak or absent frontal flange or protuberance (Krishna 1961). The winged imago of Procryptotermes is similar to that of Cryptotermes Banks in which the median vein is unsclerotized and intersects the radial sector near mid-wing. Of the fourteen described species of Procryptotermes (Scheffrahn & Křeček 2001), only one species, P. dioscurae Harris 1954, lacks a description of the soldier caste. It was described from three winged imagos collected from lights on Socotra Island, Yemen. Unlike soldiers, the imago caste is not present in the colony year round and often lacks species-level diagnostic characters. Therefore, the description of the soldier caste is highly desirable for most termite species.

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“…It is globally recognised for its outstanding biodiversity and endemism, the reason why the entire island group was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 [42,43]. The archipelago is characterised by a unique cultural heritage: the Socotri people speak a unique non-written pre-Islamic language of ancient origin, and their culture host a wealth of traditional knowledge on the sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity [44][45][46].…”

Section: Temporal Dynamics Of Ecosystem Service Supply and Demand: Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social-Ecological Dynamics of Ecosystem Services: Livelihoods and the Functional Relation between Ecosystem Service Supply and Demand—Evidence from Socotra Archipelago, Yemen and the Sahel Region, West Africa

2017

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Abstract:In aiming to halt global biodiversity loss, it is essential to address underlying societal processes. The concept of ecosystem services claims to bridge between biodiversity and society. At the same time there is a considerable research gap regarding how ecosystem services are provided, and how societal activities and dynamics influence the provision of ecosystem services. Interactions and dependencies between ecosystem services supply and demand come to the fore but context-specific dynamics have largely been neglected. This article is a critical reflection on the current research of ecosystem services supply and demand. We argue that there is a functional relation between the supply and demand for ecosystem services, with the two influencing each other. Scientific interest should focus on both the temporal and spatial dynamics of ecosystem services supply and demand. Presenting two studies from Socotra Archipelago, Yemen and the Sahel regions in Senegal and Mali, West Africa, we illustrate that the society behind the demand for ecosystem services is highly interrelated with ecosystem services supply. We thus advocate the adoption of a social-ecological perspective for current research on ecosystem services supply and demand in order to address these context-specific temporal and spatial dynamics.

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Past and present human impacts on the biodiversity of Socotra Island (Yemen): implications for future conservation

Cited by 89 publications

References 7 publications

Reinventing mutualism between humans and wild fauna: insights from vultures as ecosystem services providers

Reinventing mutualism between humans and wild fauna: insights from vultures as ecosystem services providers

Described from images: The remarkable soldier of Procryptotermes dioscurae Harris (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) from Socotra Island

Social-Ecological Dynamics of Ecosystem Services: Livelihoods and the Functional Relation between Ecosystem Service Supply and Demand—Evidence from Socotra Archipelago, Yemen and the Sahel Region, West Africa

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