Wadi Turabah Nature Reserve

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The Wadi Turabah Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Makkah Region of southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is situated about 150 km (93 mi) south-east of Ta'if and 80 km (50 mi) north of al Bahah, sandwiched between the road between Taif and al Bahah and the road running along the escarpment between Banu Sa'ad and al Bahah. It adjoins the Jabal Ibrahim/Wadi Buwwah Protected Area, Jabal Ibrahim being a granite mountain rising about 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above the surrounding rocky hills. Wadi Turabah and Jabal Ibrahim have a total area of around 42,000 hectares (100,000 acres) and the elevation rises from 1,600 m (5,249 ft) to 2,604 m (8,543 ft) at the summit of Jabal Ibrahim. [1]

Protected area location which receives protection because of its recognised natural, ecological or cultural landscape values

Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.

Makkah Region Region

The Makkah Region or Mecca Region is the most populous region (minṭaqah) in Saudi Arabia. It is located in western Saudi Arabia, and has an extended coastline. It has an area of 153,128 km², and a population of 8,557,766. Its capital is Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and its largest city is Jeddah, which is also Saudi Arabia's main port city. The third major city is Taif. This region also contains Rabigh, roughly the present-day area where the Islamic Nabî Muhammad gave his famous sermon at the event of Ghadir Khumm.

Saudi Arabia Country in Western Asia

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi), Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest sovereign state in the Middle East, the second-largest in the Arab world, the fifth-largest in Asia, and the 12th-largest in the world. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south; it is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland and mountains. As of October 2018, the Saudi economy was the largest in the Middle East and the 18th largest in the world. Saudi Arabia also enjoys one of the world's youngest populations; 50% of its 33.4 million people are under 25 years old.

Contents

Habitat

Several streams originate on Jabal Ibrahim so that Wadi Turabah has a permanent flow. Habitats in the reserve include the bare sheets of rock and crags of the mountain, boulder-covered slopes with abundant vegetation, and montane woodland in which the main component is Juniperus . Near the wadis, Ficus and Ziziphus trees grow thickly, and at lower elevations there is Acacia woodland. [1]

Juniper genus of plants

Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa, from Ziarat, Pakistan, east to eastern Tibet in the Old World, and in the mountains of Central America. The highest-known juniper forest occurs at an altitude of 16,000 ft (4,900 m) in southeastern Tibet and the northern Himalayas, creating one of the highest tree-lines on earth.

<i>Ficus</i> genus of plants

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig (F. carica) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region, which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses.

<i>Ziziphus</i> genus of plants

Ziziphus is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and 2–7 cm (0.79–2.76 in) long; some species are deciduous, others evergreen. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible drupe, yellow-brown, red, or black, globose or oblong, 1–5 cm (0.39–1.97 in) long, often very sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a date in texture and flavour.

Flora and fauna

Grey-headed kingfisher Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala.JPG
Grey-headed kingfisher

The hamadryas baboon can be found here, [1] as well as large carnivores such as the Arabian wolf, the red fox and the caracal. [2] In the streams, the endemic fish Cyprinion mahalensis , Garra buettikeri and Barbus apoensis can be found, and the flora of Jabal Ibrahim is of high botanic interest. [1]

Hamadryas baboon species of baboon

The hamadryas baboon is a species of baboon from the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural predators than central or southern Africa where other baboons reside. The hamadryas baboon was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians and appears in various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, hence its alternative name of 'sacred baboon'.

Arabian wolf subspecies of mammal

The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf which lives on the Arabian peninsula. It is the smallest sized wolf known. It is a desert-adapted wolf that normally lives in small groups and is omnivorous, eating carrion and garbage as well as small to medium-sized prey.

Red fox species of mammal

The red fox is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It is listed as least concern by the IUCN. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammals and bird populations. Due to its presence in Australia, it is included on the list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species".

Wadi Turabah and Jabal Ibrahim have been designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife International. Trigger species for this include Philby's partridge, Arabian partridge, griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, montane nightjar, Arabian woodpecker, brown woodland warbler, Arabian warbler, Tristram's starling, Yemen thrush, Arabian wheatear, Arabian waxbill, little rock thrush, Arabian serin, Yemen serin, Yemen linnet and cinereous bunting. Other bird species to be found here include Verreaux's eagle, grey-headed kingfisher and cinnamon-breasted bunting, and up to twenty black storks overwinter here. [1]

Important Bird Area area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of birds populations

An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.

BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats, and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. It is the world's largest partnership of conservation organisations, with over 120 partner organisations.

Philbys partridge species of bird

Philby's partridge or Philby's rock partridge, is a relative of the chukar, red-legged partridge and barbary partridges and is native to southwestern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen. Although similar in appearance to other Alectoris species, Philby's partridge can be distinguished by its black cheeks and throat. Although not currently listed as an endangered species, the Arab Spring and destruction of its fragile habitat in the tribal areas of Northern Yemen had led to concerns about the survival of this species. The name commemorates the British explorer St John Philby.

Wadi Turabah Nature Reserve is the only place on the Arabian Peninsula in which the hamerkop breeds, [2] with about thirty birds being present in the reserve. [1]

Hamerkop Species of bird

The hamerkop, is a medium-sized wading bird. It is the only living species in the genus Scopus and the family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but is now placed with the Pelecaniformes, and its closest relatives are thought to be the pelicans and shoebill. The shape of its head with a long bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, which has given this species its name after the Afrikaans word for hammerhead. It is a medium-sized waterbird with brown plumage. It is found in Africa, Madagascar and Arabia, living in a wide variety of wetlands, including estuaries, lakesides, fish ponds, riverbanks, and rocky coasts. The hamerkop is a sedentary bird that often shows local movements.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Wadi Turabah and Jabal Ibrahim". BirdLife International. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Arabian Peninsula: Yemen and Saudi Arabia: Deserts and xeric shrublands". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 24 November 2015.