Nature middle east ,emerging science in the arab world

Protests in Yemen, make foreign and local biologists worried about the future of conservation efforts on the biodiversity rich island of Socotra. The political status in Yemen isn't stable so the efficiency and implementation of these programs depends each time on the government that rules. Socotra Archipelago, dubbed the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean, is one such place concerning biologists.The relative isolation of islands makes them ideal for biologists to study speciation and evolution.In 2008, Socotra was designated a world natural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Other natural areas of Yemen are also in a precarious position, such as Jebel Bura, which is the last remaining area of woodland on the Yemen escarpment, and the monsoon-affected woodlands of Al-Hauf near the Omani border, says Miller. ""The most serious impact is likely to be on an increase in tree cutting for fuel and charcoal and the over-exploitation of certain species.""