These trees exist in only one place on Earth. Now climate change, goats threaten their survival

Socotra, Yemen (AP) – On the wind-blown plateau above the Arabian Sea, Sena Keybani shakes a sapling that has barely any ankle. Protected by temporary fences of wood and wires, the young plant is a dragon's blood tree – a species found only on the Socotra island of Yemen and is now struggling to survive in aggravated threats in climate change.

“Seeing the tree dead is like losing a baby,” said Keybani, whose family runs a nursery dedicated to preserving the species.

The trees were known for their mushroom-shaped canopies and blood-red juices, which were once numerous. But increasingly severe cyclones, grazing by invasive goats, the ongoing unrest in Yemen – one of the world’s poorest countries, plagued by a decade-long civil war, have pushed these species, and the unique ecosystems they support to collapse.

Often compared to the Galapagos Islands, Socotra surfaces in amazing isolation, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the Horn of Africa. Its biological wealth, including 825 plants, more than a third of which are not available on Earth, have won the status of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include bottle trees, whose trunks protrude from rocks such as sculptures and frankincense, and their limbs are rough and twisted the sky.

But this is the Dragon's Blood Tree that has long captured the imagination, and its otherworldly form seems to belong more to Dr. Seus's page than any land forest. The island receives about 5,000 tourists a year, many of which are attracted by the surreality of the dragon's blood forest.

Visitors must hire local guides and stay at Scottish family-run camping sites to ensure that travel dollars are distributed locally. If the trees disappear, the industry that maintains many islanders may disappear with them.

“With the income we earn from the tourism industry, we live better than we earn on the mainland,” said Mubarak Kopi, tourism director at Socotra.

But the tree is more than just a plant curiosity: it is the backbone of the Socotra ecosystem. Umbrella-like canopies capture mist and rain, which introduce them into the soil below, allowing adjacent plants to thrive in arid climates.

“When you lose trees, you lose everything – soil, water, the whole ecosystem,” said Kay Van Damme, a Belgian conservation biologist who has worked in Socotra since 1999.

Without intervention, scientists like Van Damme warned that the trees could disappear within centuries and along with many other species.

“As humans, we have successfully destroyed nature on most islands in the world,” he said. “Socotra is where we can actually do something. But if we don't, that's us.”

A stronger whirlwind lifts the trees

In the rugged spect state of Firmihin Plateau in Socotra, the largest remaining dragon blood forest unfolds against the backdrop of Sawtooth Mountain. Thousands of canopies balanced on slender trunks. Socotra starling champion darts, while Egyptian vultures oppose ruthless gusts. Below, goats weave in the rocky bushes.

According to a 2017 study in the journal Nature Climate Change, the frequency of severe cyclones has increased dramatically throughout the Arabian Sea in recent decades, and the dragon’s blood tree in Socotra is paying.

In 2015, a devastating one or two punches (a whirlwind) ripped apart throughout the island. Hundreds of years of specimens (hundreds of years) were uprooted by thousands of people to the previous storm. Devastating continued another whirlwind in 2018.

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the intensity of the storm is also warned. “Climate models around the world are more favorable for tropical cyclone projection.”

Invasive goats harm young trees

But the storm is not the only threat. Unlike pine or oak trees that grow 60 to 90 cm (25 to 35 inches) each year, the dragon's blood tree spreads only 2 to 3 cm (about 1 inch) a year. By the time they expire, many have succumbed to sinister danger: goats.

On Socotra, free-roaming goats devour the saplings before they have the chance to grow. Outside the hard-to-reach cliff, the only place where the teenage dragon's blood tree can survive is a protected nursery.

“Most of the forests we call over-mature – no young trees, no seedlings,” said Alan Forrest, a biodiversity scientist at the Edinburgh Middle East Botanical Center, the Royal Botanical Garden of Edinburgh. “So your old trees are dying and not much regeneration.”

Keybani's family's nursery is one of several key fences that prevent goats and allow saplings to be undisturbed.

“In these nurseries and fences, the breeding and age structure of vegetation is much better,” Forrest said. “So it will be more resilient to climate change.”

Conflict threatens protection

But Yemen's stalemate civil war complicated this protection effort. As Saudi Arabia supports, the internationally recognized government fights the government of Iran-backed Shia groups – Iran's Shia groups – the conflict has already surpassed the country's borders. Houthi's attack on Israel and commercial transport in the Red Sea have retaliated from Israeli and Western forces, further undermining the stability of the region.

“The Yemeni government now has 99 issues,” said Abdulrahman Al-Aryani, a consultant at Gulf State Analytics, a Washington-based risk consulting firm. “Policy makers focus on stabilizing the country and ensuring that electricity and water, like water and water, remain functional. Solving climate issues will be a luxury.”

With little support from the state, conservation efforts will be left primarily to the Sokots. Sami Mubarak, the island’s Ecotourism Guide, said, but there are few local resources.

Mubarak gestures toward the sloping fence posts of Keybani family nursery and strung with fragile wires. These fences lasted only a few years, and then heavy rains broke them down. He said funding for fixing nurseries with cement fenced posts would go a long way.

“At present, there are only a few small environmental projects – not enough,” he said. “We need Yemeni local governments and national governments to make protection a priority.”

___

Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram.

___

The Associated Press received support from the Walton Family Foundation to cover water and environmental policies. AP is responsible for all content. For all AP environmental reports, please visit