TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

THE BEMA SYSTEM IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA I 325
the hema, as compared with the surrounding areas, could support
thiB assumption.
Bema Hureimla, 80 km north of Ar Riyad (Riyadh), with less
than 80 nun of rainfall, is another good example of the effect of protection
and coneervation on the regeneration of plant cover. Comparison
of the protected parts ofwadi against the nonprotected parts
shows a contrast; I have counted 28,000 acacias in an area 4 x 1
km along the protected area, compared with none along the upper
or lower parts of the same wadi. A small dike outside the hema
did not have any appreciable effect on the perennial vegetative cover
compared with that growing under hema protection.
Bema Oneiza, in the heart of Najd plateaus, has the unique
objective of protecting BaloZ'JIloft pereicum trees for effective stabilization
ofmoving sand dunes adjacent to Oneiza along a 70 x 40 km
area.
Ghitlal is another type of hema once common in Maghreb, Algeria,
and 1\misia. Only a few examples are left in these countries.
The total number ofexisting ahmia in Saudi Arabia has recently
been reported to be at least 3,000.
THE MAHMIA OR MARAB, AND THE KOZE SYSTEM IN
SYRIA.
A reference to hema practiced in the Sweida moha/aw rangelands
is made by Shibly al-Aisamy and co-workers (1962) who, while
describing the troublea that occurred late in the 19th century, re.­
ported the following:
[T]he hanh inju.tice, which had been described clearly and in
detail by the folkloric poet (Shibley EI-Atrash), created a new
widesc&le revolution in 1897. Among the direct reason. mentioned
for this revolution was that one of the guard. of the hema
of Urman (close to EI-Qraye, rainf&ll about 300 mm) quureled
with a bedouin who trespassed this hema. Upon the complaint
made by the bedouin to Mandouh Panha (the military governor)
in Sweida, 30 .oldiers were sent to Umran [.ic] under the
pretext of ure-ting the guards and punishing them; yet the real
reuon had been to ureet representatives of this village who previously
met .ecretly with reprellentative- of neighboring villageto
prote-t the Turb' inju.tice....
The previous presence of hema in this region has also been confirmed
by several old ,haw of the Drouz during personal discussions. 2