CONSERVATION OF ARABIAN GAZELLES - Nwrc.gov.sa

1. Mahkshush
The gazelle habitat consists of about 210 km '
of low-lying coastal sand dunes, "subqha" salt flat and
TafrUlrix woodland on the southern edge of the outwash fan of Wadi Hali . The population is thought
to number around 50 head (Child el al., 1989a; Thouless el ai., 1991; Magin, 1992b) and is therefore
probably the largest remaining mainland population of mountain gazelle in the south-west of Saudi
Arabia. There appears to be no direct conflict between gazelle conservation and human use in the
core gazelle area: due to the highly saline soils and frequent flooding, the habitat is basically
unusable for cultivation and only lightly grazed by livestock (camels, donkeys and cows). The
surrounding higher zones are however heavily settled. The main threat to the population appears to
come from illegal hunting. This is reported to occur mainly at night (since the gazelle in this area are
almost totally nocturnal) using vehicles and/or rifles. Local people and members of the Coastguard
are reportedly the main culprits. The population is therefore in great need of protection. The
Mahkshush area has been recommended for gazetting as an SNR or Special Natural Reserve (Child el
ai., 1989a; Child and Grainger, 1990), but no action has yet been taken. The appointment of one or
two local "auxiliary" rangers (see Discussion) at Kiyad/Mahkshush/Sa'idah would seem to be a
necessary intermediate conservation step (Magin I 992a,b).
2. Habib Ben Ideeb
The village of Habib Ben Ideeb is situated some 30-40 km inland from Mahkshush at the edge of the
Tihama foothills. Gazelle occupy an area perhaps some 500 km 2 in extent lying mainly to the north,
south and east of the village. However, they are only present at very low densities, and the
population is probably much smaller than at Mahkshush - perhaps 15-20 individuals. The habitat
consists of rocky hills, undulating sandy plateaux with low dunes, and "harrats" or old lava flows.
Gazelle seem to take refuge in those parts of the terrain which are inaccessible to motor vehicles, but
most of the area is open and easily negotiable. There is some rain-fed cultivation of millet and
sorghum on sandy areas, but most of the local people are settled in permanent villages and depend on
livestock for their main livelihood. Illegal hunting, mainly by non-local people, appears to be the
main threat. The area has been recommended for protection as an RUR or Resource Use Reserve by
Rahmani and Shobrak (1992) mainly for the conservation of the Arabian bustard Ardeotis arabs but
no action has yet been taken . From the point of view of gazelle conservation it would appear to be a
low priority area: gazelle are only present at low densities and the area is large, easy to access and
would therefore be difficult to police effectively (Magin I 992a).
3, Tibalah (Wadi Shirs)
In this region gazelle occupy an upland watershed area of rocky hills dissected by narrow wadis,
interspersed with small undulating plateaux, estimated as some 120 km 2 in extent. In a 25 km 2 core
area of the population range, gazelle densities are much higher than in the periphery. The total
population is estimated as 15-40, but would undoubtedly increase rapidly with protection. Motorized
access is restricted to several vehicle tracks passing along the narrow wadi beds. The area is used by
nomadic Bedu pastoralists and their flocks, but livestock densities are relatively low. lliegal hunting
by locals and outsiders is the main threat, which may be increased by the possible development of a
mine some 10 km to the north. Prospects for protection are however good, if the Commission can
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