CONSERVATION OF ARABIAN GAZELLES - Nwrc.gov.sa

A slight caveat is required to these results: it should be remembered that it is always much
easier to prove the presence of a species than its absence, particularly in the case of a rare, shy
species such as the mountain gazelle. Discovery of a single track can establish that gazelle persist,
but many days of intensive fieldwork might be needed to confinn their disappearance. Due to the
pressure of time, only a day or two were spent in each area. Further fieldwork at any of the eight
locations at which gazelle are presumed extinct might reveal signs of continued gazelle presence,
leading George Bernard gazelle to say that "reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated".
However, in strong support of the extinction hypothesis, local people - who generally appear to have
a very detailed knowledge of their local fauna - were interviewed at each of these eight locations, and
were convinced that no gazelle remained.
The need for action is therefore urgent. Traditional conservation measures, i.e. the gazetting
of protected areas, installation of fully equipped and trained rangers, construction of ranger posts etc.,
will take time to implement, and will probably be accomplished too late to save most of the gazelle
populations. This already appears to have been the case for the gazelle populations near AI Aqiq,
north of Al Bah •. First reported by Habibi and AI Basri (1988), who recommended that conservation
measures be taken, these popUlations would have been protected in the Wadi Jirshah protected area
proposed by Child and Grainger (1990). Unfortunately no action was taken. In 1992 no traces of any
gazelle could be found and the populations are presumed to be extinct (Magin, 1993a). The gazelle
in the proposed Qilwah protected area may suffer the same fate before gazetting can be
accomplished.
Instead, what is required is an immediate and innovative approach. The action suggested
here does, however, oblige NCWCD to have a commitment to the conservation of wildlife outside as
well as inside gazetted protected areas.
Saudi Arabia is fortunate in having strict legislation controlling hunting, and unfortunate in
having practically no one responsible for enforcing it outside protected areas. Successful .
conservation of gazelle populations will require some sort of policing I surveillance to enforce antihunting
laws. A great deal could be accomplished in co-operation with the local Emirs, who for the
most part are educated men who support the preservation of Saudi Arabia's wildlife heritage, if the
Commission were willing to pay local people full- or part-time salaries to act as "auxiliary rangers."
Such auxiliary rangers would be responsible for warning any hunters to leave their area, and if that
failed to deter them, reporting their presence to the local Emir, who could then use the anned forces
at his disposal to arrest or request them to leave. NCWCD should also assume some responsibility
for ensuring that suspected hunters are prosecuted, and the full penalties of the law enforced. A fuller
discussion of the potential auxiliary ranger system covering the selection of personnel, their proposed
duties, and the relationship envisioned between them, NCWCD, and the Emarahs is given by Magin
(I993b).
Appointment of local auxiliary rangers should be on a "payment by results" basis. Positions
should be temporary, not pennanent. If the conservation situation of the gazelle population in a
particular area has not improved by the end of a specified trial period, the scheme in that region could
be discontinued. The selected areas would therefore need continual monitoring, which could be
carried out by NCWCD staff. Methods of establishing whether gazelle populations were stable or
increasing would include interviews with local people, and fieldwork to estimate the densities of
146