The Unfenced Desert Towards a strategy for eco ... - Nwrc.gov.sa

Cultural Features
Traditional uses : The area has long been used for the grazing of camels, and
more recently sheep and goats by local communities. Small-scale hunting and
capture of ibex was a traditional activity in the surrounding region.
Cultural importance : The persistence of the ibex population in the Hawtah Bani
Tamim area is largely due to the efforts of the local people to protect and conserve
them. The area has long functioned as a hema, a traditional form of protected area,
which in this case prevented the unregulated hunting of ibex by outside groups.
Historical features : No inventory of historic features has been undertaken, but the
area holds some evidence of prehistoric occupation, and contains a number of burial
mounds of unknown age.
PA Infrastructure
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Border demarcation : The boundaries of the wider reserve are not clearly
defined, but are roughly demarcated by the escarpment and by sealed roads on three
sides are the area. The SNR zones are divided by fences across selected wadi
heads, although some of these have been destroyed, after being erected without
consultation with local communities.
Rangers/other staff : There are 12 rangers and four support staff assigned
to the reserve. Scientific studies are undertaken during short visits by researchers
based at the King Khaled Wildlife Research Center, near Riyadh.
Responsibilities of rangers : NCWCD rangers primarily undertake patrols of the
reserve's boundaries and interior, and secondarily provide some assistance with
broader monitoring and research programmes as required, including liaison with
scientific staff; maintenance of camps and reporting of incidental wildlife sightings;.
NCWCD rangers are not officially empowered to arrest or detain offenders, nor to
confiscate property.
Ranger chain of command : Day-to-day management of rangers camp structures
is carried out by the head ranger or his deputy, under authority of NCWCD head
office staff in Riyadh.
Camps and other buildings : There are ranger camps situated in wadis Matham,
Rahal, Bodhan , and Hariq. The reserve also contains two family farms in the lower
stretches of Wadi Bodhan.
Tracks and roads : Although surrounded on three sides by tar roads, the
reserve itself has no sealed roads, only a network of unsealed tracks providing
access to the major wadis.
Other facilities : Electricity is supplied to the ranger camps by
generators; communication between camps is by radio.
Maintenance of facilities : On-site maintenance is the responsibility of the
rangers and their support staff of labourers ad mechanics, with support from local
contractors and NCWCD in Riyadh.
Other patrols : None.