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

Key seasons : Re-established houbara bustards nest between January and
May each year. Ungulates may drop calves in any month of the year, but are most
vulnerable to disturbance during the summer, June - September.
Cultural Features
Traditional uses : Seasonal grazing lands for camels, sheep and goats; hunting
of gazelles
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Cultural importance : Old Haji (pilgrim) road runs through the area, roughly from
east to west, and marked with milestones. This however, is not a feature of significant
current cultural interest.
Historical features : Apart from the pilgrim, there are a limited number of prehistoric
sites, with worked flint, stone circles and remnant gazelle traps.
PA Infrastructure
Border demarcation : The entire 220 km perimeter is fenced with 2m high chainlink
fencing, topped with 3 strands of barbed wire and with 0.9m of chicken mesh
buried in the ground, and lying behind a large earth embankment. Posts are set in
concrete. There are seven gates, all of which are kept closed with padlocks. Padlock
keys are issued to all rangers and research staff.
Rangers/other staff : There are 8 NCWCD rangers working in Mahazat as-
Sayd. All rangers are based at the Mammal Camp, and all work under the direct
authority of the NCWCD, with local co-ordination of activities through NWRC-based
staff.
NWRC and NWRC-based research staff undertake projects in Mahazat as-
Sayd on oryx, gazelle, small mammals, mammalian carnivores, houbara, ostrich,
vultures and general avifauna. Ostrich research is based at the Mammal Camp,
whereas houbara, small mammal, mammalian carnivore and general avifauna
research is based at the Bird Camp. Work on oryx, gazelle and vultures is undertaken
by staff utilising both camps. Four full-time staff work in Mahazat as-Sayd, with up to
four more working in the reserve intermittently.
Both camps have cooks and labourers. At the Mammal Camp there is one
cook assigned to the rangers and two cooks/labourers assigned to the researchers.
The Bird Camp has two cooks/labourers. Labourers working with research staff are
additionally trained to provide technical asistance, e.g. with radio telemetry.
General maintenance is undertaken by the NWRC Maintenance department
which sends a mechanic to the reserve one day each week.
Care of animals in enclosures, translocation of animals for release, and the
post-mortem examination of animals found dead in the reserve is the responsibility of
the NWRC Veterinary department, which sends a veterinarian to Mahazat as-Sayd
one day each week.
Responsibilities of rangers : Prior to August 1995 NCWCD rangers undertook only
the monitoring of free-ranging oryx and patrols of the perimeter fence. A review of the
role of rangers in Mahazat as-Sayd during May to August 1995 resulted in a
reduction and restructuring of the reserve's ranger force. Rangers' duties have been
expanded to now include public relations activities in the surrounding districts,
supervision of visiting groups, and assistance with broader monitoring and research
programmes as required, in addition to the monitoring of oryx and patrolling of the
fence.NCWCD rangers primarily undertake patrols of the reserve's boundaries and