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

interior, and secondarily provide supervision of visiting groups, and assistance with
broader monitoring and research programmes as required, including liaison with
scientific staff and aerial patrols; 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 an NWRC-based
protected area co-ordinator, who in turn reports to the NCWCD head office staff in
Riyadh. The Bird Camp is maintained and administered by NWRC.
Camps and other buildings : There are two camps, the Bird Camp
(Rumrumiyah) and the Mammal Camp. The Mammal Camp has accomodation for
NCWCD rangers, and for a small number of research staff. The Bird Camp houses
research staff only. Buildings in Mahazat as-Sayd are used for housing staff, for
administration and for maintenance and research. There are no permanent buildings
in the reserve, except for a semi-permanent workshop at the Bird Camp and a
concrete block toilet at the Mammal Camp; other buildings are tents or portacabins.
Tracks and roads : The reserve is bounded to the north-west and south-west
by public sealed roads outside the perimeter fence, the Taif/Riyadh highway and the
Al Khurmah roads respectively. There is an approximately 6 km stretch of sealed
road running from the main gate to the Mammal Camp. An unsealed, graded
perimeter track runs around the reserve inside the fence, and an unsealed track runs
from the Mammal Camp, through the Bird Camp, to the Al Khurmah gate on the
eastern boundary. There is a network of unsealed tracks throughout the reserve,
including the overgrown remnants of large tracks that joined the towns of Al Muwayh
and Al Khurmah before the reserve was created.
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Other facilities : Both camps have UHF communication with the
NWRC and Riyadh. Some of the vehicles used in the reserve are equipped with
VHF/FM radios for car-to-car and car-to-camp communication. The Mammal Camp
was equipped with a PTT telephone connection in 1994.
A helicopter pad and windsock are located approximately 1 km north of the
main gate, beside the sealed road leading to the Mammal Camp.
The Bird Camp has an unsealed, graded runway and windsock for use by the
NCWCD Aviation Department's Maule single-engine aircraft. The sealed road from
the main gate to the Mammal Camp may be used for landings, but predominant
cross-winds make this unsafe. The NCWCD Aviation Department maintains hangar
facilities at the NWRC. The nearest commercial airport is at Taif, about 80 km to the
southwest. There are some flying restrictions in the area due to the proximity of the
Taif Airbase.
Diesel-powered generators are maintained at each camp. These are required
for the running of freezers, lights, computers, repeaters, radios, air-conditioners etc.
There is a 36,000 l petrol tank at the Mammal Camp exclusively for use by
rangers. Currently petrol is brought to the Bird Camp from Al Khurmah in 80 l drums.
Maintenance of facilities : On-site maintenance is carried out by NWRC, with
support from local contractors and NCWCD in Riyadh.
Threats to integrity : None.
Other Stakeholders
Local community identity : Principal tribes are the Utaibah and the
Thaqif; more than 70% of the region’s population is settled or semi-settled.
Local economic structure : Not known.