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

Protected Area Raydah
Administrative features
Category : Special Natural Reserve
Date of creation : Declared 1989 (BOG); ratified (Council of Ministers)
Reasons for designation : Intact example of escarpment juniper woodland, and
habitat for all nine Arabian bird endemics found in Saudi Arabia.
Responsible agency :NCWCD
Size and sectors : 9 km 2 of steeply sloped escarpment, dropping from a
maximum of 2,850 down to 1,600 m asl, encompassing pristine juniper woodland in
the upper portion, giving way to open scrub and grassland in the lower reaches.
Given the fall of 1,000m in 3km, the actual area of Raydah has been estimated at
12km 2 .
Emirate(s) : The reserve is situated in the Asir Emirate.
Central co-ordinates : 18 o 12'N, 42 o 24'E
Existing maps : The reserve is covered by (but not shown on) the
following map:
• 1:50,000: Sheet 4218-32, Abha (West)
Management plans : Raydah lacks a single, comprehensive management
plan. There have been however, a number of draft work plans proposing specific
actions, usually over a limited time frame, e.g. Anon. (1988); Child and Grainger
(1990); Newton and Schwede (1992); Newton (1993); Blot and Hajar (1994). The
most recent of these, but also not an official policy document, is Usui and Al-Abbasi
(1995), which set out a schedule for priority actions to take place between 1996 and
1998.
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Tourism strategy : There are no official facilities for public visits to the area
and no NCWCD sponsored programme for public access. Unofficially, there is
general public access to the reserve, although the steep unsealed track is suitable for
four-wheel drive vehicles only. NCWCD rangers stationed at the top of the
escarpment are supposed to limit vehicular traffic to official visitors and residents of
Raydah village at the bottom of the escarpment.
Natural Features
Landscape : Typical steep granite and gneiss Asir escarpment, in the
Western Highlands geographic region. The Raydah escarpment drops from 2,850 m
asl down to wadis Jaw and Maraba at about 1,300 m asl
Climate : The high elevation results in relatively cool summer
temperatures and peak rainfall in early spring and in summer, measured in nearby
As-Soudah to be around 550mm per annum. Winters can be cold, but dry. The mean
annual temperature is less than 19 o C, making the region a popular holiday
destination in the summer months.