ABU DHABI // The successful return of the Arabian oryx to the wild over the next five years will allow experts to evaluate conservation efforts, a group of GCC scientists said.
Members of the Coordination Committee for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx (CCCAO), made up of representatives from GCC nations, Jordan and Syria, are intensifying efforts to safeguard the population.
Using best practices from member states, the five-year plan tackles issues of herd management, disease classification, creation of a genetic survey database, and reintroduction into the wild.
“The Arabian oryx is an indicator of environmental health as well as its importance to our heritage and our history,” said Dr Majid Al Qassimi, director of the CCCAO’s terrestrial biodiversity division.
“As a key species, it represents a number of different messages to the public. However, ensuring that the species is resilient is the first step.”
To achieve that, the committee has devised a plan that includes tackling limitations to the gene pool. Animals in the wild are susceptible to threats from parasites and epidemics that can wipe out entire species, something that is occurring today with bees.
A preemptive measure would be to catalogue the genetics of the species and earmark certain strands that could have immunity to those threats. That information could be used to improve a threatened wild population.
The CCCAO’s plan is to create a so-called genetic studbook which can better sustain the population, allow member states to trace the heritage of the species, and improve breeding by diversifying the gene pool.
“The studbook can ensure that we have diversity in the species, no genetic bottlenecks and, ultimately, to perpetuate a larger and more diverse genetics in our collection,” said Dr Al Qassimi.
Workshops have been planned to help address issues brought up by member states. Also, a website has been launched to help members of the public keep abreast of the oryx's reintroduction to the wild.
“Arabian oryx represents a cultural symbol and a natural landmark in our region,” said Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, executive director of the terrestrial and marine biodiversity sector at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.
“Its extinction from the wild was a great loss, not only to biodiversity in the Arabian Peninsula, but also on the cultural heritage level.”
She said the next stage is to gather and exchange data on Arabian oryx protection programmes.
Efforts from the past are an indication for success in the future, she said.
“We achieved an outstanding success in 2011 when IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) reclassified the Arabian oryx as ‘vulnerable’ after it had been listed as ‘extinct’ in the wild.”
nalwasmi@thenational.ae