Socotra Island is really the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea). It is the last refuge of the -almost instinct, a remote Yemeni island off the horn of Africa.

It is the biggest Yemeni island and its area is about 3650 Km2. It is located to the east Gulf of Aden and it is about 880 Km off Aden city (The Free Zone). The nearest point in the main land to Socotra is   Ras Fartak in Almahara Governorate which is about 380 Km. The island is home to many rare species of plants, insects, animals, and birds, which live there, almost undisturbed. It is necessary to safeguard this rare biodiversity in the island and its marine surrounding against the sort of development that has destroyed almost every comparable island in the world.

 

The island had remained in isolation and off-limits to visitors till president Ali Abdullah Salih opened the island's first tarmac airstrip in 1999. Before that, it used to be accessible only by small turbo-prop planes and only outside the monsoon season. Now, Yemenia two weekly  flights by jetliners, one from Aden and one from Sana’a give an opportunity to tourists to visit the island.

 

Geologically no one knows exactly, when Sbut some millions of years ago Socotra split away from the mainland, Arabia and Africa. It has since evolved in perfect isolation. There are more than 900 plant species in the island and a third of them exist no where else in the world. A trip into the Higher Mountains reveals a bizarre landscape dotted by Dragon's Blood Trees (the Two Brothers blood Trees), shaped like inside-out umbrella. There are about 150 kinds of birds live in the island and six kinds are indigenous and three kinds are globally subjected to extinction.

Historically, the island has been renowned as one of the main producers of Frankincense, Myrrh and Laudanum!! of the best quality. Such commodities were used in temples during the religious rites in the ancient times. Also remedies have been extracted from the island's plants, such as "Cinnabar" (a red substance produced by Two Brothers Blood Trees) and Taif or Aloe Perry extract.
However, this unique biodiversity in the island and its marine surroundings enriching with precious fish-wealth, coral reefs and other marine lives has become threatened by predators who sniffing their preys of such rare plants, animals, and birds. Also the gross exploitation of the fish wealth exposes it to loss.

Therefore, the island must be protected carefully. The Socotran citizens, the authorities in charge, the environmentalists and the nature conservationists should cooperate in order to vigilantly protect this incomparable natural museum against any damages.

Socotra as an Ecotourism Attraction                   

 Socotra is a unique place, with an extraordinary ecological significance and, consequently, magnificent ecotourism attractions. Presently the Master Plan for the Development of Socotra Island is being Developed, as well as an Ecotourism Strategy for the Archipelago. Hopefully these two plans will be instrumental in conserving the singular natural and cultural heritage of Socotra, as well as facilitating the sustainable development of the human population of the island, through the development of a low-impact ecotourism model. Due to the great natural and social vulnerability of the island, it is definitely not advisable to carry out mass tourism plans or other unwise development schemes. The Socotra Archipelago has the following attractions:

Focal Attractions                                         

 

      Endemic flora 

                             

Socotra has a unique and fascinating flora. Of the 850 species of flowering plants and ferns found in the archipelago, about 275 are believed to be endemic. Many of these plants are attractive and interesting, undoubtedly constituting one of the main reasons for ecotourists want to visit Socotra. Among the most spectacular species are the following:

        ·          Dragon-Blood Tree( Dam Al Akahawein) Dracaena cinnabar the most spectacular of the endemic, due to its large size, beautiful shape, old age which it may attain, and its many historical and legendary attributes. The dense forest composed of these magnificent trees found near Dik Sam and Daroho canyons is perhaps the island’s most important as well as attractive. Since this particular area is a very sensitive one for conservation, strict measures should be taken to ensure preserving this invaluable resource, and all tourism activities should be low-impact (always in the company of a local, authorized guide), as well as clearly signalized and restricted to a very limited area. Having ecotourists coming in a controlled way to this area could in fact contribute to controlling wood cutting and browsing of the trees by goats.

        ·          Cucumber Tree (Dendrosicyos Socotrana), with its peculiar ballooned trunk, covered by white bark

        ·          Emta tree (Euphorbia arbusnula), which has the overall growth from and shape of the dragon-blood trees, with an erect, stout trunk which ramifies at its end to form several main branches.

        ·          Frankincense trees (Boswellia sp.) of which there are six species on the island, all of which are endemic. No other area in the world has a comparable concentration of Boswellia species, which are locally used for the production of gum resins, utilized as incense or as medicine.

        ·          Sabaar (Aloe Perryi), with attractive red flowers, yields a sap which is used in cosmetics.

        ·          Dirachma Socotrana considered a living fossil by botanists.

        ·          Punica Protopunica

        ·          Helichrysum rosulatum

        ·          Socotra Aden Rose (Adenium Socotranum)

       

·          Endemic Birds                                        

 

        ·          As is well known, bird watching is one of the key categories of ecotourists and the most widespread in the world. Only in the US and Canada it is estimated that there are over 60million bird watchers, of which 24 million travel from their places of residences to specifically watch birds.

Socotra has much to offer to the bird enthusiast, not so much in terms of quantity but of quality. So far about 120 bird species have been recorded in the island, of which 31 are known or thought to breed. Of these, six species are endemic to the island:

        ·          Socotra Warbler (Incana)

        ·          Socotra Cisticola (Cisiticola haesitatus)

       

        ·          Socotra Starling (Nectarinia balfouri)

        ·          Socotra Sparrow J(Passer onsularis)

        ·          Socotra Bunting (Emberiza Socotrana)

These six endemic bird species are undoubtedly the major ornithological draw of Soqota. There are an additional eleven endemic subspecies in the archipelago. Other interesting and attractive birds are mentioned under complementary attractions.

1-3 Predominance of undisturbed beautiful natural landscape and seascape

few large islands in the world covey the impression of a largely undisturbed natural landscape and seascape such as Socotra does. The great beauty (frequently of an austere character) of its mountains, cliffs, bizarre vegetation, and mangroves, produce an everlasting impression on the visitor to this remote and mangroves, produce an everlasting impression on the visitor to this remote island in the Arabian Sea. This quality of wild beauty compares with another world famous archipelago: the Galapagos Islands (1000km off the coast of south America, in the Pacific Ocean), which is the one of the world’s most famous natural reserves and ecotourism destinations. There are many islands around the world with tropical vegetation, warm waters and beautiful sandy beaches, but many of these islands have been overdeveloped and polluted and no longer appeal to nature-loving tourists, which re found in ever growing number around the world. Also, due to the high endemicity of its plants and wildlife, Socotra is a unique place in the planet, and deserves to maintain its rich natural and cultural heritage, within the frame of sustainable development practices, which should give better livelihood opportunities for its human inhabitants.