Protecting the Environment and Livelihoods in Yemen
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Environmental protection in Yemen
Yemen is facing a water crisis. Environmental degradation is causing the disappearance of natural habitats and unique biodiversity, from forests to wetlands, at an alarming rate. Most Yemenis live in rural areas and are dependent on the use of natural resources, especially water for agriculture, which form the basis of Yemen’s national economy. This means that the depletion or degradation of these resources have serious implications for the livelihoods of a sizable majority of the population.
A UNDP-supported project targeting Yemen’s fragile Aden wetlands has significantly changed the way people, from senior Government officials to marshland residents, view the importance of this endangered ecosystem. This four-year project resulted in two key areas being declared nationally protected parks, including the Jabal Bura’a National Park, covering an area of 4,287 hectares, and the Aden Wetlands Protected Area, covering an additional 2,580 hectares and encompassing five crucial wetland areas.
The project, in partnership with the Government, has transformed an area that was nothing more than an open dump and stagnant pools of water back into a living, breathing marshland that is once again attracting a number of species of birds, including flamingos, crab plovers and ospreys. The land was previously earmarked for development but through advocacy and education, the interests of a sustainable future won out. Perhaps more importantly, the transformation has occurred through the participation of local villagers, who depend upon the marshland for their livelihoods. For example, many of them have received training as tour guides for the wetlands, which have become a destination thanks to the creation of walking trails, picnic sites and the construction of a two-storey bird observatory. And while the Aden Wetlands does not yet have a management board, the local community has created, and largely manages, their own community nature reserve with support from Yemen’s Environmental Protection Authority.