Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert

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Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert
Ras al-Jinz, Oman
Map of the ecoregion
Ecology
RealmAfrotropical
Biomedeserts and xeric shrublands
Borders
Geography
Area62,420 km2 (24,100 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered[1]
Protected1.58%[2]

The Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert is a coastal ecoregion on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in Oman and the United Arab Emirates at the northeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The climate is hot and dry, with gravelly plains and savanna with thorny acacia trees inland from the coast. Along the coast there are mixture of habitats that include mangrove swamps, lagoons and mudflats. The mangrove areas are dominated by Avicennia marina and the savanna by Prosopis cineraria and Vachellia tortilis. Masirah Island is an important breeding area for the loggerhead sea turtle and other sea turtles also occur here, as well as a great variety of birds, some resident and some migratory. There are some protected areas, but in general the habitats have been degraded by the grazing of livestock, especially camels and goats; they are also at risk from oil spills, off-road driving and poaching.[3]

Location and description

In Oman this ecoregion includes the

Ras Al-Khaimah, and the country's Al Batinah coast around Fujairah
.

This dry ecoregion contains a mixture of habitats including mangrove swamps, lagoons and mudflats on the coast, gravelly plains and savanna with thorny acacia trees inland with a background of the Musandam and Al Hajar mountains. The climate is hot and dry with temperatures up to 49 degrees Celsius (120 °F) and little rainfall, especially on the Persian Gulf coast of the UAE. There is more rainfall on the Gulf of Oman and humidity provides moisture on both coasts.

Flora

The coastal mangrove consists of Avicennia marina, trees of the inland savanna include Ziziphus spina-christi (Christ's Thorn Jujube), Prosopis cineraria (Ghaf) and Vachellia tortilis (Umbrella Thorn), while the mountains are home to Ficus salicifolia (Wonderboom) and Vachellia tortilis. Finally, the traditional flora of the Al Batinah coast is Vachellia tortilis and Prosopis cineraria. Some of these species are found across the Persian Gulf in Iran.

Fauna

The world's largest population of

hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). The area is extremely rich in birdlife including a large migration between Asia and Africa. Endemic birds include a subspecies of collared kingfisher. Mammals include the endangered Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) in the mountains and Arabian tahr, as well as caracals
but all these are vulnerable to hunting.

Threats and preservation

Habitats have been degraded by the grazing of livestock, especially camels and goats. The Al Batinah coastal strip of Oman is the country's most densely populated area and is intensively farmed, partly by Oman's large community of

Wahiba Sands and the turtle beaches at Ras Al Hadd and Ras al-Jinz. Cities of the UAE in this ecoregion include the huge commercial centre of Dubai and the nearby city of Sharjah. A popular excursion from Dubai is to the Hajar Mountains enclave of Hatta
.

Other threats to the ecoregion include oil spills in the sea, poaching of wildlife and off-road driving to locations such as

Khor Kalba Nature Reserve
on the Gulf of Oman in the UAE near the border with Oman.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Gulf of Oman desert and semidesert". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. ^ "Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 18 April 2021. [1]
  3. ^ "Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert". Encyclopedia of the Earth. Retrieved November 12, 2020.

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