US EditionThese trees exist in only one place on Earth. Now climate change and goats threaten their survival
- The dragon's blood tree species, found only on Yemen’s Socotra island, is struggling to survive amid multiple threats today.
- This decline results from climate change, increasingly intense cyclones, invasive goats destroying saplings, and Yemen's ongoing civil war.
- The trees grow very slowly at 2 to 3 centimeters per year, unlike faster-growing pine and oak trees, and some were over 500 years old before recent damage.
- A 2017 study led by climate scientist Hiroyuki Murakami reported rising cyclone frequency and warned that "storm intensity will increase as greenhouse gas emissions rise."
- Without urgent conservation prioritization by Yemen’s authorities, the species and its ecosystem may collapse, endangering local tourism and many other species within centuries.
38 Articles
38 Articles
These dragon’s blood trees exist in only one place on Earth. Now their survival is under threat
On a windswept plateau high above the Arabian Sea, Sena Keybani cradles a sapling that barely reaches her ankle. The young plant, protected by a makeshift fence of wood and wire, is a kind of dragon’s blood tree — a species found only on the Yemeni island of Socotra that is now struggling to survive intensifying threats from climate change.
Associated Press News
These trees exist in only one place on Earth. Now climate change and goats threaten their survival
Increasingly severe cyclones, grazing by invasive goats, and persistent turmoil in Yemen have threatened the survival of the country's iconic dragon’s blood tree.
Relict Dragon Tree Threatened with Extinction Due to Climate Change and Goats
Relict dragon tree threatened with extinction due to climate change and goatsOn the island of Socotra, in Yemen, the dragon tree is threatened with extinction due to climate change and goats. These trees are an important element of the ecosystem, and their disappearance would lead to catastrophic consequences.
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