People and Plants on the Island of Soqotra

In this article Miranda Morris gives an introduction to the ways in which the plants of Soqotra provide a vital life support mechanism for the people of the islands. The article has an Introduction followed by sections on:

• Plants as Fuel
• Plants as Building Materials
• Plants as Food
• Plants as Livestock Fodder
• Other Plant Uses
• A Few Individual Plants
• Conservation and Development

Introduction

The vegetation of Soqotra is the very basis of life for the majority of Soqotrans. Although increasing numbers of men seek a living from the sea (a more viable and even lucrative option now with outboard engines, fibreglass boats and improved communications opening new markets on the mainland), and yet others find employment with the Government (as soldiers, policemen, clerks, teaches, drivers, guards and so on), yet the majority of islanders still rely on livestock - and thus of necessity on the vegetation - for their survival. Livestock rearing may for some be supplemented by date cultivation or by seasonal fishing, by periods spent working on the mainland as unskilled labour to earn hard cash or by cash input from a wage-earning member of the family, but it is nevertheless a rare Soqotran family that possesses no livestock of any sort. In the absence of easily available commercial livestock feed (such as cheap cereal by-products, cattle nuts and so on), the many sheep, goats, camels, cattle and donkeys of the island are supported solely by the island's vegetation.

Rains are erratic, and periods of drought all too frequent. Human death from starvation and appalling decimation of livestock are vividly recalled in song and oral history. Although regular deliveries of subsidised basic foodstuffs to the island have largely removed the fear of such a death from the pastoralists, their animals continue to be vulnerable during prolongued dry periods. In addition to recurring drought, the islanders also have to cope with the severity of the summer season, when for some five months howling winds (sometimes exceeding ninety miles an hour) batter the island, curtailing fishing activities and effectively cutting the island off from communication with the outside world. During these months every living thing - and not least the vegetation - has a struggle to survive. The geographical isolation of the island coupled with such climatic conditions have led to the evolution of various strategies for the management of livestock and of the vegetation upon which all, man and beast, ultimately depend for their continued existence.