Coastal Fish Diversity Of The Socotra Archipelago Yemen

"Abstract: The Socotra Archipelago, located in the eastern Gulf of Aden, has a unique marine environment which combines tropical and 'pseudo-temperate' elements. Studies on the fish biogeography of the archipelago, partially framed in regional studies, have substantially outpaced critical elementary research on the archipelago's fish diversity. The present study seeks to close this gap and identifies the Socotra Archipelago as a major hotspot of coastal fish diversity in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago supports unique coastal fish assemblages which are predominantly composed of coral-associated ("reef") species, in spite of the limited biogenic reef frameworks. A Preliminary Checklist comprises 682 species with confirmed records and a "Working List" includes an additional 51 records, totalling 733 faunal records in 108 families. The family Labridae is the most speciose, followed by Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, Serranidae and Chaetodontidae. The species richness of the archipelago is the highest when compared to adjacent Arabian ecoregions. The richness of the Acanthuridae, Chaetodontidae, Labridae, Pomacentridae and Pseudochromidae stand out as particularily high, and the richness of several families is as high as or higher than in the entire Red Sea. The total archipelagic richness is extrapolated at up to 875 species based on incidence-based richness models and expert opinion. Inshore fish inventories, covering 497 species, found between 14 and 132 species per site (x̄ = 66). Site diversity decreased across the archipelago from west to east and from north to south. Total fish diversity was highest around Socotra Island, followed by Abd al-Kuri & Kal Farun and Darsa & Samha. Occurrence frequencies were very unevenly distributed and dominated by Pomacentrus caeruleus and Thalassoma lunare, whilst many species were infrequent. The fish assemblages are dominated by species from the Indo-West Pacific and the north-western Indian Ocean. The assemblages are rich in rare species and hybrids, and include a low number of endemics (4-5), and a high number of species with far-reaching and Western Indian Ocean ranges. Keywords: Pisces, Coastal fish assemblages; species inventory; richness modelling; diversity distribution; Socotra Archipelago"--Page 3.

The Arabian Seas Marine Region encompasses marine areas from Djibouti to Pakistan, including the northern part of Somalia, the Red Sea, the Arabian/Persian Gulf, and parts of the Arabian Sea. Human pressures on the coastal and marine environments are evident throughout the region, and have resulted in harmful environmental effects. Oil and domestic, urban and industrial pollutants in several areas of this part of the world have caused local habitat degradation, eutrophication and algal blooms. Further, coastal landfill, dredging, and sedimentation, as well as nutrient and sediment runoff from phosphate mining, agriculture and grazing, and reduction in freshwater seepage due to groundwater extraction are all contributing to the degradation of coastal environments. This book discusses aspects not covered in other books on the region, which largely focus on marine biodiversity, and examines several environmental challenges that are often ignored, but which have a significant impact on the environment. Evaluating the status quo, it also recommends conservation measures and examines the abiotic factors that play a major main role in the environmental changes. Lastly, the book addresses the biodiversity of the area, providing a general context for the conservation and management measures discussed.

This research analyses the Socotri maritime traditions and addressing the question as to how social, environmental and technological influences have shaped the maritime traditions of the fishermen of Socotra (205 nautical miles south of Yemen).

Transition to Journals From Volume 19, the Yearbook of International Environmental Law will be available as online only, print only, or combined print and online subscriptions from Oxford Journals. The Yearbook of International Environmental Law archive is available immediately from January 2011. Customers wishing to take out a subscription can do so by clicking through to the yearbook's journal page: http://yielaw.oxfordjournals.org/ The Yearbook of International Environmental Law will benefit from a number of additional features made possible by online publication: Publish ahead of print - Articles will appear online throughout the year, granting subscribers immediate access to the latest developments in both HTML and PDF formats, without needing to wait for the print volume Email alerts - Anyone can sign up to receive Yearbook of International Environmental Law content alerts - both of the annual volume and of content published throughout the year Searchable archive - The entire archive back to 1996 will be made available to Yearbook of International Environmental Law subscribers The Yearbook of International Environmental Law has established itself as a vital source of information and analysis in an increasingly important legal field. The contributors for this volume are drawn from leading figures around the world who, together with the expert team of editors, have created the best source of information on world-wide events in this field. The article section contains high quality essays on topical subjects and the year-in-review section offers a round-up of legal developments in every part of the world. The third section of the Yearbook contains extenstive reviews of recently published books in the area.

This book presents the natural, environmental and scenic richness of the world’s coastal and marine areas classified by UNESCO as “Natural World Heritage Sites”. Representing well-preserved areas of exceptional significance to the planet and to humankind, they include a total of 49 marine sites, formed by reefs, atolls and gulfs, and 35 coastal sites in all oceans and all continents with exception of Antarctica. They are being protected and preserved from most degrading uses for future generations as an important legacy from the past. Exploring their richness, this book analyzes and explains these sites in a clear, understandable, scientific way, and is of interest to all who work in or care about the geosciences, environmental sciences and biosciences.

This thematic collection of 26 case studies provides a thorough understanding of World Heritage in the context of sustainable development.