The most alien-looking place on Earth

Socotra might just be the most incredible place you have never heard of— or maybe you have, and if that is the case, you may have heard something either about the island’s bizarre, otherworldly landscapes, or a remarkably high portion of endemic species found nowhere else on earth. Both of these things are true, but there is more.

Socotra is one of the most isolated landforms on Earth of continental origin, meaning it is non-volcanic. The archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean about half-way between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, having broken off from Mainland Arabia millions of years ago. This geographic isolation, paired with high rocky mountains, plateaus, deserts and vast coastlines have turned Socotra into one of the most distinct ecological hotspots in the world.

In the 1990s, a team of United Nations biologists conducted a survey of the archipelago’s flora and fauna where they accounted for nearly 700 endemic species. These species, making up around one-third of the flora and fauna on Socotra, are found nowhere else. It’s no wonder why Socotra has been called “the most alien-looking place on Earth.”

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An Arabian history lesson

Socotra’s geography has historically been a double-edged sword. The island is blessed with diversity rivalling the Galapagos Islands, but its location, near the mouth of the Red Sea between the Middle East and Africa, also has political and strategic implications.

In the 16th century, Socotra came under the control of the Mahra Sultanate, a South Arabian Kingdom located in the present-day Mahra Governorate in southeastern Yemen along the Omani border.

With the abolition of South Arabian Sultanates and the founding of South Yemen in 1967, Socotra, for better or worse, became part of Yemen. While culturally and linguistically distinct, and geographically isolated from the Mainland, Socotra continues to play a strategic role in Middle Eastern politics to this day.

Arher, Socotra, Yemen. The crystal clear waters of the Arabian Sea give way to sand dunes on Arher Beach on Socotra’s northeast coast. Matt Reichel.

Fast-forward to today

In 2015, war broke out in Mainland Yemen. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen’s Zaidi Shiia sect promoting a message of fierce independence, anti-Americanism and anti-Saudism took control over Northern Yemen including the capital Sana’a. The Houthis’ takeover drew all military, security and political attention to the North, which in turn led to a power vacuum throughout much of the South. This gap allowed more nefarious insurgent forces to move in in the wake of the conflict.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a thorn in Yemen’s side dating back to the early 2000s, returned with a vengeance, as they swept across the south and eventually claimed the port city of Al Mukalla. They held the port for nine months, taking over millions in revenue as they poached the port business and controlled the flow of goods into Yemen’s Hadhramaut region.

Arabian Coalition forces launched an attack against the Houthis, through an aerial bombing campaign and economic blockade. The humanitarian consequences of these attacks were felt across the country, and persist tragically still to this day.

Socotra was not physically impacted by the war, but the island did lose its air links and most of its maritime trade with the mainland. This left Socotra and its 70,000 inhabitants effectively cut off from the outside world.

By 2017, the situation had reached an unideal, yet minimally accepted stalemate. The Houthis remained in control of much of the North; the Saudis backed the former Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in a new government governing the central and Southern regions of country; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supported a group called the Southern Transitional Council (STC), encompassing Aden and Socotra. The STC is essentially a separatist political party looking to re-establish previous pre-1990 borders between North and South Yemen.

Given the slowdown in conflict, starting in December 2017, the Arabian Coalition finally decided to allow a flight between Socotra and the Mainland after three years of isolation. Yemenia flies every Wednesday morning before dusk from Cairo, Egypt to Socotra through Seiyun— the main Saudi military stronghold on the Mainland. This once-a-week flight has given and continues to provide Socotra with a much needed economic lifeline in the form of ecotourism.

Hajhir, Socotra, Yemen. Pack camels used for trekking programs in Socotra’s Hajhir Mountains are just one small example of tourism bringing direct benefits to locals. Matt Reichel.

Socotra’s emerging tourism sector

As its peak, Socotra was seeing just under 5,000 tourists per year in 2014. This number has dropped to a mere 330 visitors in 2018.

Some insight is provided in a recent conversation with Ahmed Abdullah Omar, a Socotri Ph.D. researcher with experience in ecotourism. He argues, “Socotra should be positioned as a unique nature-based tourism destination, comparably with alternate destinations such as the Galapagos.” However, he does note that: “While Socotra is very safe, the conflict in the Mainland has had a devastating impact and effect on decreasing tourism on the island.”

Conflict in the Mainland has produced several major consequences to sustainable, green development on the island. One of the biggest problems attributed to this development is the concept of ‘brain drain’. Most of Socotra’s educated and foreign-language speakers have had to abandon their hopes of working in tourism and international development as a result of the transportation cut off in 2015. Many moved to the UAE to find work elsewhere in order to find a more stable income.

Further to this, the Abu Dhabi government strategically offered residency rights to Socotris, allowing them to join the police, military and security departments. The UAE even initiated private guest worker flights to and from the island to bring expatriates to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and bring self-styled Emirati advisors and aid workers to Socotra.

Shortly after, the Saudis started bringing their own “advisors” and “aid workers” as well as military personnel to the island to counter the increasing UAE influence over Socotra and its politics. To an outside observer traversing the island, there are far more UAE flags than Yemeni or South Yemeni flags anywhere, ranging from homes to schools to other public buildings. The UAE maintains an obvious and active presence in Socotra today.

The decrease in foreign tourism has not only decimated that once core industry and the availability of local talent to support its activities, but it has also led to severe infrastructure related and environmental consequences for the island.

Omar expands on this with more insights. He explains, “Another significant environmental problem is the accumulation of garbage. This has occurred due to the lack of awareness among locals, as well as lack of financial resources for the Socotra Fund Office and Environment Authority, which were all lost during the conflict.”

Throughout the Mainland conflict, Socotra was treated as a strategic location, rather than a place with people and ecology worth consideration and support. The island was further devastated by a cyclone in 2016, and without proper relief or planning, the cyclone produced what Omar calls “a huge impact on the environment, such as deforestation, damage to some the marine coral reefs, and the destruction of endemic plants such as the dragon blood tree.”

Qalansiah, Socotra. A birds eye view over the sandy tongue at Detwah Beach on Socotra’s northwest coast. Matt Reichel.

Banking on ecotourism

As in many other vulnerable regions across our planet, ecotourism provides a glimmer of hope for Socotra. In continued conversations, Omar argues the immediate economic benefits of tourism for locals are obvious: “It (tourism) will create more jobs for the local community in various ways, including drivers, guides, hotels workers, construction workers, restaurant employees, cooks, campsite managers, fishermen, car mechanics, and so many more.”

Obtaining community buy-in is essential for ecotourism to gain traction and remain sustainable in Socotra. For this to work, the community must be able to clearly see the benefits and positive impacts from tourism. In 2014, tourism is estimated to have generated around $5 to 6MM USD in direct cash infusions to the island, excluding additional investment from overseas aid organizations and small scale tourism investors. This represented a significant sum for the island’s overall population.

The secondary benefit of tourism is not so much economic, as much as it is conservationist, but both are interrelated. There are two major requirements to protecting Socotra’s unique ecological ecosystems. First, the provision of financial resources and essential infrastructure for protected areas around the island to handle an influx of visitors. Second-- and in some ways more important-- harnessing community pride in Socotra’s species and landforms.

Omar believes that ecotourism is a valuable path forward for achieving these objectives: “Tourism helps in raising the quality of life for islanders, but at the same time promotes pride in Socotra’s unique features as well among the community.”

Hajhir, Socotra, Yemen. A hiker snaps a photo of Dragon’s Blood Trees in a remote mountain valley in Socotra’s Hajhir Mountain range. Matt Reichel.

What is needed going forward

Local stakeholders will need a lot more support to make tourism work in the long term, especially with no real end in sight to the Mainland conflict.

The first solution is largely infrastructure-based, as Omar points out: “An important role for enhancing tourism on the island is the provision of public infrastructure such as roads, communications systems, public access to and rehabilitation of all the campsites in the protected areas that were massively damaged because of the cyclones.”

For ecotourism to succeed even with limited tourist numbers, there would need to be a basic level of facilities in place to handle waste management, the facilitation of potable water and transportation, and the maintenance of camping sites and hiking trails— factors that keep the island clean and sustainable.

It is important to remember what attracts tourists to Socotra is Socotra’s remoteness, wild nature, unique ecology, and the lack of mass tourism. The investment needed in this sector is not as challenging as it may seem, nor is it invasive. These types of projects can engage local communities and provide employment for them, while also bestowing a humanitarian benefit that they too can gain from.

Socotris should lean into what makes them special, the potential of their beautiful island. In some final thoughts, Omar believes tourism, conservation and community development have a natural ability to play off of each other: “There should be guidance for the development of sustainable nature-based tourism on the island, and the ability to link nature-based tourism to other sectors such as conservation and community development.”

Zaheq, Socotra, Yemen. A Socotri man is silhouetted behind a setting sun at the Zaheq sand dunes in southern Socotra island. Matt Reichel

Sharing Responsibility

As stability improves, tourism to Socotra has continued to grow. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the island was off to an incredibly promising start to 2020. Netting around 80 tourists per week, Socotra was on track to host approximately 2,000 tourists this year.

That being said, without basic infrastructure or government-level support, tourists must share in the responsibility to keep Socotra clean, to engage and support locals, and to listen to their needs.

Ways to help include organizing beach-cleanups with locals; donating resources to local schools aimed at educating students about the environment of their homeland; or creating a community fund to help with much-needed support programs such as solar energy projects, potable water treatment facilities, trail maintenance, and waste management.

Without formal fees to support these needs – i.e. national park entry fees or tourism taxes - tourism operators will need to come up with innovative alternatives and solutions. Tourists likewise should be made aware of the fragile balance that exists on Socotra, and ways that they too can contribute towards supporting locals and protecting the ecology.

Government support is never guaranteed, so the fate of Socotra relies on its people and humanity through tourism. It really boils down to this – people need to demonstrate creativity and care in order to provide opportunities for Socotra’s citizens and to keep the island’s environment healthy. This is the reality of Socotra’s future.