Selected projects
Forgotten in the ocean: the reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago as a model for the
study of island Biogeography, Evolution and Conservation
By Caranza's Lab
Continental islands are very important hotspots of biodiversity and provide premier settings for studying the evolutionary and ecological processes that have resulted in such unique biotas.
The Socotra Archipelago, in the western Indian Ocean, is a case example of an ancient continental fragment...
Threats and management of Dracaena cinnabari trees
By Abdul Raqeeb Al-Okaishi
Dragon's blood resin or “Dam Al-Akhwain” (blood of the two brothers) is one of commercial NTFPs in Yemen produced by tapping Dracaena cinnabari trees.
The species is part of the Red List of the ‘International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’ and counts for “vulnerable”...
Population structure of Dragon Trees on Soqotra
By Jindrich Pavlis and Hana Habrová
Knowledge of tree population structure is a key factor for determining the procedure and urgency
of their early and effective conservation. Unique woodlands of Dracaena cinnabari on
Soqotra Island last preserved relics of the Mio-Pliocene xerophile-sclerophyllous southern
Tethys Flora....
Previous research projects
The Dragon Blood Tree's Gecko (Hemidactylus dracaenacolus)
By Raquel Vasconcelos
The target species, Hemidactylus dracaenacolus, is a gecko classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN
due to population and habitat area decline together with its reduced geographic range.
The species has only been found in the Diksam Plateau and exclusively on endemic dragon’s blood trees Dracaena cinnabari...
Soil and land degradation, and monitoring on Soqotra Island
By Dana Pietsch
Walking from Hadiboh to Noged and back in 2001 it was obvious – and not just from a scientific
point of view – that the island and
its inhabitants are facing a lot of problems which concern land degradation...
Soqotri folk tales: Mehazelo - Cinderella of Soqotra
By Vladimir Agafonov
Once upon a time there was a girl. Her parents died when she was
very small so she went to stay with an old man and his wife who
would look after her. The old man was a fisherman, but his catch
of fish was small - just enough for them not to die from hunger....
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