UNESCO Sends Field Committee to Assess Environmental Violations in Socotra Archipelago
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
A field committee from the UNESCO World Heritage Organization arrived yesterday, Tuesday, in the Socotra Archipelago, with the aim of conducting a field survey to assess the extent of violations and human-caused developments that the Socotran environment, inscribed on the World Heritage List, has been subjected to.
The dispatch of the fact-finding team came after warnings issued by UNESCO several months ago, which included a threat to remove the archipelago from the list of World Natural Heritage sites as a result of monitoring serious violations that negatively affect the environmental and biological diversity in the island.
Local sources said that the team seeks to submit a comprehensive report to the organization following the assessment of the violations, which are believed to be facilitated and colluded with by the governor and the local authority in Socotra.
They added that UNESCO will rely on this report to make its final decision regarding the status of the archipelago, between removing it from the heritage lists or keeping it with the imposition of strict new conditions.
It is worth noting that the governor of the Socotra Archipelago, who is loyal to the UAE, issued an official directive several months ago to seize the Public Authority for Environmental Protection in Socotra and plunder its vehicles and equipment, in a clear transgression targeting the work and importance of the authority in preserving the environment.
