“Dragon

胡曉莉

受氣候變化影響，“龍血”島正面臨著嚴(yán)峻的生態(tài)危機(jī)，島上的生物多樣性正遭受嚴(yán)重的破壞。

Dragon's blood trees in Yemen's Socotra is not only a flagship symbol of the Indian Ocean archipelago's （群島） extraordinary biodiversity， but also a bleak warning of environmental crisis.

Forests of these ancient trees are being ruined by increasingly intense storms， while replacement young trees are gobbled by goat herds which are increasing rapidly， leaving the fragile biological hot spot facing possible desertification.

Lying in Turquoise Seas between Arabia and Africa， some 350 kilometers south of Yemen's coast， Socotra is home to over 50，000 people and has remained relatively untouched on the mainland. Naming it a World Heritage Site in 2008， UNESCO described the main island as one of the world's “most biodiversity rich and distinct”. It has also been seen as the “Galapagos （加拉帕戈斯群島） of the Indian Ocean”.

Ahmed， who lives in the island， said islanders traditionally don't fell dragon's blood trees for firewood. But scientists and islanders warn that the trees will largely die out within decades. Goats eat the seedlings， so young trees are only found on cliff faces in the most inaccessible places. The trees take nearly half a century before they reproduce. If nothing is done， it will not take long before all are gone.

The shrinking forests are a canary in the mine for Socotra's environmental challenge. Although it remains a treasure trove of biodiversity， we may soon be running out of time to protect Socotra's most iconic flagship species. Each lost tree drives a reduction in the hydrological（水文學(xué)的） cycle on which all life depends. If the trend continues， future generations might be able to visit a Socotran Frankincense （乳香） tree only in a botanical garden， accompanied by a little sign saying “extinct in the wild”.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature （IUCN） warns that Socotra is under “high threat”， and the worsening situation will be “accelerated by climate change”.

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If you are a tourist， an islander， or an ecological expert， what would you do to fight against the endangered environment of Socotra？