Overview

• The Dragon’s Blood Tree, endemic to Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago, is critically endangered due to intensifying cyclones, goat grazing, and human activity.
• Socotra’s UNESCO-protected ecosystem harbors 825 plant species, one-third of which are found nowhere else, with the trees playing a vital role in water capture and soil health.
• Invasive goats prevent natural regeneration by consuming young saplings, leaving aging forests with no new growth to replace dying trees.
• Yemen’s civil war has diverted resources from conservation efforts, leaving local communities and small-scale nurseries to shoulder the burden with limited support.
• Scientists warn the species could disappear within centuries without scaled-up intervention, threatening biodiversity, local livelihoods, and the island’s ecosystem stability.