This is the crown of one of very few remaining trees of what once was a forest of Boswellia elongata her in Homhil. This is a mature tree (they live to little more than 100 years), reaching the end of its life, and thus Homhil will have one less seed disperser to secure the future of this forest.
Unfortunatly any seed falling from this tree will not mean much for any kind of regrowth, as any seedling is quickly eaten by the goats.
At the edges of the dying forest, near the creek to the north, there is a nursery, or enclosure, where a few tens of seedlings are gathering momentum to reach a goat-safe size. Until then, the fences will stay up, and caretakers will look after them and ensure the irrigation is working as per requirements. This is a project funded and run by foreign initiatives, but hopefully the Socotris will take ownership to rescuing one of the many endemic species from extinction.
There have been educational programs of Socotris (PhDs and masters in forestry), aiming to transfer best practices and scientific knowledge to the Socotris so they will become self-reliant in preserving Socotra’s threatened flora.
Endemic.
Elevation: 274 meters.
This is the complete list of all the 10 Boswellia species found in the Socotra Archipelago:
Boswellia ameero
Boswellia asplenifolia
Boswellia bullata
Boswellia dioscoridis
Boswellia elongata
Boswellia nana
Boswellia popoviana
Boswellia scopulorum
Boswellia socotrana
Found only on the island of Samha:
Boswellia samhaensis
In addition there are numerous hybrids and varieties that will keep botanists busy.
Read more:
The challenges in seed regeneration of the endemic Boswellia species on Socotra.
Last updated on 14 October 2023
