Due to the very high numbers of goats on Socotra, many endemic and already endangered species have just one last option for survival – the vertical cliffs! For those species specializing on growing in these harsh conditions this is their normal habitat, but for those that normally would thrive on the ground, but find a foothold in the many cracks in the rocks, will find their very last frontier of survival here.
The fact that they are inaccessible to goats also means they are likely as inaccessible to humans, but every now and then there is a way, if you’re able to carefully find a foothold and a grip, and climb to a ledge or crack as I have done here. This was only way to get access to the endemic Peucedanum cordatum.
Last updated on 11 March 2023
