The Ibex Reserve is in the central region, south of Al-Hariq and west of Hawtat Bani Tamim. It is 180 kilometers from Riyadh. Some 1841 square kilometers in area, it is a large, rugged plateau in the Tuwayq Escarpment, and is dissected by deep canyons and gorges; its plains and depressions are sandy. The highest summit is on the western edge of the escarpment at 1,097 meters in elevation. The main reason for protecting this area was its harboring a small herd of wild Nubian Ibex, whose numbers quickly increased after the conservation programs were initiated. In the reserve and based on the surveys more than 13 mammal species were recorded, such as rock hyrax, Arabian wolf, red fox, Blanford’s fox, and rodents. A number of Idmi Gazelle (Mountain gazelle) were reintroduced to the reserve in 1990, which adapted to the nature of the area and their numbers grew well, and it is probably the only place in the Riyadh Region where you can see ibex and gazelle together, in their natural habitat.in addition to record more than 44 bird species the most important of which are sand partridges. The Reserve is characterized by a diverse vegetation cover, as it contains more than 286 species of annual, seasonal, and perennial plants, among them Acacia raddiana, Acacia tortilis, Acacia ehrenbergiana, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Haloxylon persicum, and Ochradenus arabicus.
Photo Credit – National Centre for Wildlife, Saudi Arabia
Conservation
Good governance
Community benefits
The Ibex Reserve is in the central region, south of Al-Hariq and west of Hawtat Bani Tamim. It is 180 kilometers from Riyadh. Some 1841 square kilometers in area, it is a large, rugged plateau in the Tuwayq Escarpment, and is dissected by deep canyons and gorges; its plains and depressions are sandy. The highest summit is on the western edge of the escarpment at 1,097 meters in elevation. The main reason for protecting this area was its harboring a small herd of wild Nubian Ibex, whose numbers quickly increased after the conservation programs were initiated. In the reserve and based on the surveys more than 13 mammal species were recorded, such as rock hyrax, Arabian wolf, red fox, Blanford’s fox, and rodents. A number of Idmi Gazelle (Mountain gazelle) were reintroduced to the reserve in 1990, which adapted to the nature of the area and their numbers grew well, and it is probably the only place in the Riyadh Region where you can see ibex and gazelle together, in their natural habitat.in addition to record more than 44 bird species the most important of which are sand partridges. The Reserve is characterized by a diverse vegetation cover, as it contains more than 286 species of annual, seasonal, and perennial plants, among them Acacia raddiana, Acacia tortilis, Acacia ehrenbergiana, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Haloxylon persicum, and Ochradenus arabicus.
The site meets the requirements of the indicators needed to qualify to be included as a Green List Protected Area. The EAGL representatives during the Evaluation Site Visit interviewed needed personnel as per the initial assessment, observed and inspected documentations, operations, and also analysed perception towards the Ibex Protected Area assessment for meeting the Green List requirement. Also, the external context for conservation within the site and as per its management plans and activities has clearly indicated a positive approach of how communications are being shared between PA management, relevant authorities and other stakeholders for delivering activities needed for better and sustainable conservation for the site. The site after series of follow up talks and discussions led by Dan Paleczny and confirmed by the visit team: Nabegh Ghazal Asswad & Amani Al-Zaidan, has reached the conclusion that the site delivered upon its plans and operational strategy as part of the NCW objectives. Overall, the site is highly recommended to the IUCN Green List Committee to be included on the Green List.
